Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Optically reconfigurable dielectrics represent an emerging route toward low‐power, spatially addressable neuromorphic elements, yet materials capable of exhibiting stable and broadly tunable photo‐induced plasticity remain scarce. Here we report that Zn‐substituted BaAl 2 O 4 , a wide‐bandgap aluminate, hosts an unusual form of light‐controlled dielectric modulation whose magnitude and retention can be programmably engineered. Below‐bandgap excitation at 3.4 eV produces a substantial and long‐lasting increase in permittivity with negligible electronic conduction, revealing a photo‐dielectric state that can be thermally released on demand. The response amplitude is continuously adjustable across six decades through excitation intensity, enabling analog, synapse‐like plasticity within a single inorganic phase. By identifying the microscopic origin of this persistent photo‐dielectric phenomenon, we establish wide‐bandgap aluminates as a materials platform where optical excitation directly manipulates dielectric functionality. This capability provides a route to neuromorphic architectures in which learning operations are executed via photo irradiation, opening new opportunities for photoelectronic information processing.
Source: Advanced Electronic Materials
DOI: 10.1002/aelm.70613
Institutions: Nagoya University, Japan Fine Ceramics Center, Yamagata University
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,560
OpenAlex ID: W7221153663