Memristors with an electrode metal reservoir for dopants

A nanoscale crossbar array comprising:

• a first group of conducting nanowires running in a first direction;
• a second group of conducting nanowires running in a second direction and intersecting the first group of nanowires;
• a plurality of switching devices formed at intersections of the first and second groups of nanowires, each switching device having a first electrode formed by a first nanowire of the first group and a second electrode formed by a second nanowire of the second group, and an active region disposed at the intersection between the first and second nanowires, the active region disposed between the first and second electrodes, the active region having both a non-conducting portion comprising an electronically semiconducting or nominally insulating material and a weak ionic conductor switching material capable of carrying a species of dopants and transporting the dopants under an electric field and a source of dopants portion induced by an electric field, the non-conducting portion in contact with the first electrode and the source of dopants portion in contact with the second electrode;
• wherein the second group of conducting nanowires comprises a metal reservoir for the dopants.

A process for making at least one memristor, comprising:

• providing a first electrode;
• forming on the first electrode an active region disposed over the first electrode, the active region having both a non-conducting portion comprising an electronically semiconducting or nominally insulating material and a weak ionic conductor switching material capable of carrying a species of dopants and transporting the dopants under an electric field and a source of dopants portion induced by an electric field, the non-conducting portion in contact with the first electrode and the source of dopants portion in contact with the second electrode;
• and
• providing a second electrode over the active region,
• wherein the second electrode comprises a metal reservoir for the dopants, wherein the metal has a solubility for the dopants of at least 1 at % at room temperature.