Electrically bistable memory device based on spin-coated molecular complex thin film

• Published in: IEEE electron device letters Vol. 27; no. 3; pp. 151 - 153
• Main Authors: Zhengchun Liu, Fengliang Xue, Yi Su, Varahramyan, K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.03.2006; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: 6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM); Aluminum; Applied sciences; Circuit properties; Compound structure devices; Conduction heating; Data storage; Derivatives; Devices; Electric fields; Electric, optical and optoelectronic circuits; Electrical bistability; Electronic circuits; Electronics; Esters; Exact sciences and technology; Glass; Magnetic and optical mass memories; Magnetoelectric, magnetostrictive, magnetoacoustic, magnetooptic and magnetothermal devices. Spintronics; memory; Memory devices; Organic light emitting diodes; Organic materials; Radiofrequency identification; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Sputtering; Storage and reproduction of information; Substrates; Switches; Switching, multiplexing, switched capacity circuits; Temperature; tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ); Thin film devices; Thin films; External field; Temperature distribution; Memory devices; Write-once storage; memory; Voltage current curve; Sandwich structure; Electrical bistability; [6,6]-phenyl C61- butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM); Bistability; Thin film; Nanoelectronics; Electric field; Spin-on coatings; Organic conductor; tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ); Selector switch; Cost lowering; Vacuum deposition; Room temperature; Spintronics
• ISSN: 0741-3106; 1558-0563
• DOI: 10.1109/LED.2005.863568

We present an organic electrically bistable memory device based on the molecular complex film composed of tetracyanoquinodimethane and a soluble methanofullerene derivative [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester. The device has an Al/molecules/Al sandwich-like structure. The molecular layer was formed by spin-coating technique instead of expensive vacuum deposition method. The current-voltage characteristics show that the device switches from the initial "low" conduction state to "high" conduction state upon application of external electric field at room temperature. The on/off ratio is up to 10/sup 6/. Either state has been found to remain stable for more than five months, even after the external electric field is removed. The device presented is of potential use for low-cost write-once-read-many-times memory applications.