pJ-Level Energy-Consuming, Low-Voltage Ferroelectric Organic Field-Effect Transistor Memories

J Phys Chem Lett. 2019 May 16;10(10):2335-2340. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b00864. Epub 2019 Apr 26.

Abstract

Ferroelectric organic field-effect transistors (Fe-OFETs) have attracted considerable attention because of their promising potential for memory applications, while a critical issue is the large energy consumption mainly caused by a high operating voltage and slow data switching. Here, we employ ultrathin ferroelectric polymer and semiconducting molecular crystals to create low-voltage Fe-OFET memories. Devices require only pJ-level energy consumption. The writing and erasing processes require ∼1.2 and 1.6 pJ/bit, respectively, and the reading energy is ∼1.9 pJ/bit (on state) and ∼0.2 fJ/bit (off state). Thus, our memories consume only <0.1% of the energy required for devices using bulk functional layers. Besides, our devices also exhibit low contact resistance and steep subthreshold swing. Therefore, we provide a strategy that opens up a path for Fe-OFETs toward emerging applications, such as wearable electronics.