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Electrical Characteristics of Hybrid-Organic Memory Devices Based on Au Nanoparticles

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Abstract

We report on the fabrication and characterization of hybrid-organic memory devices based on gold (Au) nanoparticles that utilize metal–insulator–semiconductor structure. Au nanoparticles were produced by sputtering and inert-gas condensation inside an ultrahigh-vacuum compatible system. The nanoparticles were self-assembled on a silicon dioxide (SiO2)/silicon (Si) substrate, then coated with a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) insulating layer. Aluminum (Al) electrodes were deposited by thermal evaporation on the Si substrate and the PMMA layer to create a capacitor. The nanoparticles worked as charge storage elements, while the PMMA is the capacitor insulator. The capacitance–voltage (C–V) characteristics of the fabricated devices showed a clockwise hysteresis with a memory window of 3.4 V, indicative of electron injection from the top Al electrode through the PMMA layer into Au nanoparticles. Charge retention was measured at the stress voltage, demonstrating that the devices retain 94% of the charge stored after 3 h of continuous testing.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the British Council for its support through the PMI2 Connect program, Grant No. RC GS 249. This work was performed while the corresponding author was working at the Department of Physics, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE

    Razan R. Nejm & Mousa Hussein

  2. Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar

    Ahmad I. Ayesh

  3. School of Engineering and Centre for Molecular and Nanoscale Electronics, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    Dagou A. Zeze

  4. School of Electronic Engineering, Bangor University, Dean Street, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 1UT, UK

    Adam Sleiman & Mohammed F. Mabrook

  5. Masdar Institute, Abu Dhabi, UAE

    Amal Al-Ghaferi

Authors
  1. Razan R. Nejm
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  2. Ahmad I. Ayesh
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  3. Dagou A. Zeze
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  4. Adam Sleiman
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  5. Mohammed F. Mabrook
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  6. Amal Al-Ghaferi
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  7. Mousa Hussein
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Correspondence to Ahmad I. Ayesh.

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Nejm, R.R., Ayesh, A.I., Zeze, D.A. et al. Electrical Characteristics of Hybrid-Organic Memory Devices Based on Au Nanoparticles. J. Electron. Mater. 44, 2835–2841 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-015-3692-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-015-3692-x

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