Optically Tunable Threshold Switching and Thermally Activated Transport in Planar Ag/MAPbI3 Thin Single‐Crystal Devices
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Physics ‘E. R. Caianiello’ University of Salerno Fisciano (SA) Italy
- 2Department of Physics University of Cagliari Monserrato (CA) Italy
- 3Department of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering University of Cagliari Cagliari Italy
- 4Department of Physics University of California San Diego La Jolla CA USA
Abstract
Halide perovskites have enabled major advances in optoelectronics, extending well beyond photovoltaics. Their mixed ionic‐electronic conduction, once regarded as detrimental to device stability, is increasingly viewed as a functional degree of freedom for memory and neuromorphic‐inspired devices, especially when coupled to external stimuli such as light. Specifically, single crystals are attractive models because they suppress grain‐boundary effects and microstructural disorder that can mask intrinsic transport and interfacial mechanisms in polycrystalline films. Here, we report the growth of thin methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) single crystals by a space‐confined method and their integration into planar two‐terminal devices with directly deposited Ag contacts. At room temperature, the devices exhibit ultra‐low dark currents (10−13‐10−12 A) and negligible hysteresis in the dark. Under illumination, the current increases due to photogeneration and the I‐V characteristics develop a pronounced polarity‐dependent hysteresis and a threshold‐like transition between two conductance states. Temperature‐dependent dark measurements (300–400 K) show thermionically activated, contact‐influenced transport and a weakly varying normalized hysteresis metric. Together with the back‐to‐back Schottky‐diode analysis and control devices using more inert contact materials, these results support a transport model in which Ag/perovskite interfaces play a central role and the hysteretic response is influenced by coupled interfacial and ionic processes.
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BibTeX
@article{durante2026optically,
title = {{Optically Tunable Threshold Switching and Thermally Activated Transport in Planar Ag/MAPbI3 Thin Single‐Crystal Devices}},
author = {Ofelia Durante and Valeria Demontis and Sebastiano De Stefano and Selene Matta and Adolfo Mazzotti and Daniela Marongiu and Emanuele Meloni and Elisa Pili and Fang Liu and Nicola Sestu and Angelica Simbula and Mauro Carta and Michele Saba and Andrea Mura and Massimiliano Di Ventra and Giovanni Bongiovanni and Antonio Di Bartolomeo},
journal = {Advanced Science},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1002/advs.77024},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.77024},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Optically Tunable Threshold Switching and Thermally Activated Transport in Planar Ag/MAPbI3 Thin Single‐Crystal Devices
AU - Ofelia Durante
AU - Valeria Demontis
AU - Sebastiano De Stefano
AU - Selene Matta
AU - Adolfo Mazzotti
AU - Daniela Marongiu
AU - Emanuele Meloni
AU - Elisa Pili
AU - Fang Liu
AU - Nicola Sestu
AU - Angelica Simbula
AU - Mauro Carta
AU - Michele Saba
AU - Andrea Mura
AU - Massimiliano Di Ventra
AU - Giovanni Bongiovanni
AU - Antonio Di Bartolomeo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/07
JO - Advanced Science
DO - 10.1002/advs.77024
UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.77024
AB - Halide perovskites have enabled major advances in optoelectronics, extending well beyond photovoltaics. Their mixed ionic‐electronic conduction, once regarded as detrimental to device stability, is increasingly viewed as a functional degree of freedom for memory and neuromorphic‐inspired devices, especially when coupled to external stimuli such as light. Specifically, single crystals are attractive models because they suppress grain‐boundary effects and microstructural disorder that can mask intrinsic transport and interfacial mechanisms in polycrystalline films. Here, we report the growth of thin methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) single crystals by a space‐confined method and their integration into planar two‐terminal devices with directly deposited Ag contacts. At room temperature, the devices exhibit ultra‐low dark currents (10−13‐10−12 A) and negligible hysteresis in the dark. Under illumination, the current increases due to photogeneration and the I‐V characteristics develop a pronounced polarity‐dependent hysteresis and a threshold‐like transition between two conductance states. Temperature‐dependent dark measurements (300–400 K) show thermionically activated, contact‐influenced transport and a weakly varying normalized hysteresis metric. Together with the back‐to‐back Schottky‐diode analysis and control devices using more inert contact materials, these results support a transport model in which Ag/perovskite interfaces play a central role and the hysteretic response is influenced by coupled interfacial and ionic processes.
SN - 2198-3844
ER -