Melting-free integrated photonic memory with layered polymorphs

Chalcogenide-based nonvolatile phase change materials (PCMs) have a long history of usage, from bulk disk memory to all-optic neuromorphic computing circuits. Being able to perform uniform phase transitions over a subwavelength scale makes PCMs particularly suitable for photonic applications. For switching between nonvolatile states, the conventional chalcogenide phase change materials are brought to a melting temperature to break the covalent bonds. The cooling rate determines the final state. Reversible polymorphic layered materials provide an alternative atomic transition mechanism for low-energy electronic (small domain size) and photonic nonvolatile memories (which require a large effective tuning area). The small energy barrier of breaking van der Waals force facilitates low energy, fast-reset, and melting-free phase transitions, which reduces the chance of element segregation-associated device failure. The search for such material families starts with polymorphic In₂Se₃, which has two layered structures that are topologically similar and stable at room temperature. In this perspective, we first review the history of different memory schemes, compare the thermal dynamics of phase transitions in amorphous-crystalline and In₂Se₃, detail the device implementations for all-optical memory, and discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with polymorphic memory.