Resistive Switching Property on CdTe/CdSe Core-shell Quantum Dots Incorporated Chitosan-PVP Polymer Blend

Abstract

The use of biodegradable materials in memory devices has a significant impact on reducing electronic waste. The resistive switching capability of a sandwich-type memory device, which consists of an active layer (AL) positioned between a bottom electrode (BE) and top electrode (TE), has been investigated. The AL was made of a composite material consisting of chitosan (CS) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer mix that was dispersed with CdTe/CdSe core-shell quantum dots. On the other hand, the TE was made up of silver (Ag), and the BE was provided by an indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) layer. The memory device was fabricated using a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. Interesting results were obtained by monitoring the current in the Ag/CS+PVP+CdTe/CdSE/ITO device and applying voltage between the Ag and ITO electrodes. The device showed memory hysteresis, with a reasonable I_ON/I_OFF ratio of ≥ 10 and a low working voltage of ≥ 0.2 V. These findings imply that the devicet uses minimal power and operates as a memory device. In addition, the incorporation of CdTe/CdSe in the composite material was hypothesized to optimize the Schottky barrier's height at the electrode-active layer interface, effectively blocking electron entrance into the active layer. Consequently, conductive filaments were formed due to the diffusion of Ag+ ions into the active layer. Ultimately, our results indicate that adding CdTe/CdSe QDs could potentially improve the memory device and switching capabilities of the CS/PVP blend-based resistive switching memory may be utilized