Nonvolatile Hybrid Memory Cell Embedded with Ni Nanocrystals in Poly(3-hexylthiophene)

We developed a cross-bar nonvolatile hybrid memory cell embedded with Ni nanocrystals in poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) with cell area of 4F 2, where F is a feature size. The cell demonstrated nonvolatile memory characteristics, such as a memory margin (I on/I off ratio) of ∼5×10, over 103 endurance cycles of program-and-erase, and a retention time of 104 s at 85 °C. In addition, the mechanism of nonvolatile memory operation for the hybrid memory cell was confirmed by the combination of space-charge-limited current and a Fowler–Nordheim tunneling conduction.