Nonvolatile Cu∕CuTCNQ∕Al memory prepared by current controlled oxidation of a Cu anode in LiTCNQ saturated acetonitrile

In this letter we propose a preparation method of the metal organic charge transfer complex Cu-tetracyanoquinodimethane (CuTCNQ) for use in nonvolatile organic memories. The method, consisting in current controlled oxidation of a Cu electrode in LiTCNQ saturated acetonitrile, is attractive because CuTCNQ growth is limited strictly to anodically polarized Cu metal, and because of material and solvent compatibilities with the requirements of the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) copper back end-of-line process. Crossbar memories of this CuTCNQ exhibit superior performance compared to corresponding devices prepared by the standard method, which we attribute to a higher compactness of the CuTCNQ layer.