Fabrication of Graphene Oxide-Based Resistive Switching Memory by the Spray Pyrolysis Technique for Neuromorphic Computing

Recently, resistive switching memory (RRAM) has been attractive for implementing electronic synapses in neural networks and high-density memory technology. In this paper, we report a different technique for fabricating an Al/GO/ITO RRAM device with multilevel storage capability. In this work, graphene oxide (GO) thin films have been deposited by the spray pyrolysis technique (SPT) using GO powder synthesized by chemical oxidation of graphite flakes via the modified Hummers method. The fabricated RRAM shows good switching performance between On and Off states with the best memory window of 20 and presents reliable retention characteristics of 104 s and 50 reproducible write–read DC cycles without degradation. The multilevel feature points out five stable multiresistant states obtained with the variation of the compliance current (Icc) and reset voltage amplitude. The successful long-term potentiation and depression with 10 ms pulse operation allows to apply this memory in neuromorphic computing applications in addition to 11 gradual conductance levels achieved by continuous set and reset cycles. A comparison of the efficiency of SPT with that of the typical spin coating method showed a notable (87%) yield achieved by SPT. The combination of the multilevel capacity of fabricated RRAMs with SPT was exploited to suggest that GO-based RRAMs have the potential to be used as multibit GO memristors and electronic synapse devices for emerging neuromorphic chips. In addition, this work paves the way for the fabrication of solution-based, low-cost, simple and large-scale GO memristors for future electronics.