No abstract

Future data-intensive applications will have integrated circuit architectures combining energy-efficient transistors, high-density data storage and electro-optic sensing arrays in a single chip to perform in situ processing of captured data. The costly dense wire connections in 3D integrated circuits and in conventional packaging and chip-stacking solutions could affect data communication bandwidths, data storage densities, and optical transmission efficiency. Here we investigated all-ferroelectric nonvolatile LiNbO3 transistors to function through redirection of conducting domain walls between the drain, gate and source electrodes. The transistor operates as a single-pole, double-throw digital switch with complementary on/off source and gate currents controlled using either the gate or source voltages. The conceived device exhibits high wall current density and abrupt off-and-on state switching without subthreshold swing, enabling nonvolatile memory-and-sensor-in-logic and logic-in-memory-and-sensor capabilities with superior energy efficiency, ultrafast operation/communication speeds, and high logic/storage densities.

Van der Waals layered CuInP 2 S 6 (CIPS) is an ideal candidate for developing two-dimensional microelectronic heterostructures because of its room temperature ferroelectricity, although field-driven polarization reversal of CIPS is intimately coupled with ionic migration, often causing erratic and damaging switching that is highly undesirable for device applications. In this work, we develop an alternative switching mechanism for CIPS using flexoelectric effect, abandoning external electric fields altogether, and the method is motivated by strong correlation between polarization and topography variation of CIPS. Phase-field simulation identifies a critical radius of curvature around 5 μm for strain gradient to be effective, which is realized by engineered topographic surfaces using silver nanowires and optic grating upon which CIPS is transferred to. We also demonstrate mechanical modulation of CIPS on demand via strain gradient underneath a scanning probe, making it possible to engineer multiple polarization states of CIPS for device applications.