Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

A polymer/semiconductor write-once read-many-times memory

Nature volume 426, pages 166–169 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Organic devices promise to revolutionize the extent of, and access to, electronics by providing extremely inexpensive, lightweight and capable ubiquitous components that are printed onto plastic, glass or metal foils1,2,3. One key component of an electronic circuit that has thus far received surprisingly little attention is an organic electronic memory. Here we report an architecture for a write-once read-many-times (WORM) memory, based on the hybrid integration of an electrochromic polymer with a thin-film silicon diode deposited onto a flexible metal foil substrate. WORM memories are desirable for ultralow-cost permanent storage of digital images, eliminating the need for slow, bulky and expensive mechanical drives used in conventional magnetic and optical memories. Our results indicate that the hybrid organic/inorganic memory device is a reliable means for achieving rapid, large-scale archival data storage. The WORM memory pixel exploits a mechanism of current-controlled, thermally activated un-doping of a two-component electrochromic conducting polymer.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Generalized architecture of the WORM memory, and the materials used in its implementation.
Figure 2: The switching characteristics of the WORM memory pixel.
Figure 3: The switching process of the WORM memory pixel is shown under several different writing conditions.
Figure 4: The behaviour of the WORM memory element under transient voltage pulse conditions.

References

  1. Forrest, S. R., Burrows, P. E. & Thompson, M. E. Organic emitters promise a new generation of displays. Laser Focus World, Feb., 99–101 (1995)

  2. Gelinck, G. H., Geuns, T. C. T. & Leeuw, D. M. d. High-performance all-polymer integrated circuits. Appl. Phys. Lett. 77, 1487–1489 (2000)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Peumans, P., Yakimov, A. & Forrest, S. R. Small molecular weight organic thin-film photodetectors and solar cells. J. Appl. Phys. 93, 3693–3723 (2003)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Saluel, D., Daval, J., Bechevet, B., Germain, C. & Valon, B. Ultra high density data storage on phase change materials with electrical micro-tips. J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 193, 488–491 (1999)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Asokan, S. Electrical switching in chalcogenide glasses—Some newer insights. J. Optoelectron. Adv. Mater. 3, 753–756 (2001)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Stocker, H. J. Bulk and thin film switching and memory effects in semiconducting chalcogenide glasses. Appl. Phys. Lett. 15, 55–57 (1969)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hua, Z. Y., Chen, G. R., Xu, W. & Chen, D. Y. New organic bistable films for ultrafast electric memories. Appl. Surf. Sci. 169, 447–451 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Heuer, H. W., Wehrmann, R. & Kirchmeyer, S. Electrochromic window based on conducting poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)poly(styrene sulfonate). Adv. Funct. Mater. 12, 89–94 (2002)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Groenendaal, B. L., Jonas, F., Freitag, D., Pielartzik, H. & Reynolds, J. R. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and its derivatives: Past, present, and future. Adv. Mater. 12, 481–494 (2000)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Hack, M. & Street, R. A. Analysis of double injection in amorphous silicon p-i-n diodes. J. Appl. Phys. 72, 2331–2339 (1992)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Johansson, T., Pettersson, L. A. A. & Inganas, O. Conductivity of de-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene). Synth. Met. 129, 269–274 (2002)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Greczynski, G. et al. Photoelectron spectroscopy of thin films of PEDOT-PSS conjugated polymer blend: a mini-review and some new results. J. Electron Spectrosc. Rel. Phenom. 121, 1–17 (2001)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Xing, K. Z., Fahlman, M., Chen, X. W., Inganas, O. & Salaneck, W. R. The electronic structure of poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene): Studied by XPS and UPS. Synth. Met. 89, 161–165 (1997)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Pei, Q. B., Zuccarello, G., Ahlskog, M. & Inganas, O. Electrochromic and highly stable poly(3,4- ethylenedioxythiophene) switches between opaque blue-black and transparent sky blue. Polymer 35, 1347–1351 (1994)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank A. Elschner and H. C. Starck for samples of Baytron P, and M. Thompson for discussions. We also thank National Renewable Energy Laboratories for supplying the thin-film Si diodes. This work was supported by HP and the National Science Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering and Center for Photonics and Optoelectronic Materials, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 08544, USA

    Sven Möller & Stephen R. Forrest

  2. Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, California, 94304, USA

    Craig Perlov, Warren Jackson & Carl Taussig

Authors
  1. Sven Möller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Craig Perlov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Warren Jackson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Carl Taussig
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Stephen R. Forrest
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephen R. Forrest.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Möller, S., Perlov, C., Jackson, W. et al. A polymer/semiconductor write-once read-many-times memory. Nature 426, 166–169 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02070

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02070

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing