Memristive Behavior in Epitaxial Cu_2-xSe Thin Films

Materials with memristor properties are of much current interest because of their applications in neuromorphic circuitry and resistive switching devices. In these applications, low leakage current and high on-to-off current ratios are essential for efficient devices.  Non-stoichiometric copper selenide is a promising material that exhibits the above behavior, where the resistive switching is believed to be attributed to the ionic conductivity of copper ions [1]. We will present the memory resistive behavior of epitaxially grown Cu_2-xSe on Al₂O₃ using Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE).  The films were characterized using Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Pt interdigitated contacts were used to perform current-voltage (I-V) measurements. The (I-V) measurements showed resistive switching of  Cu_2-xSe at room temperature with over five orders of magnitude of on-off current ratios.

 

1. 1. Rehman at el. Appl. Phys.  50 (2017) 135301 (8pp)