Atomic-Scale hBN Memristors Engineered by Ion Implantation

Abstract Defects play an essential role in determining the resistive switching behavior, variability, and scalability of hBN-based memristors. In this work, we employ Ar+ implantation to create atomic defects within an array of Au/hBN/Au sandwich structures. As the Ar+ implantation dose increases from 0 to 4 × 1011 cm−2, the yield of Au/hBN/Au memristors linearly increases from 1.4% to 77%. Lateral force microscopy indicates that atomic-scale defects are created in the pristine hBN flakes by Ar+ ion implantation. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy shows that atomic-scale defect channels exist in the hBN flake with a memristive switching behavior. It is evident that conduction via these atomic-scale defect channels enables memristive behavior in Au/hBN/Au sandwich structures.