Nanoscale multistate resistive switching in WO3 through scanning probe induced proton evolution

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 3950 - 8
• Main Authors: Zhang, Fan, Zhang, Yang, Li, Linglong, Mou, Xing, Peng, Huining, Shen, Shengchun, Wang, Meng, Xiao, Kunhong, Ji, Shuai-Hua, Yi, Di, Nan, Tianxiang, Tang, Jianshi, Yu, Pu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 04.07.2023; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 147/136; 147/137; 639/301/1005/1008; 639/301/119/995; Catalysis; Conductivity; Electric fields; Electric potential; Energy efficiency; Evolution; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hydrogen; Hydrogen evolution; Hydrogenation; multidisciplinary; Neuromorphic computing; Phase transitions; Protons; Room temperature; Scanning; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Switching; Thin films; Voltage
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39687-9

Multistate resistive switching device emerges as a promising electronic unit for energy-efficient neuromorphic computing. Electric-field induced topotactic phase transition with ionic evolution represents an important pathway for this purpose, which, however, faces significant challenges in device scaling. This work demonstrates a convenient scanning-probe-induced proton evolution within WO 3 , driving a reversible insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) at nanoscale. Specifically, the Pt-coated scanning probe serves as an efficient hydrogen catalysis probe, leading to a hydrogen spillover across the nano junction between the probe and sample surface. A positively biased voltage drives protons into the sample, while a negative voltage extracts protons out, giving rise to a reversible manipulation on hydrogenation-induced electron doping, accompanied by a dramatic resistive switching. The precise control of the scanning probe offers the opportunity to manipulate the local conductivity at nanoscale, which is further visualized through a printed portrait encoded by local conductivity. Notably, multistate resistive switching is successfully demonstrated via successive set and reset processes. Our work highlights the probe-induced hydrogen evolution as a new direction to engineer memristor at nanoscale. Designing efficient multistate resistive switching devices is promising for neuromorphic computing. Here, the authors demonstrate a reversible hydrogenation in WO 3 thin films at room temperature with an electrically-biased scanning probe. The associated insulator to metal transition offers the opportunity to precisely control multistate conductivity at nanoscale.