Ferroelectric Reconfigurable Homojunctions Enable Energy-Efficient

Researchers in China have demonstrated a reconfigurable photodiode intended to start processing visual information at the point of detection, aiming to cut energy use and latency from moving data between sensors and processors. Led by Xiaoxian Zhang and Yongsheng Wang at Beijing Jiaotong University, with Yuchao Yang and Yaoyu Tao at Peking University, the device combines ambipolar tungsten diselenide (WSe₂) with a thin ferroelectric layer of hafnium zirconium oxide (HfₓZr₁₋ₓO₂, HZO). A sub-20-nanometer HZO ferroelectric film integrated with a split-gate structure lets the team switch the photocurrent polarity by altering the ferroelectric polarization. The design is notable because it can reconfigure response without an external bias during operation, leveraging stored polarization to set internal electrostatic conditions.