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Updated: Mar 14, 2026
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A Fabrication and Measurement Method for a Flexible Ferroelectric Element Based on Van Der Waals Heteroepitaxy
Published on: April 8, 2018
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Microgravity-activated high-performance van der Waals InSe ferroelectric semiconductor
Rong Jin1, Fengrui Sui1, Yilun Yu1
1Key Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices (MOE), School of Information and Electronic Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
Nature Communications
|March 13, 2026
Summary
Growing indium selenide (InSe) in space microgravity eliminates defects, enabling intrinsic ferroelectricity. This leads to advanced transistors and near-infrared light sources for integrated computing.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Solid State Physics
- Semiconductor Science
Background:
- Van der Waals layered materials exhibit unique properties due to low interlayer sliding energy.
- Microgravity environments offer unique conditions for crystal growth, potentially overcoming terrestrial limitations.
- Indium selenide (InSe) is a promising van der Waals material with potential applications in electronics and optoelectronics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the structural and property changes of InSe grown in a microgravity environment.
- To explore the potential of space-grown InSe for advanced electronic and optical devices.
- To demonstrate a novel method for producing high-quality van der Waals materials.
Main Methods:
- Cultivation of InSe single crystals in the microgravity environment of the China space station.
- Atomic-level microstructure analysis using advanced microscopy techniques.
- Fabrication and characterization of ferroelectric semiconductor field-effect transistors (FeFETs).
- Evaluation of amplified spontaneous emission properties.
Main Results:
- Microgravity growth successfully eliminated stacking faults in InSe, activating intrinsic sliding ferroelectricity with high retention.
- FeFETs fabricated from space-grown InSe exhibited large non-volatile memory windows, high on/off ratios, and excellent mobility.
- Superior amplified spontaneous emission was observed with exceptionally low photon excitation thresholds.
- Demonstrated potential for near-infrared nonlinear light sources.
Conclusions:
- Space microgravity provides an effective strategy for producing high-quality, defect-free van der Waals InSe.
- The activated ferroelectricity and enhanced properties of microgravity-grown InSe are suitable for next-generation memory and sensor applications.
- These findings pave the way for emitter-integrated computing architectures.
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