Tunable Quantum Confinement Effect on Non-Volatile Thin Film Polymer Memory Device

Several dodecanethiol capped An nanoparticles (Au-DT) less than 5 nm in size were synthesized for the fabrication of a non-volatile polymer memory device (PMD). Size characterizations of Au-DTs were confirmed by XRD and (1)H NMR. The PMD consisted of a polystyrene thin Film containing Au-DT and 8-Hydroquinoline (8-HQ) sandwiched between two aluminum electrodes. The device exhibited desired "write", "read" and "erase" steps of a memory cycle. Quantum confinement effects were apparent because electronic properties of the device depended oil the nanoparticle size. An energy band diagram for the quantized charging and a novel conducting mechanism were suggested.