Low-Voltage Organic Transistor Memory Fiber with a Nanograined Organic Ferroelectric Film

Abstract

Wearable technology offers new ways to be more proactive about our health and surroundings in real time. For next-generation wearable systems, robust storage and recording media are required to monitor and process the essential electrical signals generated under various unpredictable strain conditions. Here, we report the first fibriform organic transistor memory integrated on a thin and flexible metal wire. A capillary tube coating system allows the formation of a thin and nanograined organic ferroelectric film on the wire. The uniform morphology imparts excellent switching stability (similar to 100 cycles), quasi-permanent retention (over 5 x 10(4) s), and low-voltage operation (below 5 V) to the fiber-shaped memory devices. When sewn in a stretchable textile fabric, the memory fiber achieves long retention time of more than 10(4) s with negligible degradation of memory window even under a constant diagonal strain of 100% that exhibits reliable data storage under tough environments. These results illustrate the possibility of the practical, wearable fiber memory for recording electronic signals in smart garment applications.