Planar Cation Passivation on Colloidal Quantum Dots Enables High-Performance 0.35-1.8 µm Broadband TFT Imager.

Solution-processed colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are promising candidates for broadband photodetectors from visible light to shortwave infrared (SWIR). However, large-size PbS CQDs sensitive to longer SWIR are mainly exposed with nonpolar (100) facets on the surface, which lack robust passivation strategies. Herein, an innovative passivation strategy that employs planar cation, is introduced to enable face-to-face coupling on (100) facets and strengthen halide passivation on (111) facets. The defect density of CQDs film (Eg ≈ 0.74 eV) is reduced from 2.74 × 1015 to 1.04  × 1015 cm-3, coupled with 0.1 eV reduction in the activation energy of defects. The resultant CQDs photodiodes exhibit a low dark current density of 14 nA cm-2 with a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 62%, achieving a linear dynamic range of 98 dB, a -3dB bandwidth of 103 kHz and a detectivity of 4.7 × 1011 Jones. The comprehensive performance of the CQDs photodiodes outperforms previously reported CQDs photodiodes operating at >1.6 µm. By monolithically integrated with thin-film transistor (TFT) readout circuit, the broadband CQDs imager covering 0.35-1.8 µm realizes the functions including silicon wafer perspectivity and material discrimination, showing its potential for wide range of applications.

Hierarchical processing enabled by 2D ferroelectric semiconductor transistor for low-power and high-efficiency AI vision system.

The growth of data and Internet of Things challenges traditional hardware, which encounters efficiency and power issues owing to separate functional units for sensors, memory, and computation. In this study, we designed an α-phase indium selenide (α-In2Se3) transistor, which is a two-dimensional ferroelectric semiconductor as the channel material, to create artificial optic-neural and electro-neural synapses, enabling cutting-edge processing-in-sensor (PIS) and computing-in-memory (CIM) functionalities. As an optic-neural synapse for low-level sensory processing, the α-In2Se3 transistor exhibits a high photoresponsivity (2855 A/W) and detectivity (2.91 × 1014 Jones), facilitating efficient feature extraction. For high-level processing tasks as an electro-neural synapse, it offers a fast program/erase speed of 40 ns/50 µs and ultralow energy consumption of 0.37 aJ/spike. An AI vision system using α-In2Se3 transistors has been demonstrated. It achieved an impressive recognition accuracy of 92.63% within 12 epochs owing to the synergistic combination of the PIS and CIM functionalities. This study demonstrates the potential of the α-In2Se3 transistor in future vision hardware, enhancing processing, power efficiency, and AI applications.

Vapor growth of V-doped MoS2 monolayers with enhanced B-exciton emission and broad spectral response.

Dynamically engineering the optical and electrical properties in two-dimensional (2D) materials is of great significance for designing the related functions and applications. The introduction of foreign-atoms has previously been proven to be a feasible way to tune the band structure and related properties of 3D materials; however, this approach still remains to be explored in 2D materials. Here, we systematically demonstrate the growth of vanadium-doped molybdenum disulfide (V-doped MoS2) monolayers via an alkali metal-assisted chemical vapor deposition method. Scanning transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that V atoms substituted the Mo atoms and became uniformly distributed in the MoS2 monolayers. This was also confirmed by Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Power-dependent photoluminescence spectra clearly revealed the enhanced B-exciton emission characteristics in the V-doped MoS2 monolayers (with low doping concentration). Most importantly, through temperature-dependent study, we observed efficient valley scattering of the B-exciton, greatly enhancing its emission intensity. Carrier transport experiments indicated that typical p-type conduction gradually arisen and was enhanced with increasing V composition in the V-doped MoS2, where a clear n-type behavior transited first to ambipolar and then to lightly p-type charge carrier transport. In addition, visible to infrared wide-band photodetectors based on V-doped MoS2 monolayers (with low doping concentration) were demonstrated. The V-doped MoS2 monolayers with distinct B-exciton emission, enhanced p-type conduction and broad spectral response can provide new platforms for probing new physics and offer novel materials for optoelectronic applications.

