Orthogonal Electric Control of the Out-Of-Plane Field-Effect in 2D Ferroelectric α-In2Se3

Abstract

Tuning the electric properties of crystalline solids is at the heart of material science and electronics. Generating the electric field-effect via an external voltage is a clean, continuous, and systematic method. Here, utilizing the unique electric dipole locking in van der Waals (vdW) ferroelectric α-In2Se3, a new approach is reported to establish the electric gating effect, where the electrostatic doping in the out-of-plane direction is induced and controlled by an in-plane voltage. With the vertical vdW heterostructure of ultrathin α-In2Se3 and MoS2, an in-plane voltage gated coplanar field-effect transistor with distinguished and retentive on/off ratio is validated. The results demonstrate unprecedented electric control of ferroelectricity, which paves the way for integrating 2D ferroelectric into novel nanoelectronic devices with broad applications.