Single-Electron-Precise Tailoring of a Resistive-Switching Device by Tuning Transfer Printing Parameters: A Computational Study

We simulated and modeled a molecular junction to propose a conductive filament (CF) free resistive-switching based memory device. In transfer printing (TP)-based molecular electronic junctions, there might be metal islands ruptured from the transfer printed metal contact during the applied high pressure and temperature. We aim to show a relation among the displacement of these metal islands from the top metal electrode, the pressure applied, and the size of the island using a semi-classical approach. We model the molecules in these devices as a liquid with static and optical permittivity to understand the effect of the self-assembled molecules in the noble metal islands. A metal atom, which represents the metal island, is charged in varying environmental conditions using density functional theory. We found that the number of ruptured metal atoms increases with the increase in pressure. We show a sweep speed-dependent resistive switching. Single-electron-based device works without filament formation, and it has robust and inert metal top contacts.