Effect of rare earth on ZnO-based memristors

Abstract

Memristors are electronic devices that present resistive switching. Their main application is the fabrication of digital memories. In this work Tb doped-ZnO based memristors are characterized and their properties are compared to the ones of undoped ZnO devices. The study shows that it is possible to obtain switching in doped ZnO-based devices at lower currents. Devices doped with rare earth ions also exhibit light emission, while preserving their resistive switching properties. This was not observed in the undoped devices and is an important advantage for developing optically read digital memories. Finally, the electrical conduction mechanisms present in the memristors are also analyzed