DOE OSTI · 2588292
An electro-optical Mott neuron based on niobium dioxide
Abstract
Various applications—including brain-like computing and on-chip artificial vision—increasingly demand a combination of electronic and photonic techniques. However, integrating both approaches on a single chip is challenging, and solutions typically rely on disparate components with power-hungry signal conversions. Here, in this paper, we report electro-optical Mott neurons that combine visible light emission with electrical threshold switching, as well as neuron-like oscillations. The devices are based on thin films of sputtered niobium dioxide (NbO 2 ), a Mott insulator–metal transition material, operating at room temperature and emitting light that peaks around 810 nm. Operando measurements reveal an electronic origin to the light emission: charge carrier relaxation initiated by high-field transport in the NbO 2 . Our devices combine electrical and optical functions within a single material, thereby expanding the options available for future artificial intelligence hardware.
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Islam, Mahnaz [Stanford Univ., CA (United States); Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)], Bohaichuk, Stephanie M. [Stanford Univ., CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000327054271), Brown, Timothy D. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)], Oh, Sangheon [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000323717410), Perez, Christopher [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000296282027), Zhang, Chengyang [Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States)] (ORCID:0009000063031080), Park, Tae Joon [Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States); Korea Univ., Seoul, (Korea, Republic of)] (ORCID:0000000338101221), Park, Minseong [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)], Talin, A. Alec [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)], Ramanathan, Shriram [Rutgers Univ., Piscataway, NJ (United States); Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States)], Kumar, Suhas [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Rain AI, San Francisco, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000267727250), Pop, Eric [Stanford Univ., CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000304368534). 2025-07-28. An electro-optical Mott neuron based on niobium dioxide. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-025-01406-1
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