Sol-gel derived oriented multilayer ZnO thin films with memristive response

• Multilayer sol-gel ZnO thin films on different substrates were developed.
• ZnO Wurtzite phase was found with different extents of preferred orientation.
• Memristive response was acquired from 4-layered ZnO thin films.

Sol-gel derived multi-layer ZnO films were prepared by spin coating technique on soda-lime glass, silica, silicon and platinum substrates from an alcoholic solution of zinc acetate dihydrate and monoethanolamine at different synthetic conditions. The curing and annealing conditions for the ZnO films were adjusted based on the study performed on the ZnO xerogel powders. Structural and morphological features as well as the thermal behavior of the samples were investigated by complementary techniques including electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses, and X-ray diffraction analysis. According to the electrical measurements performed on ZnO thin films sandwiched between Pt/Ti/SiO2 substrate and Ag dishes as a top electrode, the selected fabrication conditions were suitable for fulfilling the requirements of active resistive layers for the development of memristive devices.