Surfing the Growth Parameters in the Quest for Low-Power, Forming-Free, and Highly Stable TiO Memristors for Nanoscale Electronics.

Understanding the resistive switching (RS) behavior of oxide-based memory devices at nanoscale is crucial for advancement of high-integration density in-memory computing platforms. This study explores a comprehensive growth parameter space to address the RS behavior of pulsed-laser-deposited substoichiometric TiO (TiO) thin films in search of tailored nanoscale memristors with low-power consumption and high stability. Conductive-atomic-force-microscopy-based measurements facilitate deciphering the switching behavior at nanoscale, providing a direct avenue to understand the microstructure-property relationships.

Controllable physicochemical properties of WO thin films grown under glancing angle.

In this work, various physicochemical properties are investigated in nanostructured WO thin films prepared by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering for optoelectronic applications. A glancing angle of 87° is employed to grow films of different thicknesses, which are then exposed to post-growth annealing. Detailed local probe analyses in terms of morphology and work function of WO films are carried out to investigate thickness-dependent property modulations of the as-deposited and annealed films.

Site-Specific Emulation of Neuronal Synaptic Behavior in Au Nanoparticle-Decorated Self-Organized TiO Surface.

Neuromorphic computing is a potential approach for imitating massive parallel processing capabilities of a bio-synapse. To date, memristors have emerged as the most appropriate device for designing artificial synapses for this purpose due to their excellent analog switching capacities with high endurance and retention. However, to build an operational neuromorphic platform capable of processing high-density information, memristive synapses with nanoscale footprint are important, albeit with device size scaled down, retaining analog plasticity and low power requirement often become a challenge.

Controlled creation and annihilation of isolated robust emergent magnetic monopole like charged vertices in square artificial spin ice.

Magnetic analogue of an isolated free electric charge, i.e., a magnet with a single north or south pole, is a long sought-after particle which remains elusive so far.

Tuning the Electrical and Thermoelectric Properties of N Ion Implanted SrTiO Thin Films and Their Conduction Mechanisms.

The SrTiO thin films were fabricated by pulsed laser deposition. Subsequently ion implantation with 60 keV N ions at two different fluences 1 × 10 and 5 × 10 ions/cm and followed by annealing was carried out. Thin films were then characterized for electronic structure, morphology and transport properties.

Growth of Wafer-Scale ReS with "Tunable" Geometry toward Electron Field-Emission Application.

Despite high potential, the promise of 2D materials has not been realized practically because of limits of tiny grown size and difficult manipulation of the active spot. The utilization of 2D layers is the ultimate approach, which should be supported by large-scale production. In this very first report, we demonstrate the wafer-scale production of ReS using the conventional sputtering method.

A Transparent Photonic Artificial Visual Cortex.

Mimicking brain-like functionality with an electronic device is an essential step toward the design of future technologies including artificial visual and memory applications. Here, a proof-of-concept all-oxide-based (NiO/TiO ) highly transparent (54%) heterostructure is proposed and demonstrated, which mimics the primitive functions of the visual cortex. Specifically, orientation selectivity and spatiotemporal processing similar to that of the visual cortex are demonstrated using direct optical stimuli under the self-biased condition due to photovoltaic effect, illustrating an energy-efficient approach for neuromorphic computing.

Temporal evolution on SiO surface under low energy Ar-ion bombardment: roles of sputtering, mass redistribution, and shadowing.

Self-organized pattern evolution on SiO surface under low energy Ar-ion irradiation has been investigated extensively at varied ion energies, angles of ion incidence, and ion flux. Our investigations reveal an instability on SiO surface in an angular window of 40° ̶ 70° and for a comprehensive range of Ar-ion energies (200-1000 eV). Different topographical features, viz.

Strong uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in Co films on highly ordered grating-like nanopatterned Ge surfaces.

We present a systematic investigation on uniaxial magnetic anisotropy (UMA) in Co thin films induced by high aspect ratio nanopatterned anisotropic substrates. Self-organized long grating-like nanostructures, with extreme regularities, are fabricated on Ge surfaces using Au-ion implantation at room temperature. Subsequently deposition of Co films are carried out on the same at two different angles.

Surfing Silicon Nanofacets for Cold Cathode Electron Emission Sites.

Point sources exhibit low threshold electron emission due to local field enhancement at the tip. In the case of silicon, however, the realization of tip emitters has been hampered by unwanted oxidation, limiting the number of emission sites and the overall current. In contrast to this, here, we report the fascinating low threshold (∼0.

Gold-decorated highly ordered self-organized grating-like nanostructures on Ge surface: Kelvin probe force microscopy and conductive atomic force microscopy studies.

Nanoarchitecture by atomic manipulation is considered to be one of the emerging trends in advanced functional materials. It has a gamut of applications to offer in nanoelectronics, chemical sensing, and nanobiological science. In particular, highly ordered one-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures fabricated by self-organization methods are in high demand for their high aspect ratios and large number of applications.

Field-induced doping-mediated tunability in work function of Al-doped ZnO: Kelvin probe force microscopy and first-principle theory.

We demonstrate that the work function of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) can be tuned externally by applying an electric field. Our experimental investigations using Kelvin probe force microscopy show that by applying a positive or negative tip bias, the work function of AZO film can be enhanced or reduced, which corroborates well with the observed charge transport using conductive atomic force microscopy. These findings are further confirmed by calculations based on first-principles theory.

Structural defect-dependent resistive switching in Cu-O/Si studied by Kelvin probe force microscopy and conductive atomic force microscopy.

In this study, we show structural defect-dependent presence or absence of resistive switching in Cu-O films. We use Kelvin probe force microscopy and conductive atomic force microscopy to show the presence of resistive switching. In addition, local current mapping provides direct evidence on the formation of nanoscale filament.

Semi-insulating behaviour of self-assembled tin(IV)corrole nanospheres.

Three novel tin(iv)corrole complexes have been prepared and characterized by various spectroscopic techniques including single crystal X-ray structural analysis. Packing diagrams of the tin(iv)corroles revealed that corrolato-tin(iv)-chloride molecules are interconnected by intermolecular C-HCl hydrogen bonding interactions. HCl distances are 2.

Tunable antireflection from conformal Al-doped ZnO films on nanofaceted Si templates.

Unlabelled: Photon harvesting by reducing reflection loss is the basis of photovoltaic devices. Here, we show the efficacy of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) overlayer on ion beam-synthesized nanofaceted silicon for suppressing reflection loss. In particular, we demonstrate thickness-dependent tunable antireflection (AR) from conformally grown AZO layer, showing a systematic shift in the reflection minima from ultraviolet to visible to near-infrared ranges with increasing thickness.

Transition from ripples to faceted structures under low-energy argon ion bombardment of silicon: understanding the role of shadowing and sputtering.

In this study, we have investigated temporal evolution of silicon surface topography under 500-eV argon ion bombardment for two angles of incidence, namely 70° and 72.5°. For both angles, parallel-mode ripples are observed at low fluences (up to 2 × 1017 ions cm-2) which undergo a transition to faceted structures at a higher fluence of 5 × 1017 ions cm-2.