Influence of external effects on the properties of resistive memory of metal oxide semiconductor films

• Grant number: 23/17490-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Victor Lopez Richard
• Grantee: Ana Luiza Costa Silva
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/17787-8 - Surface dynamics and memory phenomena in oxide thin films grown by Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

The growing demand for more advanced, smaller, and more efficient information processing and sensing technologies drives the search for semiconductor materials with simplified processing, affordable cost, ecologically sustainable, and with adequate performance for specific applications. An intriguing phenomenon that appears in electronic devices based on semiconductor oxides is the so-called resistive memory effect. Commonly, materials that exhibit this effect are manufactured following the metal-insulator-metal structure where the insulating layer can be formed by a semiconductor oxide. However, resistive memory effects are also observed in devices where the configuration is composed of lateral planar electrical contacts. Understanding electronic conduction mechanisms in unconventional configurations, such as lateral contacts, reveals other nuances regarding the role of other variables, in addition to electrical voltage, that influence the memristive behaviors of materials. Among many possible approaches, describing the role of the surface in these processes is challenging. This postdoctoral research project aims to carry out a systematic investigation into how external factors, such as light, controlled atmospheres and variation in electrical stimuli, impact the dynamics of resistive memory properties in semiconductor metal oxide films, especially those with planar contacts. The active role of the film surface can act as a preponderant factor in the memory effects of semiconductor oxides. The project will allow combining experiment with theory through the interaction between the Semiconductor Oxides and Semiconductor Nanostructures groups at UFSCar.