Optoelectronic Memory Capacitor Based on Manipulation of Ferroelectric Properties

Here, we report on the fabrication of an optoelectronic memcapacitor (memory capacitor) by manipulation of ferroelectric properties through the ferroelectric-semiconductor interface based on a ZnO/PZT (Pb_1.1(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃) capacitor. A ZnO layer was deposited on PZT by the chemical vapor deposition method to achieve the memcapacitive effect. The capacitance-voltage and time-dependent capacitance characteristics of the Al/ZnO/PZT/Al memcapacitor were used as the main outcome measurement. In an asymmetric PZT structure with a ZnO layer, two stable states in the capacitance were obtained, which can be written by either optical or electrical pulses. In addition, the illuminated capacitive characters of the device showed a photovoltaic effect that is sensitive to wavelengths and can be used for nondestructive readout. Thus, this work proposes a low-cost structure solid-state memcapacitor exhibiting the promising potential for memory and computation applications with the ability to program and readout by electrical or optical signals.