Realizing a Brain-Like Transistor Memory with Triple Data-Storage Modes by One Single Smart Molecular Dopant in the Dielectric Layer

Human brain simultaneously gains sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory, which allows information from the outside world to be sensed in the form of chemical and physical stimuli and enables highly efficient information storage, exchange, and processing. Such intelligent memory behavior guarantees human beings to not only solve the most complicated tasks but also rapidly respond to external environments. Developing brain-like memory with versatile data-storage modes plays an increasingly important role in modern information technologies. However, traditional memory devices generally only show one single mode of memory and suffer from poor tunability. To this end, here we develop a brain-like transistor memory with triple operation modes (i.e., sensory, short-term, and long-term memory) by doping the dielectric layer with multistimuli responsive donor–acceptor Stenhouse adducts. When been written with humidity, the transistor behaves like a “sensory memory” as the data fade immediately upon humidity removal. When been written with light, the transistor exhibits a volatile memory and could be erased by heating, analogous to the “short-term memory.” Further, when the transistor is programmed by heat or electrical field, a long-term memory is created. This work opens a new door to design intelligent memories for advanced applications.