Tin dioxide memristors on glass and plastic substrates

NanoMIL has studied and developed SnO2-based memristors, while the W.M Keck Center has been a research leader in printed silver inks. The focus of this thesis is to take the previous generation of memristors on glass and develop a process for creating memristors on flexible Kapton film for the first time. Moreover, collaborative work between the two UTEP laboratories produced memristors with printed silver top electrode contacts, also for the first time. These approaches may enable inexpensive flexible memory. Maturation of the process was achieved by understanding important process parameters and subtle differences between glass and Kapton substrates. Moreover, electrical characterization of SnO2 memristors on both substrates yielded similar results although yield on the Kapton substrates was lower due to scratches on the Kapton film. Structural and optical characterization was also performed to further understand the active layer in the memristor: The tin dioxide. At last, preliminary results with the printed contacts are presented