Reconfigurable Artificial Synapse Based on Ambipolar Floating Gate Memory.

Artificial synapse networks capable of massively parallel computing and mimicking biological neural networks can potentially improve the processing efficiency of existing information technologies. Semiconductor devices functioning as excitatory and inhibitory synapses are crucial for developing intelligence systems, such as traffic control systems. However, achieving reconfigurability between two working modes (inhibitory and excitatory) and bilingual synaptic behavior in a single transistor remains challenging. This study successfully mimics a bilingual synaptic response using an artificial synapse based on an ambipolar floating gate memory comprising tungsten selenide (WSe2)/hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN)/ molybdenum telluride (MoTe2). In this WSe2/h-BN/MoTe2 structure, ambipolar semiconductors WSe2 and MoTe2 are inserted as channel and floating gates, respectively, and h-BN serves as the tunneling barrier layer. Using either positive or negative pulse amplitude modulations at the control gate, this device with bipolar channel conduction produced eight distinct resistance states. Based on this, we experimentally projected that we could achieve 490 memory states (210 hole-resistance states + 280 electron-resistance states). Using the bipolar charge transport and multistorage states of WSe2/h-BN/MoTe2 floating gate memory, we mimicked reconfigurable excitatory and inhibitory synaptic plasticity in a single device. Furthermore, the convolution neural network formed by these synaptic devices can recognize handwritten digits with an accuracy of >92%. This study identifies the unique properties of heterostructure devices based on two-dimensional materials as well as predicts their applicability in advanced recognition of neuromorphic computing.

Multifunctional Optoelectronic Synapses Based on Arrayed MoS2 Monolayers Emulating Human Association Memory.

Optoelectronic synaptic devices integrating light-perception and signal-storage functions hold great potential in neuromorphic computing for visual information processing, as well as complex brain-like learning, memorizing, and reasoning. Herein, the successful growth of MoS2 monolayer arrays assisted by gold nanorods guided precursor nucleation is demonstrated. Optical, spectral, and morphology characterizations of MoS2 prove that arrayed flakes are homogeneous monolayers, and they are further fabricated as optoelectronic devices showing featured photocurrent loops and stable optical responses. Typical synaptic behaviors of photo-induced short-term potentiation, long-term potentiation, and paired pulse facilitation are recorded under different light stimulations of 450, 532, and 633 nm lasers at various excitation powers. A visual sensing system consisting of 5 × 6 pixels is constructed to simulate the light-sensing image mapped by forgetting curves in real time. Moreover, the system presents the ability of utilizing associated images to restore vague and incomplete memories, which successfully mimics human intelligent behaviors of association memory and logical reasoning. The work emulates the brain-like artificial intelligence using arrayed 2D semiconductors, which paves an avenue to achieve smart retina and complex brain-like system.

Double-Gate MoS2 Field-Effect Transistors with Full-Range Tunable Threshold Voltage for Multifunctional Logic Circuits.

Multifunctional reconfigurable devices, with higher information capacity, smaller size, and more functions, are urgently needed and draw most attention in frontiers in information technology. 2D semiconductors, ascribing to ultrathin body and easy electrostatic control, show great potential in developing reconfigurable functional units. This work proposes a novel double-gate field-effect transistor architecture with equal top and bottom gate (TG and BG) and realizes flexible optimization of the subthreshold swing (SS) and threshold voltage (VTH ). While the TG and BG are used simultaneously, as a single gate to drive the transistor, ultralow average SS value of 65.5 mV dec-1 can be obtained in a large current range over 104 , enabling the application in high gain inverter. While one gate is used to initialize the channel doping, full logic swing inverter circuit with high noise margin (over 90%) is demonstrated. Such device prototype is further extended for designing reconfigurable logic applications and can be dynamically switched and well maintained between binary and ternary logics. This study provides important concept and device prototype for future multifunctional logic applications.

A novel visible light sensing and recording system enabled by integration of photodetector and electrochromic devices.

