Non-volatile ferroelectric memory with position-addressable polymer semiconducting nanowire

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Electronics

Background:

• One-dimensional nanowires (NWs) are crucial for nano-electronic devices like transistors and memory.
• Ferroelectric-gate field-effect transistors (Fe-FETs) using semiconducting NWs and ferroelectric polymers show promise for high-density memory.
• Current fabrication methods struggle with NW placement, limiting device yield and array fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop position-addressable polymer semiconducting NWs for Fe-FETs.
• To overcome limitations in NW placement control for improved device fabrication.
• To explore the potential of these NW Fe-FETs in flexible non-volatile memory applications.

Main Methods:

• Direct electrohydrodynamic NW printing for precise control of polymer NW location and number.
• Fabrication of Fe-FETs using polymer NWs and a ferroelectric gate insulating layer.
• Characterization of device performance, including non-volatile memory characteristics and flexibility.

Main Results:

• Achieved precisely controlled polymer NWs between source and drain electrodes.
• Demonstrated non-volatile ON/OFF current margin of approximately 10^2 at zero gate voltage.
• Exhibited data retention over 10^4 seconds and read/write endurance exceeding 10^2 cycles.
• Observed bistable current hysteresis curves in deformed and repeatedly bent devices.

Conclusions:

• Position-controlled polymer NW Fe-FETs offer a viable solution for high-density memory integration.
• The developed electrohydrodynamic printing method enables precise NW placement, improving device fabrication.
• The flexible Fe-FETs exhibit promising non-volatile memory performance, suitable for flexible electronics.