Resistive switching in FTO/CuO–Cu 2 O/Au memory devices

Memristors are considered to be next‐generation non‐volatile memory devices owing to their fast switching and low power consumption. Metal oxide memristors have been extensively investigated and reported to be promising devices, although they still suffer from poor stability and laborious fabrication process. Herein, the authors report a stable and power‐efficient memristor with novel heterogeneous electrodes structure and facile fabrication based on cupric oxide (CuO)–cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) complex thin films. The proposed structure of the memristor contains an active complex layer of CuO and Cu 2 O sandwiched between fluorine‐doped tin oxide (FTO) and gold (Au) electrodes. The fabricated memristors demonstrate bipolar resistive switching (RS) behaviour with a low working voltage (∼1 V), efficient power consumption, and high endurance over 100 switching cycles. The authors suggest the RS mechanism of the proposed device is related to the formation and rupture of conducting filaments inside the memristor. Moreover, they analyse the conduction mechanism and electron transport in the active layer of the device during the RS process. Such a facile fabricated device has a promising potential for future memristive applications.