# A nanoscale investigation of the electrical response of plasma deposited AgNPs-based nanocomposites for in-memory computing

Christina Villeneuve-Faure, Sariette Nowa-Tatchum, Laurent Boudou, G. Teyssedre, Kremena Makasheva

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Christina Villeneuve-Faure, Sariette Nowa-Tatchum, Laurent Boudou, G. Teyssedre, Kremena Makasheva. A nanoscale investigation of the electrical response of plasma deposited AgNPs-based nanocomposites for in-memory computing. IEEE International Conference on Nanotechnology (IEEE-NANO 2025), Jul 2025, Washington DC, United States. hal-05349038

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Submitted on 5 Nov 2025

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# A nanoscale investigation of the electrical response of plasma deposited AgNPs-based nanocomposites for in-memory computing

C. Villeneuve-Faure, S. Nowa-Tatchum, L. Boudou, G. Teyssedre and K. Makasheva*

LAPLACE (Laboratoire Plasma et Conversion d'Energie), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France

*kremena.makasheva@laplace.univ-tlse.fr

The main challenge for efficient neuromorphic computing with non-volatile memory cells is to control the electrical properties at the device scale, in terms of charges trapping, and transport or relative dielectric permittivity [1]. To improve device performance, inorganic nanocomposites, and particularly materials based on silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) embedded in a silica ($SiO_2$) matrix appear attractive [2]. Besides, electrical modes derived from Atomic Force Microscopy are appropriate to address their electrical response at local (nano-)scale: Conductive AFM (C-AFM) for current measurements, Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) for charge injection and transport or Electrostatic Force Microscopy (EFM) for relative dielectric permittivity.

This work investigates the electrical properties of dielectric nanocomposites comprising a 2-dimensional (2D) network of AgNPs inserted in $SiO_2$ at a well-controlled distance from the surface [2]. The structures were synthesized in a hybrid plasma process, successfully combining sputtering of a silver target for the AgNPs and plasma polymerization for the $SiO_2$ matrix. After a structural characterization of the samples, the impact of AgNPs size, shape and inter-particle distance on charge transport and relative dielectric permittivity is investigated by KPFM and EFM. The results demonstrate that the electrical response of the nanostructures can finely be controlled by a proper inclusion of the AgNPs [3]. Indeed, the 2D-network of AgNPs induces a modulation of the relative dielectric permittivity at nanoscale (lowering it above and increasing it in-between the AgNPs) which entails a modification of the macroscale apparent dielectric permittivity. Modifications of the designed electric field distribution in the nanocomposite due to the presence of a 2D-network of AgNPs is discussed as well. Such issues strongly impact the device performance and shall be accounted for when taking electrical contacts to connect the device with external circuitry.

## References:

[1] I. Chakraborty, A. Jaiswal, A.K. Saha, S.K. Gupta and K. Roy, Appl. Phys. Rev. 7 (2020) 021308

[2] K. Makasheva, C. Villeneuve-Faure, A. Scarangella, L. Montanari, L. Boudou and G. Teyssedre, IEEE Open J. Nanotechnol. 4 (2023), 133-149.

[3] C. Villeneuve-Faure, L. Boudou, G. Teyssedre and K. Makasheva, IEEE Open J. Nanotechnol. (2025), under review.

<footnote>*Research supported by l'Agence Nationale de la Recherche in France, project ANR BENDIS (ANR-21-CE09-0008).</footnote>