An all-solution processed metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor structure containing gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) within HfO2 high-kappa oxide was fabricated. The ultra-thin (similar to 10 nm) HfO2 high-kappa tunnel oxide layer was prepared by sol-gel process and showed good electrical properties, which were critical to superior memory property of the MOS structure. Au NPs with particle size of about 3.3 nm were synthesized by chemical reduction method and then self-assembled onto HfO2 tunnel oxide. Finally, a Si/HfO2/Au NPs/HfO2 memory structure was constructed after the substrate had been covered with a sol-gel-derived HfO2 control oxide layer (similar to 13 nm). By utilizing high-quality HfO2 as tunnel oxide, the MOS structure containing Au NPs showed memory effect even at a low voltage of +/- 3 V. Although its memory window was only 0.8 V by a swapping voltage between +/- 5 V, the MOS showed desirable retention characteristics. Therefore, we have fabricated nanocrystal memory device with sol-gel derived HfO2 high-kappa tunnel oxide which are attractive for low operation voltage non-volatile memory applications. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.