Structural and chemical nanoanalysis on memristive devices

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Lorenz Kienle
• Subject Area: Synthesis and Properties of Functional Materials
• Term: from 2014 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 239767484

Nanoscopic analysis is one key towards fundamental understanding of function and knowledge-driven improvement of memristive devices. Consequently, subproject B2 focuses on chemical and structural investigations of the nanoscale structures, which are intrinsically determining device function as well as memristive switching mechanisms and fatigue. The diverse designs of memristive devices being relevant for the research unit call for the application of well selected and complementary techniques of transmission electron microscopy including high resolution imaging, electron diffraction, X-ray- and electron spectroscopy. As a precondition, sample extraction and thinning must be developed towards artefact-free preparation for each of the specific designs. As a result, a synergistic link to device fabrication (A1, A2) is established and the correlation of atomic structure and electrical properties can be provided as further verified by accompanied device simulation (B1). The analyses cover a broad range of length scales with structure sizes ranging from a few angstroms (e.g. electrically charged defects) to nanometers (e.g. barrier layers) and micrometers (e.g. cuts through entire devices and metal oxide networks). Besides dedicated ex situ analyses, in situ observation on horizontal devices are planned which may enable recording the structural changes upon memristive switching live and in real time.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 2093: Memristive Devices for Neural Systems