The integration of multiple electronic or optoelectronic devices is an effective strategy to use their unique functions to realize a specific goal. A state-of-the-art photodetector (PD) array can realize real-time image sensing, but the image information will disappear immediately with the removal of the light stimuli. Here, we design a visible light sensing and recording system by the integration of a perovskite PD array with a tungsten trioxide-based electrochromic device (ECD) array (10 × 10 pixels). The system can convert the received visible light signals into electrical signals to change the storable color of the corresponding pixels in the ECD array, thus realizing optical information recording in the form of the color display. As a conceptual demonstration, the system achieves the recording of the "H"-shaped visible light pattern projected to the active area of the PD array. Besides, after removing the illumination stimuli, the recording of the light pattern continues in the absence of the power supply owing to the "color memory effect". The recorded length can be regulated through the periods of illumination stimulation. The proof-of-concept system may have potential applications in image sensors, electronic eyes, and intelligent electronics.

Nanometre-thin indium tin oxide for advanced high-performance electronics.

Although indium tin oxide (ITO) is widely used in optoelectronics due to its high optical transmittance and electrical conductivity, its degenerate doping limits exploitation as a semiconduction material. In this work, we created short-channel active transistors based on an ultra-thin (down to 4 nm) ITO channel and a high-quality, lanthanum-doped hafnium oxide dielectric of equivalent oxide thickness of 0.8 nm, with performance comparative to that of existing metal oxides and emerging two-dimensional materials. Short-channel immunity, with a subthreshold slope of 66 mV per decade, off-state current <100 fA µm-1 and on/off ratio up to 5.5 × 109, was measured for a 40-nm transistor. Logic inverters working in the subthreshold regime exhibit a high gain of 178 at a low-supply voltage of 0.5 V. Moreover, radiofrequency transistors, with as-measured cut-off frequency fT and maximum oscillation frequency fmax both >10 GHz, have been demonstrated. The unique wide bandgap and low dielectric constant of ITO provide prospects for future scaling below the 5-nm regime for advanced low-power electronics.

Performance and Reliability Improvement under High Current Densities in Black Phosphorus Transistors by Interface Engineering.

Few-layer black phosphorus (BP) has recently emerged as a promising two-dimensional (2D) material for electronic and optoelectronic devices because of its high mobility and tunable band gap. However, BP is known to quickly degrade and oxidize in ambient conditions by breaking of the P-P bonds. As a result, there is a growing need to encapsulate BP that avoids oxygen and water while retaining the high electric performance of the devices. Here, we demonstrate a hydrophobic polymer encapsulation technique with improved thermal conductivity for high current density, which preserves the electrical properties of BP back-gate transistors compared to the commonly used Al2O3 encapsulation with improved mobility and minimal traps. The on-off ratio increases by more than an order of magnitude at room temperature and more than 4 orders of magnitude at cryogenic temperatures. High field transport shows the first systematic study on unprecedented breakdown characteristics up to -5.5 V for the 0.16 µm transistors with a high current of 1.2 mA/µm at 20 K. These discoveries open up a new way to achieve high-performance 2D semiconductors with significantly improved breakdown voltage, on-off ratios, and stability under ambient conditions for practical applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Multifunctional high-performance van der Waals heterostructures.

A range of novel two-dimensional materials have been actively explored for More Moore and More-than-Moore device applications because of their ability to form van der Waals heterostructures with unique electronic properties. However, most of the reported electronic devices exhibit insufficient control of multifunctional operations. Here, we leverage the band-structure alignment properties of narrow-bandgap black phosphorus and large-bandgap molybdenum disulfide to realize vertical heterostructures with an ultrahigh rectifying ratio approaching 106 and on-off ratio up to 107. Furthermore, we design and fabricate tunable multivalue inverters, in which the output logic state and window of the mid-logic can be controlled by specific pairs of channel length and, most importantly, by the electric field, which shifts the band-structure alignment across the heterojunction. Finally, high gains over 150 are achieved in the inverters with optimized device geometries, showing great potential for future logic applications.