Room-Temperature, Solution-Processed SiO_x via Photochemistry Approach for Highly Flexible Resistive Switching Memory

Due to its high versatility and cost-effectiveness, solution process has a remarkable advantage over physical or chemical vapor deposition (PVD/CVD) methods in developing flexible resistive random-access memory (RRAM) devices. However, the reported solution-processed binary oxides, the most promising active layer materials for their compatibility with silicon-based semiconductor technology, commonly require high-temperature annealing (>145 °C) and the RRAMs based on them encounter insufficient flexibility. In this work, an amorphous and uniform SiOx active layer was prepared by irradiating an inorganic polymer, perhydropolysilazane, with a vacuum ultraviolet of 172 nm at room temperature. The corresponding RRAM showed typical bipolar resistance switching with a forming-free behavior. The device on polyimide film exhibited outstanding flexibility with a minimum bending radius of 0.5 mm, and no performance degradation was observed after bending 2000 times with a radius of 2.3 mm, which is the best among the reported solution-processed binary oxide-based RRAMs and can even rival the performance of PVD/CVD-based devices. This room-temperature solution process and the afforded highly flexible RRAMs have vast prospects for application in smart wearable electronics.