III-nitride-based in-sensor computing enabled by interfacial polarization effects

In-sensor computing enables real-time and intelligent analysis with superior energy efficiency. However, existing oxide-based or 2D-ferroelectric-based in-sensor computing devices suffer from severe response loss and challenges in large-scale fabrication. Here a III-nitride-based in-sensing computing device is proposed by exploiting its intrinsic polarization effects in their heterostructures. The polarization-induced spatial separation of photogenerated carriers and the defect-free nature of bipolar polarization interfaces effectively avoid carrier recombination losses, enabling high light sensitivity level of nanowatt per square centimetre, responsivity level of 10⁶A W^-1 and on/off ratio level of 10⁵ in the sensor-memristor mode. Additionally, controlled applied bias allows the sensor-memristor to transform into a high-speed detector. These results establish a viable design principle that utilizes interfacial-electrostatics-induced photocarrier spatial separation and asymmetric-barriers-modulated carrier transport to realize in-sensor computing. Moreover, the high-temperature resistance of III-nitrides allows the device to maintain high performance at temperatures up to 300 °C. This approach aligns with industrial-scale III-nitride manufacturing and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor integration, probably advancing the feasibility of in-sensor computing architectures.