Indium selenides for next-generation low-power computing devices

Nature Reviews Electrical Engineering · 2026-01-06 · 5 citations

Write cycling endurance exceeding 1010 in sub-50 nm ferroelectric AlScN

Nature Communications · 2026-01-09 · 4 citations

Abstract Wurtzite ferroelectrics, particularly aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN), have emerged as a promising material platform for non-volatile memories, offering high polarization values exceeding 100 μC/cm 2 . However, their high coercive fields (>3 MV/cm) have limited cycling endurance to ~10 7 cycles in previous reports. Here, we demonstrate unprecedented control of polarization switching in AlScN, achieving write cycling endurance exceeding 10 10 cycles—a thousand-fold improvement over previous wurtzite ferroelectric benchmarks. Through precise voltage modulation in 45 nm-thick Al 0.64 Sc 0.36 N capacitors, we show that while complete polarization reversal (2P r ≈ 200 μC/cm 2 ) sustains ~10 8 cycles, partial switching extends endurance beyond 10 10 cycles while maintaining a substantial polarization (>30 μC/cm 2 for 2P r ). This exceptional endurance, combined with breakdown fields approaching 10 MV/cm in optimized 10 μm diameter devices, represents the highest reported values for any wurtzite ferroelectric. Our findings establish a new paradigm for reliability in nitride ferroelectrics, demonstrating that controlled partial polarization and size scaling enables both high endurance and energy-efficient operation.

Self‐Hybridized Exciton‐Polariton Photodetectors From Layered Metal‐Organic Chalcogenolates

Advanced Functional Materials · 2026-01-20

ABSTRACT Exciton‐polaritons (EPs) arising from strong light‐matter coupling offer new pathways for controlling optoelectronic properties. While typically requiring closed optical cavities for strong coupling, we demonstrate that 2D metal‐organic chalcogenolates (MOCs), mithrene (AgSePh), with a high refractive index (≈2.5) and strong excitons enable self‐hybridized polariton photodetectors (PDs) without top mirrors, simplifying device architecture. Through thickness‐tuned multimode polariton engineering, we achieve photodetection of sub‐bandgap photons via lower polariton states, validated through reflectance, photoluminescence (PL), and photocurrent spectroscopy with quantitative theoretical agreement. Trap‐assisted two‐photon absorption enables sustained strong coupling even under sub‐bandgap excitation. The polariton dispersion yields ultrafast group velocities (≈65 µm ps −1 ), extending exciton diffusion lengths from hundreds of nanometers to several micrometers. Strong‐coupling devices demonstrate a 2.38‐fold enhancement in photo‐to‐dark current ratio compared to weak‐coupling counterparts, establishing a practical route to polariton‐enhanced photodetection and light harvesting.

Highly radiative emission of room temperature–localized excitons enabled by charge-neutralized 0D quantum wells in 2D semiconductors

Science Advances · 2026-03-13

Nondiffusing localized excitons (X L ) in two-dimensional semiconductors present a robust platform for mediating light-matter interactions, with potential applications in both photovoltaics and light-emitting devices. However, at room temperature, high thermal energy hinders X L formation, while excess charges diminish the quantum yield (QY) through nonradiative decay. Here, we present high-QY X L emission in ambient conditions by removing excess charges and inducing efficient exciton funneling into a Au nanohole. Specifically, by evaporating an H 2 O barrier between the n-type MoS 2 and the Au substrate, we induce a grounding effect on electrons. Dominantly populating excitons are then funneled and bound to the nanohole through the strain-induced zero-dimensional quantum well effect. We confirm the exciton confinement efficiency of ~98% using a drift-diffusion model, enabling bright X L emission at the nanoscale. Using tip-induced gigapascal-scale pressure, we control X L dynamics and QY in a reversible manner. Our approach provides an innovative strategy for X L -based nanophotonic devices.

Photoinduced metastable cation disorder in metal halide double perovskites

ArXiv.org · 2026-01-23

Lead-free perovskites have emerged as environmentally benign alternatives to lead-halide counterparts for optoelectronics. Among them, the double perovskite Cs2AgInCl6 family exhibits remarkable white-light emission with proper composition engineering, enabled by strong electron-phonon coupling and the formation of self-trapped excitons (STEs). Despite these advantages, the fundamental photo- and structural dynamics governing their excited-state behavior remain poorly understood. Here, we report a long-lived metastable phase in the Cs2AgInCl6 double perovskite family and unravel this process and the concomitant electronic and structural evolution using a suite of tools including transient optical spectroscopy, time-resolved X-ray diffraction (TR-XRD) and X-ray absorption (TR-XAS). We show that the photoinduced, transient metastable phase is associated with B-site (Ag-In) disorder, which induces a dramatically reduced optical bandgap. Supported by TR-XRD and first-principles calculations, the Ag-In disorder drives the formation of Ag-rich and In-rich domains with millisecond lifetimes, with lifetimes increasing at lower temperatures. TR-XAS further reveals that photogenerated STEs oxidize Ag+ to Ag2+, facilitating this highly temporally asymmetric order-disorder transition. Our findings demonstrate a new mechanism, mediated by hole-localized STE formation, that enables prolongation of transient light-induced states to the multi-millisecond regime in double perovskites, opening possibilities to harvesting the functional properties of metastable phases of these materials.

