Resistive switching in optoelectronic III-V materials based on deep traps

Resistive switching random access memories (ReRAM) are promising candidates for energy efficient, fast, and non-volatile universal memories that unite the advantages of RAM and hard drives. Unfortunately, the current ReRAM materials are incompatible with optical interconnects and wires. Optical signal transmission is, however, inevitable for next generation memories in order to overcome the capacity-bandwidth trade-off. Thus, we present here a proof-of-concept of a new type of resistive switching realized in III-V semiconductors, which meet all requirements for the implementation of optoelectronic circuits. This resistive switching effect is based on controlling the spatial positions of vacancy-induced deep traps by stimulated migration, opening and closing a conduction channel through a semi-insulating compensated surface layer. The mechanism is widely applicable to opto-electronically usable III-V compound semiconductors.