Issue 16, 2023

Non-volatile resistive switching mechanism in single-layer MoS2 memristors: insights from ab initio modelling of Au and MoS2 interfaces

Abstract

Non-volatile memristive devices based on two-dimensional (2D) layered materials provide an attractive alternative to conventional flash memory chips. Single-layer semiconductors, such as monolayer molybdenum disulphide (ML-MoS2), enable the aggressive downscaling of devices towards greater system integration density. The “atomristor”, the most compact device to date, has been shown to undergo a resistive switching between its high-resistance (HRS) and low-resistance (LRS) states of several orders of magnitude. The main hypothesis behind its working mechanism relies on the migration of sulphur vacancies in the proximity of the metal contact during device operation, thus inducing the variation of the Schottky barrier at the metal–semiconductor interface. However, the interface physics is not yet fully understood: other hypotheses were proposed, involving the migration of metal atoms from the electrode. In this work, we aim to elucidate the mechanism of the resistive switching in the atomristor. We carry out density functional theory (DFT) simulations on model Au and ML-MoS2 interfaces with and without the presence of point defects, either vacancies or substitutions. To construct realistic interfaces, we combine DFT with Green's function surface simulations. Our findings reveal that it is not the mere presence of S vacancies but rather the migration of Au atoms from the electrode to MoS2 that modulate the interface barrier. Indeed, Au atoms act as conductive “bridges”, thus facilitating the flow of charge between the two materials.

Graphical abstract: Non-volatile resistive switching mechanism in single-layer MoS2 memristors: insights from ab initio modelling of Au and MoS2 interfaces

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
19 Janv. 2023
Accepted
18 Jūl. 2023
First published
21 Jūl. 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale Adv., 2023,5, 4203-4212

Non-volatile resistive switching mechanism in single-layer MoS2 memristors: insights from ab initio modelling of Au and MoS2 interfaces

G. Boschetto, S. Carapezzi and A. Todri-Sanial, Nanoscale Adv., 2023, 5, 4203 DOI: 10.1039/D3NA00045A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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