Nanoelectronics Based on Ferroelectric and van der Waals Materials — In Memory of Prof. T. P. Ma

Two-dimensional (2D) materials are crystalline solids consisting of one or few layer(s) of atoms, while ferroelectrics have a spontaneous electric polarization that can be reversed by the application of an external electric field. In ferroelectric/2D heterostructures, the ferroelectric materials provide programmable and non-volatile doping in the vdW materials, while the atomically thin body in vdW materials enables strong electrostatic control over the channel by the polarized ferroelectric materials. The synergy of the ferroelectrics and vdW materials has enabled a wide range of devices, including high-performance nonvolatile memories, steep slope transistors, programmable junctions, charge and pressure sensors, and photodiodes [1–4]. Recently, layered vdW ferroelectrics have emerged as a new class of ferroelectric materials, which have many intriguing traits and high application potential. Many vdW ferroelectrics can retain ferroelectricity even down to one unit-cell thickness and have tunable bandgap and high mechanical flexibility, which lead to tunable bandwidth photodetectors, electromechanical devices, and wearable applications [5–7]. In this talk, I will discuss our research on nanoscale electronic and photonic devices based on ferroelectric and vdW materials, including reconfigurable logic device, ferroelectric classifiers, ferroelectric synapses, and multifunctional devices. These ferroelectric devices will enable a new type of device fabric for future computing systems and sensing networks [8–14].