A Single Nanoscale Junction with Programmable Multilevel Memory

Nanoscale devices that are sensitive to measurement history enable memory applications, and memristors are currently under intense investigation for robustness and functionality. Here we describe the fabrication and performance of a memristor-like device that comprises a single TiO2 nanowire in contact with Au electrodes, demonstrating both high sensitivity to electrical stimuli and high levels of control. Through an electroforming process, a population of charged dopants is created at the interface between the wire and electrode that can be manipulated to demonstrate a range of device and memristor characteristics. In contrast to conventional two-terminal memristors, our device is essentially a diode that exhibits memristance in the forward bias direction. The device is easily reset to the off state by a single voltage pulse and can be incremented to provide a range of controllable conductance states in the forward direction. Electrochemical modification of the Schottky barrier at the electrodes is proposed as an underlying mechanism, and six-level memory operations are demonstrated on a single nanowire.