Single-Crystalline Thin-Film Memory Arrays of Molecular Ferroelectrics with Ultralow Operation Voltages

Though most of the recently developed molecular ferroelectrics (MFs) exhibit excellent ferroelectric properties, the practical applications are still impeded by the limited polarization axes, poor processing capability for a high-quality thin film, and the incompatibility with matured lithography techniques for microelectronics. Here, we successfully demonstrated MF-based single-crystalline microdevice arrays using a lithography-compatible, solution-processed strategy that can avoid the above-mentioned obstacles at one time, i.e., dewetting-assisted patterning crystallization strategy. As a protype, uniform and well-aligned single-crystalline thin-film arrays of multiaxial MF [3-oxoquinuclidinium]ClO4 ([3-O-Q]ClO4) are prepared. Owing to the well-aligned crystallographic orientation and polarization direction, the obtained single-crystalline nonvolatile memory (NVM) arrays can exhibit an ultralow operating voltage of ∼1.6 V and long endurance cycles of 106, which are superior to other organic NVM devices. This work implies a promising route to high-density single-crystalline memory arrays for data storage, especially for low-cost flexible electronics.