Ferroelectric Optical Memristors Enabled by Non-Volatile Electro-Optic Effect.

Wen, Yiyang; Cao, Yilin; Ren, Hongda; Du, Xiaona; Guo, Jiaxing; Wu, Zhenping; Liu, Weiwei; Du, Jiangbing et al. · Adv Mater · 2025

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Memristors enable non-volatile memory and neuromorphic computing. Optical memristors are the fundamental element for programmable photonic integrated circuits due to their high-bandwidth computing, low crosstalk, and minimal power consumption. Here, an optical memristor enabled by a non-volatile electro-optic (EO) effect, where refractive index modulation under zero field is realized by deliberate control of domain alignment in the ferroelectric material Pb(Mg<sub>1/3</sub>Nb<sub>2/3</sub>)O<sub>3</sub>-PbTiO<sub>3</sub>(PMN-PT) is proposed. The non-volatile EO memristor is designed exclusively for the modulation of the optical phase without degrading the optical transparency, and it allows the support for deterministic and repeated non-volatile multilevel EO states. A non-volatile tunable waveplate composed of the optical memrisor for free-space optics, which allows for deterministic multilevel, and non-volatile phase shifts from 0 to π/2 is presented. The state switching rate of the memristor is less than 100 ms, with a switching energy consumption of 234 nJ, and the states can be retained for up to 12 h without requiring static power consumption. These results demonstrate a novel approach to fully realizing non-volatile optical memristors, where only optical phase modulation is involved, providing unprecedented opportunities for the development of new ferroelectric memristors.