A transparent flexible volatile memory with ultrahigh ON/OFF ratio and ultralow switching voltage

Abstract

Here, a high-performance transparent flexible dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device on a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) substrate is presented with silver nanowires (Ag NWs) serving as top and bottom electrodes, and hybrid silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs)-polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) films serve as resistive-switching (RS) medium. The obtained memory cells show typical volatile RS behaviors with an ultrahigh ON/OFF current ratio of 10 8 and an ultralow switching voltage of 0.7 V. In particular, the fabricated flexible devices demonstrate excellent mechanically robust feature and great electrical stability during 100 dynamic bending tests, maintaining ~85% of transparency in the visible wavelength. This work provides an effective route to construct flexible and transparent polymer memory devices with high-performance. A transparent flexible polymer memory consisting of polyvinylpyrrolidone-silver nanoparticle composite switch sandwiched between silver nanowire electrodes with polyvinyl alcohol substrate was fabricated via a full solution method. The obtained device exhibited a high-performance volatile memory behavior with ultralow switching voltage and ultrahigh ON/OFF ratio as well as outstanding transparency and flexibility. • A high performance transparent flexible DRAM-type polymer memory was achieved. • The memory device was prepared basing on a full-solution processing method. • High OFF/ON current ratio of ~10 8 and low switching voltage of ~0.7 V was achieved. • Silver nanowires (Ag NWs) is essential for excellent transparency and flexibility.