Vapour deposition of metal-organic graphene analogues for memory devices (MeMOG)

The rapid advancement of the digital era requires novel materials and device concepts for data storage. Memristors are a promising class of memory devices in which information is stored and extracted as changes in the electrical resistance of a storage medium. So far, the working principle and potential of memristors have been illustrated only using readily available ‘off-the-shelf’ materials without exploring structure-property relationships. However, to reach the understanding and performance required for real-world implementation, tailor-made materials are needed. To this end, the MeMOG project will use metal-organic graphene analogues (MOGs), an emerging class of electronically tuneable 2D crystalline coordination polymers (CCPs), whose electrical resistance can be reversibly switched by several orders of magnitude.

MOG nanofilms will be prepared with precise control over thickness, morphology, and crystallinity via solvent-free chemical vapour deposition (CVD). In contrast with existing solution-based MOG synthesis protocols that use metal salts and organic solvents, the CVD approach avoids corrosion and contamination issues and is therefore compatible with microelectronics fabrication. Thus far, this method has only been used with a limited number of 3D CCPs, MeMOG will adapt the CVD methodology to a wide set of 2D MOGs nanofilms. These MOG layers will be integrated and tested in memristor prototypes for a deeper understanding of their switching mechanism.