Ferroelectric–Optoelectronic Hybrid System for Photodetection

Abstract Photodetectors (PDs), as functional devices based on photon‐to‐electron conversion, are an indispensable component for the next‐generation Internet of Things system. The research of advanced and efficient PDs that meet the diverse demands is becoming a major task. Ferroelectric materials can develop a unique spontaneous polarization due to the symmetry‐breaking of the unit cell, which is switchable under an external electric field. Ferroelectric polarization field has the intrinsic characteristics of non‐volatilization and rewritability. Introducing ferroelectrics to effectively manipulate the band bending and carrier transport can be non‐destructive and controllable in the ferroelectric–optoelectronic hybrid systems. Hence, ferroelectric integration offers a promising strategy for high‐performance photoelectric detection. This paper reviews the fundamentals of optoelectronic and ferroelectric materials, and their interactions in hybrid photodetection systems. The first section introduces the characteristics and applications of typical optoelectronic and ferroelectric materials. Then, the interplay mechanisms, modulation effects, and typical device structures of ferroelectric–optoelectronic hybrid systems are discussed. Finally, in summary and perspective section, the progress of ferroelectrics integrated PDs is summed up and the challenges of ferroelectrics in the field of optoelectronics are considered.