Temperature, Voltage, and Proximity Limitations in AlScN Non-Volatile Memory Devices for Extreme Environments

IMAPSource Proceedings · 2026-02-05

Interest in high temperature electronics has grown in recent years, driven by the advantages of computing in extreme environments. While there has been success in developing logic devices, particularly utilizing SiC, robust and miniaturizable non-volatile memory (NVM) has only recently become possible. Scandium-doped Aluminum Nitride (AlScN) shows great promise for NVM applications, with a ferroelectric transition temperature exceeding 1000 °C and a polarizability of over 100 µC/cm². This presentation will demonstrate the performance, temperature dependence, retention, and endurance of wafer-scale AlScN NVM devices at 600 °C, as well as polarizability at 900 °C. Additionally, recent advances in SiC compatibility, along with practical considerations such as device proximity limits and overvoltage effects, will be discussed.

Understanding Optical Anisotropy in Multilayer γ-InSe and ε-GaSe

arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-01-20

Low-dimensional media have exhibited optical anisotropy that is unachievable in traditional 3D media due to the asymmetry of their strong, in-plane covalent bonds and weak out-of-plane van der Waals interactions. As a result, 2D media are promising building blocks for ultrathin devices such as polarimeters, polarized light sources, and active polarizers. III-VI semiconductors possess a rare property in the class of multilayered semiconductors, which is that their fundamental excitons are oriented out-of-plane. This allows them to exhibit phenomena such as transparency in the visible range while also being emissive in the visible and near-infrared ranges. Here, we report the first experimental values for the anisotropic refractive indices of γ-InSe and ε-GaSe, and we observe the effects of the out-of-plane excitons on the c-axis refractive index. It is found that both materials exhibit moderate optical anisotropy for multilayered semiconductors. The complex, anisotropic refractive index of γ-InSe and ε-GaSe enables the accurate simulation of these media, allowing for the design of high-performance, ultra-compact optoelectronic devices.

Photoinduced metastable cation disorder in metal halide double perovskites

arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-01-23

Lead-free perovskites have emerged as environmentally benign alternatives to lead-halide counterparts for optoelectronics. Among them, the double perovskite Cs2AgInCl6 family exhibits remarkable white-light emission with proper composition engineering, enabled by strong electron-phonon coupling and the formation of self-trapped excitons (STEs). Despite these advantages, the fundamental photo- and structural dynamics governing their excited-state behavior remain poorly understood. Here, we report a long-lived metastable phase in the Cs2AgInCl6 double perovskite family and unravel this process and the concomitant electronic and structural evolution using a suite of tools including transient optical spectroscopy, time-resolved X-ray diffraction (TR-XRD) and X-ray absorption (TR-XAS). We show that the photoinduced, transient metastable phase is associated with B-site (Ag-In) disorder, which induces a dramatically reduced optical bandgap. Supported by TR-XRD and first-principles calculations, the Ag-In disorder drives the formation of Ag-rich and In-rich domains with millisecond lifetimes, with lifetimes increasing at lower temperatures. TR-XAS further reveals that photogenerated STEs oxidize Ag+ to Ag2+, facilitating this highly temporally asymmetric order-disorder transition. Our findings demonstrate a new mechanism, mediated by hole-localized STE formation, that enables prolongation of transient light-induced states to the multi-millisecond regime in double perovskites, opening possibilities to harvesting the functional properties of metastable phases of these materials.

Neuromorphic Computing for Low-Power Artificial Intelligence

arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-04-06

Classical computing is beginning to encounter fundamental limits of energy efficiency. This presents a challenge that can no longer be solved by strategies such as increasing circuit density or refining standard semiconductor processes. The growing computational and memory demands of artificial intelligence (AI) require disruptive innovation in how information is represented, stored, communicated, and processed. By leveraging novel device modalities and compute-in-memory (CIM), in addition to analog dynamics and sparse communication inspired by the brain, neuromorphic computing offers a promising path toward improvements in the energy efficiency and scalability of current AI systems. But realizing this potential is not a matter of replacing one chip with another; rather, it requires a co-design effort, spanning new materials and non-volatile device structures, novel mixed-signal circuits and architectures, and learning algorithms tailored to the physics of these substrates. This article surveys the key limitations of classical complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology and outlines how such cross-layer neuromorphic approaches may overcome them.

Neuromorphic Computing for Low-Power Artificial Intelligence

arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-04-06

Classical computing is beginning to encounter fundamental limits of energy efficiency. This presents a challenge that can no longer be solved by strategies such as increasing circuit density or refining standard semiconductor processes. The growing computational and memory demands of artificial intelligence (AI) require disruptive innovation in how information is represented, stored, communicated, and processed. By leveraging novel device modalities and compute-in-memory (CIM), in addition to analog dynamics and sparse communication inspired by the brain, neuromorphic computing offers a promising path toward improvements in the energy efficiency and scalability of current AI systems. But realizing this potential is not a matter of replacing one chip with another; rather, it requires a co-design effort, spanning new materials and non-volatile device structures, novel mixed-signal circuits and architectures, and learning algorithms tailored to the physics of these substrates. This article surveys the key limitations of classical complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology and outlines how such cross-layer neuromorphic approaches may overcome them.