Memristive and Memory Impedance Behavior in a Photo-Annealed ZnO–rGO Thin-Film Device

Abstract

An oxygen-rich ZnO-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) thin film was synthesized using a photo-annealing technique from zinc precursor (ZnO)–graphene oxide (GO) sol–gel solution. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show a clear characteristic peak corresponding to rGO. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the prepared thin film shows an evenly distributed wrinkled surface structure. Transition Metal Oxide (TMO)-based memristive devices are nominees for beyond CMOS Non-Volatile Memory (NVRAM) devices. The two-terminal Metal–TMO (Insulator)–Metal (MIM) memristive device is fabricated using a synthesized ZnO–rGO as an active layer on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)-coated glass substrate. Aluminum (Al) is deposited as a top metal contact on the ZnO–rGO active layer to complete the device. Photo annealing was used to reduce the GO to rGO to make the proposed method suitable for fabricating ZnO–rGO thin-film devices on flexible substrates. The electrical characterization of the Al–ZnO–rGO–FTO device confirms the coexistence of memristive and memimpedance characteristics. The coexistence of memory resistance and memory impedance in the same device could be valuable for developing novel programmable analog filters and self-resonating circuits and systems.