Resistance switching in Sn/sub x/Mn/sub y/Te/sub z/-based devices

Electronic devices comprised of a single layer of the chalcogenide material Sn_xMn_yTe_z (35 < x,z < 50; 0 < y < 28) deposited between two electrodes were fabricated and electrically tested for their ability to switch between high and low resistance states. Materials that have the ability to resistively switch when a potential is applied across them are promising as new electronic memory materials. In this work, the type of electrodes and the concentration of Mn present in the Sn_xMn_yTe_z layer were both found to influence the ability of the device to resistively switch. When the top electrode material was Ag, resistance switching was observed. Additionally, only Sn_xMn_yTe_z films with concentrations of Mn between 3 and 10 % were found to exhibit consistent switching