Inkjet-printed resistive memory cells for transparent electronics

This article describes completely inkjet-printed transparent memory cells consisting of a four layer structure of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS)/Ag nanoparticles/spin-on-glass (SOG)/ PEDOT:PSS. When targeting applications in transparent electronics, standard Electrochemical Metallization Memory (ECM) is constrained by its need for opaque metal electrodes. Therefore, we replace a bulk metal electrode by the conducting and transparent PEDOT:PSS covered with a submonolayer of Ag nanoparticles, which serves as active electrode for the filament growth while still preserving a high degree of transparency. Conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM) measurements confirm that the Ag nanoparticles act as seeds for the filament formation. The cells show low switching voltages of approximately 1.2 V and a high OFF/ON resistance ratio of more than 100. The presented cell structure enables extremely cost-efficient memory for future applications in transparent electronics.