Crystallographically Controlled Synthesis of SnSe Nanowires: Potential in Resistive Memory Devices

Abstract

Here we report the controlled growth of SnSe nanowires by a liquid injection chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method employing a distorted octahedral [SnCl4{ n BuSe(CH2)3Se n Bu}] single source diselenoether precursor. CVD with this single source precursor allows morphological and compositional control of the SnSex structures formed, including the transformation of SnSe2 nanoflakes into SnSe nanowires and again to SnSe nanoflakes with increasing growth temperature. Significantly, highly crystalline SnSe nanowires with an orthorhombic Pnma 62 crystal structure could be controllably synthesized in two growth directions, either <011> or <100>. The ability to tune the growth direction of SnSe will have important implications for devices constructed using these nanocrystals. The SnSe nanowires with a <011> growth direction displayed a reversible polarity dependent memory switching ability, not previously reported for nanoscale SnSe. A resistive switching on/off ratio of 10 3 without the use of a current compliance limit was seen, illustrating the potential use of SnSe nanowires for low power non-volatile memory applications.

Tin-selenide as a futuristic material: properties and applications

“…for multiple applications. The tin selenide based semiconductor materials have been synthesized using atomic layer deposition (ALD), 17 sputtering, 45 thermal evaporation, 46 hydrothermal, 47 spray pyrolysis, 48 chemical vapor deposition (CVD), 49 etc.…”

Single source precursor route to nanometric tin chalcogenides

“…30,31 Although a huge range of different SnE and SnE 2 nanostructures have been synthesized in the solution phase, 32,33 very few 2D tin chalcogenide nanostructures have been prepared from SSPs. Different nanostructured SnE and SnE 2 materials have been synthesized using solution based SSP approaches, like SnSe nanorods, 28 SnSe nanowires, 34,35 SnSe needles, 36 SnS/Se nanoparticles 37 and few-layer SnSe/SnSe 2 nanosheets. 28,36 Despite these successes, the phase-controlled synthesis of 2D tin sulfide and selenide nanostructures remains a challenge.…”

Schottky Contacts to ZnO-Nanocoated SnSe Powders by Atomic Layer Deposition

“…Among selenium (Se)-based compound semiconductors, tin selenide (SnSe) (a band gap of approximately 1.0 eV) is a promising material because of its applications in thermoelectric devices, photovoltaic cells, field effect transistors (FETs), and resistive memory devices . SnSe is a layered semiconductor crystallized in an orthorhombic structure, which prefers a Se-rich structure at low temperatures (below 600 K) and a Se-deficient composition at high temperatures (above 600 K) .…”

“…Among selenium (Se)-based compound semiconductors, tin selenide (SnSe) (a band gap of approximately 1.0 eV) is a promising material because of its applications in thermoelectric devices, 1 photovoltaic cells, 2 field effect transistors (FETs), 3 and resistive memory devices. 4 SnSe is a layered semiconductor crystallized in an orthorhombic structure, 5 which prefers a Se-rich structure at low temperatures (below 600 K) and a Se-deficient composition at high temperatures (above 600 K). 6 Previous studies have suggested that the p-type conduction behavior of SnSe mainly originates from Sn vacancies ( V Sn ), and other highly localized vacancies merely act as immobile carriers that do not participate in the current transport.…”