A new non-volatile rewritable memory device based on an unusual combination of technologies could provide an inexpensive and highly robust way to store information. A team from the University of Groningen and Philips Research in the Netherlands has demonstrated a ferroelectric field-effect transistor (FeFET) made with a ferroelectric fluoropolymer and a bisalkoxy-substituted poly (p-phenylene vinylene) semiconductor material.
The ferroelectric material provides an alternative means of band-bending in the FET, but at greater magnitude than in conventional devices, which are limited by breakdown of the gate insulator. This is the first demonstration of a non-volatile plastic-memory technology that meets the performance needs of commercial plastic electronics applications. It could enable new concepts, such as food packaging that alerts consumers when its contents are getting close to their "use by" date.
Further reading
Ronald C G Naber et al. 2005 Nature Materials 4 243.