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Functional Materials for Memristors, Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) Tunneling Diodes and Field Effect Transistors (FET)

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Electronic Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 August 2026 | Viewed by 7599

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yavuz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Interests: terahertz quantum tunneling metal-insulator-metal (MIM) diodes for quantum electronics; memristors; opto-nano- and micro-electro-mechanical systems (O-N/MEMS); photo-electro-chemical systems; nano-biosensors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the functionalization, via emerging materials, fabrication, and testing of THz tunnelling MIM diodes, memristors, and FETs. Applications ranging from telecommunication, to sensing and 3D imaging (such as that using neuromorphic chips), to non-volatile information storage and processing are also highlighted.

Recently, memristors made from 2D materials have gained enormous attention. These materials offer advantages such as a low switching voltage, reduced power consumption due to an ultrathin body, and an absence of dangling bonds that can cause scalability issues with ultrathin oxides. The choice of insulating material is crucial for MIM tunneling diodes and FETs. Recently, 2D insulating and semiconducting materials, respectively, have been used for designing and simulating MIM tunneling diodes and FETs. Thus, functional materials play a crucial role in the performance and behavior of these electronic components, impacting their applications and scalability.

Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yavuz
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • tunneling MIM diodes
  • memristors
  • FET
  • emerging materials
  • neuromorphic chips
  • volatile memory and information processing
  • 3D imaging via neuromorphic chips

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2020 KB  
Article
Substrate Orientation-Dependent Synaptic Plasticity and Visual Memory in Sol–Gel-Derived ZnO Optoelectronic Devices
by Dabin Jeon, Seung Hun Lee, JungBeen Cho, Kyoung-Bo Kim and Sung-Nam Lee
Materials 2025, 18(18), 4377; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18184377 - 19 Sep 2025
Viewed by 557
Abstract
We report Al/ZnO/Al optoelectronic synaptic devices fabricated on c-plane and m-plane sapphire substrates using a sol–gel process. The devices exhibit essential synaptic behaviors such as excitatory postsynaptic current modulation, paired-pulse facilitation, and long-term learning–forgetting dynamics described by Wickelgren’s power law. Comparative analysis reveals [...] Read more.
We report Al/ZnO/Al optoelectronic synaptic devices fabricated on c-plane and m-plane sapphire substrates using a sol–gel process. The devices exhibit essential synaptic behaviors such as excitatory postsynaptic current modulation, paired-pulse facilitation, and long-term learning–forgetting dynamics described by Wickelgren’s power law. Comparative analysis reveals that substrate orientation strongly influences memory performance: devices on m-plane consistently show higher EPSCs, slower decay rates, and superior retention compared to c-plane counterparts. These characteristics are attributed to crystallographic effects that enhance carrier trapping and persistent photoconductivity. To demonstrate their practical applicability, 3 × 3-pixel arrays of adjacent devices were constructed, where a “T”-shaped optical pattern was successfully encoded, learned, and retained across repeated stimulation cycles. These results highlight the critical role of substrate orientation in tailoring synaptic plasticity and memory retention, offering promising prospects for ZnO-based optoelectronic synaptic arrays in in-sensor neuromorphic computing and artificial visual memory systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials for Memristors, Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) Tunneling Diodes and Field Effect Transistors (FET))
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9 pages, 2339 KB  
Communication
Controlling the Digital to Analog and Multilevel Switching in Memristors Based on Zr-Doped HfO2 by Interface Engineering
by Cong Han, Haiming Qin, Weijing Shao, Hanbing Fang, Hao Zhang, Xinpeng Wang, Yu Wang, Yi Liu and Yi Tong
Materials 2025, 18(18), 4352; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18184352 - 17 Sep 2025
Viewed by 571
Abstract
Metal oxides are the most widely used material for the resistive switching layer of memristors. Nevertheless, the majority of oxide-based memristors exhibit binary switching, restricting the emulation of neuronal synaptic behaviors. In this paper, the shift from digital-to-analog switching behavior is achieved by [...] Read more.
Metal oxides are the most widely used material for the resistive switching layer of memristors. Nevertheless, the majority of oxide-based memristors exhibit binary switching, restricting the emulation of neuronal synaptic behaviors. In this paper, the shift from digital-to-analog switching behavior is achieved by inserting an Al2O3 layer atop Zr-doped HfO2. The TiN/Al2O3/HZO/W/Si device exhibits long resistance state retention time and consistency. In addition, by applying a varying voltage, the device exhibits up to 20 continuous resistance states, which is highly significant for high-density storage. Upon the application of a programmable pulse signal, the device’s conductance undergoes continual alteration, reflecting long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) synaptic characteristics. The conduction mechanism of the device is studied through physical model fitting and schematic diagrams. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials for Memristors, Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) Tunneling Diodes and Field Effect Transistors (FET))
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13 pages, 1122 KB  
Article
Rapid, Selective, and Ultra-Sensitive Field Effect Transistor-Based Detection of Escherichia coli
by Liena Zaidan, Inna Novodchuk, Alexander H.Xu, Alexandru Nica, Saeed Takaloo, Christopher Lloyd, Reza Karimi, Joe Sanderson, Michal Bajcsy and Mustafa Yavuz
Materials 2024, 17(15), 3648; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17153648 - 24 Jul 2024
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4199
Abstract
Escherichia coli (E. coli) was among the first organisms to have its complete genome published (Genome Sequence of E. coli 1997 Science). It is used as a model system in microbiology research. E. coli can cause life-threatening illnesses, particularly in children [...] Read more.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) was among the first organisms to have its complete genome published (Genome Sequence of E. coli 1997 Science). It is used as a model system in microbiology research. E. coli can cause life-threatening illnesses, particularly in children and the elderly. Possible contamination by the bacteria also results in product recalls, which, alongside the potential danger posed to individuals, can have significant financial consequences. We report the detection of live Escherichia coli (E. coli) in liquid samples using a biosensor based on a field-effect transistor (FET) biosensor with B/N co-coped reduced graphene oxide (rGO) gel (BN-rGO) as the transducer material. The FET was functionalized with antibodies to detect E. coli K12 O-antigens in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). The biosensor detected the presence of planktonic E. coli bacterial cells within a mere 2 min. The biosensor exhibited a limit of detection (LOD) of 10 cells per sample, which can be extrapolated to a limit of detection at the level of a single cell per sample and a detection range of at least 10–108 CFU/mL. The selectivity of the biosensor for E. coli was demonstrated using Bacillus thuringiensis (B. thuringiensis) as a sample contaminant. We also present a comparison of our functionalized BN-rGO FET biosensor with established detection methods of E. coli k12 bacteria, as well as with state-of-the-art detection mechanisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials for Memristors, Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) Tunneling Diodes and Field Effect Transistors (FET))
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