Role of the Oxide in Memristive Quasi-1D Silicon Nanowire

Abstract

Memristors are garnering significant attention due to their high similarity to biological neurons and synapses, alongside their unique physical mechanisms. Biosensors exhibiting memristive behaviour have demonstrated substantial efficacy in detecting therapeutic and biological compounds in the past decade. This report investigations on silicon nanowire (SiNW)-based devices incorporating Schottky barriers, which exhibits potential for memristive behaviour. The SiNWs are fabricated between two Nickel (Ni) pads, defined as 1.5 μm in length and 90 nm width, then forming a quasi-one- dimensional (1D) back-to-back Schottky diode structure due to their large aspect ratio. After oxygen plasma treatment of the SiNW, this back-to-back diode structure begins to exhibit memristive behaviour. Our experimental data indicates that this behaviour is induced by superficial oxygen along the SiNW and is influenced by the contacts within the Schottky barrier and intermediate silicon oxide layer. Furthermore, we have developed a mathematical model derived from thermal emission equation of Schottky diodes to accurately characterize and understand this memristive behaviour. Thank to this model, it is possible to accurately fine-tune the design of memristive devices for application to neuromorphic computing and memristive biosensing.