Polarization tunable bidirectional photoresponse in Van der Waals α−In2Se3/NbX2 (X=S,Se,andTe) ferroelectric diodes

Ferroelectric diodes can generate a polarization-controlled bidirectional photoresponse to simulate inhibition and promotion behaviors in the artificial neuromorphic system with fast speed, high energy efficiency, and nonvolatility. However, the existing ferroelectric diodes based on ferroelectric oxides suffer from a weak bidirectional photoresponse (below 1 mA/W), difficult miniaturization, and a large response photon energy (over 3 eV). Here, we design a series of van der Waals $\ensuremath{\alpha}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{\mathrm{In}}_{2}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}\text{/}\mathrm{Nb}{X}_{2}$ ($X$ = S, Se, and Te) ferroelectric diodes with bidirectional photoresponse by using ab initio quantum transport simulation. These devices show a maximum bidirectional photoresponse of 30 (\ensuremath{-}19) mA/W and a minimum response photon energy of 1.3 eV at the monolayer thickness. Our work shows advanced optoelectronic applications of the van der Waals ferroelectric diodes in the future artificial neuromorphic system.