Conductance switching in Ag₂S devices fabricated by in situ sulfurization

We report a simple and reproducible method to fabricate switchable Ag2S devices. The α-Ag2S thin films are produced by a sulfurization process after silver deposition on an Si substrate. Structure and composition of the Ag2S are characterized using XRD and RBS. Our samples show semiconductor behaviour at low bias voltages, whereas they exhibit reproducible bipolar resistance switching at higher bias voltages. The transition between both types of behaviour is observed by hysteresis in the I–V curves, indicating decomposition of the Ag2S, increasing the Ag+ ion mobility. The as-fabricated Ag2S samples are a good candidate for future solid state memory devices, as they show reproducible memory resistive properties and they are fabricated by an accessible and reliable method.