Formation process of conducting filament in planar organic resistive memory

The formation process of conducting filaments (CFs) has been experimentally demonstrated in inorganics based memory devices, whereas the cation mobility dependent growth modes of the CFs remain an open question. Here, we provide direct evidence on this process in Ag/poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)/Pt planar device. The CFs, composed of partially sulfurized Ag clusters, are unexpectedly verified to nucleate initially at the middle region of the planar device and locate on the surface of the organic layer. These phenomena can be attributed to the appropriate cation mobility and the relatively lower activation energy for diffusion on the surface of the organic layer. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.