Effect of electrode material on characteristics of non-volatile resistive memory consisting of Ag₂S nanoparticles

In this study, Ag₂S nanoparticles are synthesized and used as the active material for two-terminal resistance switching memory devices. Sintered Ag₂S films are successfully crystallized on plastic substrates with synthesized Ag₂S nanoparticles, after a relatively low-temperature sintering process (200 °C). After the sintering process, the crystallite size is increased from 6.8 nm to 80.3 nm. The high ratio of surface atoms to inner atoms of nanoparticles reduces the melting point temperature, deciding the sintering process temperature. In order to investigate the resistance switching characteristics, metal/Ag₂S/metal structures are fabricated and tested. The effect of the electrode material on the non-volatile resistive memory characteristics is studied. The bottom electrochemically inert materials, such as Au and Pt, were critical for maintaining stable memory characteristics. By using Au and Pt inert bottom electrodes, we are able to significantly improve the memory endurance and retention to more than 10³ cycles and 10⁴ sec, respectively.