title: Organic ferroelectric/semiconducting nanowire hybrid layer for memory storage.
abstract: Ferroelectric materials are important components of sensors, actuators and non-volatile memories. However, possible device configurations are limited due to the need to provide screening charges to ferroelectric interfaces to avoid depolarization. Here we show that, by alternating ferroelectric and semiconducting nanowires over an insulating substrate, the ferroelectric dipole moment can be stabilized by injected free charge carriers accumulating laterally in the neighboring semiconducting nanowires. This lateral electrostatic coupling between ferroelectric and semiconducting nanowires offers new opportunities to design new device architectures. As an example, we demonstrate the fabrication of an elementary non-volatile memory device in a transistor-like configuration, of which the source-drain current exhibits a typical hysteretic behavior with respect to the poling voltage. The potential for size reduction intrinsic to the nanostructured hybrid layer offers opportunities for the development of strongly miniaturized ferroelectric and piezoelectric devices.
authors.affiliation: Bio & Soft Matter, Institute of Condensed Matter and Nanosciences, Université catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud 1/L7.04.02, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. ronggang.cai@uclouvain.be alain.jonas@uclouvain.be.
authors.forename: Ronggang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Hailu G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Kassa
authors.forename: Rachid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haouari
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marrani
authors.forename: Yves H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Geerts
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ruzié
authors.forename: Albert J J M
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: van Breemen
authors.forename: Gerwin H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Gelinck
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nysten
authors.forename: Zhijun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Alain M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Jonas