Doped Organic Polymer Electrodes for Flexible Ferroelectric Memory

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current flexible non-volatile memory devices based on organic materials suffer from low conductivity due to low crystallinity, limiting their performance, and existing metal electrodes are costly, prone to cracking, and exhibit significant fatigue under flexing stress.

Innovation Solution

The development of ferroelectric devices and interconnects using doped electroconductive organic polymers, which increase conductivity and improve fatigue performance, allowing for flexible, low-cost manufacturing on organic polymer substrates, matching the performance of metal conductive electrodes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If metal electrodes are used, then conductivity is high, but cost increases and fatigue resistance decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefatigue resistanceVSAvoidcost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces expensive metal electrodes with organic polymer electrodes that can be manufactured at lower cost. While organic materials traditionally had lower conductivity, the use of doped electroconductive polymers achieves comparable performance while eliminating the high cost and fatigue issues associated with metal electrodes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the electrical parameters of organic polymer materials by introducing dopants. This doping process transforms insulating or semiconducting organic polymers into electroconductive materials with conductivity comparable to metals, thereby resolving the contradiction between material cost and electrical performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If organic materials are used for flexibility, then mechanical flexure characteristics improve, but conductivity decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveflexibilityVSAvoidconductivity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a composite material system by combining organic polymer matrices with electroconductive dopants. This composite approach maintains the inherent flexibility and mechanical advantages of organic materials while introducing enhanced electrical conductivity through the dopant phase, thereby resolving the contradiction between flexibility and conductivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent modifies the electrical parameters of organic materials through chemical doping. By controlling dopant concentration and type, the material transitions from insulating to conductive while preserving its mechanical flexibility, enabling both contradictory properties to coexist.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If doped electroconductive organic polymers are used, then conductivity increases, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveconductivityVSAvoidmanufacturing process
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent incorporates dopants during the polymer synthesis or processing stage, rather than requiring separate doping steps afterward. This preliminary action integrates the conductivity enhancement into the existing manufacturing workflow, minimizing additional process complexity while achieving the desired electrical performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The use of doped electroconductive organic polymers enhances the conductivity and fatigue resistance of ferroelectric devices, enabling flexible, high-performance non-volatile memory devices with improved electrical characteristics comparable to metal-based devices.

Implementation Method 1

the interconnect comprises a doped electroconductive organic polymer

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDoping: Dopants

Implementation Method 2

Ferroelectric materials are characterized by spontaneous polarization in the absence of an electric field, which is reversible upon application of an electric field lower than the breakdown field

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFerroelectricity:

Data Source

PatentEP2859600B1Ferroelectric memory devices and methods of manufacture thereof
Publication Date: 2019.07.24 SAUDI BASIC INDUSTRIES CORP
  • EP2859600B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2859600B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP2859600B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A doped electroconductive organic polymer is used for forming the electrode of a ferroelectric device or an interconnect. An exemplary ferroelectric device is a ferrelectric capacitor comprising: a substrate (101); a first electrode (106) disposed on the substrate; a ferroelectric layer (112) disposed on and in contact with the first electrode; and a second electrode (116) disposed on and in contact with the ferroelectric layer, wherein at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode is an organic electrode comprising a doped electroconductive organic polymer, for example DMSO-doped PEDOT-PSS.