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Enabling Active Nanotechnologies by Phase Transition: From Electronics, Photonics to Thermotics.
Chunqi Zheng1,2, Robert E Simpson3, Kechao Tang4
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117583, Singapore.
Chemical Reviews
|July 27, 2022
Summary
Phase change materials (PCMs) enable reconfigurable nanodevices by harnessing dramatic property shifts during phase transitions. This review explores PCMs for advanced electronics, photonics, and thermal applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Condensed Matter Physics
Background:
- Phase transitions in transition metal oxides (TMOs) and chalcogenides are triggered by external stimuli like temperature and pressure.
- These transitions in phase change materials (PCMs) induce significant changes in physical properties.
- This enables nanoscale manipulation of electrons, photons, polaritons, and phonons.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review phase-transition-enabled active nanotechnologies.
- To discuss applications in nonvolatile memory, tunable metamaterials, metasurfaces, and infrared emissivity control.
- To explore emerging trends in all-optical neuromorphic devices, thermal data storage, and encryption.
Main Methods:
- Fundamentals of PCMs and principles of phase transitions are introduced.
- Multiphysical nanodevices leveraging PCMs for electronic, photonic, and thermal management are discussed.
- Review of emerging applications and future directions.
Main Results:
- Phase transitions offer a pathway to engineer nanoscale devices with tunable properties.
- PCMs are crucial for developing reconfigurable active nanodevices.
- Significant advancements are demonstrated in electronic memory, optical devices, and thermal management.
Conclusions:
- PCMs provide a versatile platform for next-generation nanotechnologies.
- The ability to control material properties via phase transitions unlocks novel functionalities.
- Future research directions include all-optical neuromorphic computing and advanced data storage.
