Photo‐Dielectric Synaptic Plasticity in Zn‐Doped BaAl2O4
- 1Department of Physics Nagoya University Nagoya Japan
- 2Nanostructures Research Laboratory Japan Fine Ceramics Center Nagoya Japan
- 3Faculty of Science Yamagata University Yamagata Japan
Abstract
Optically reconfigurable dielectrics represent an emerging route toward low‐power, spatially addressable neuromorphic elements, yet materials capable of exhibiting stable and broadly tunable photo‐induced plasticity remain scarce. Here we report that Zn‐substituted BaAl2O4, a wide‐bandgap aluminate, hosts an unusual form of light‐controlled dielectric modulation whose magnitude and retention can be programmably engineered. Below‐bandgap excitation at 3.4 eV produces a substantial and long‐lasting increase in permittivity with negligible electronic conduction, revealing a photo‐dielectric state that can be thermally released on demand. The response amplitude is continuously adjustable across six decades through excitation intensity, enabling analog, synapse‐like plasticity within a single inorganic phase. By identifying the microscopic origin of this persistent photo‐dielectric phenomenon, we establish wide‐bandgap aluminates as a materials platform where optical excitation directly manipulates dielectric functionality. This capability provides a route to neuromorphic architectures in which learning operations are executed via photo irradiation, opening new opportunities for photoelectronic information processing.
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BibTeX
@article{sugino2026photodielectric,
title = {{Photo‐Dielectric Synaptic Plasticity in Zn‐Doped BaAl2O4}},
author = {Masashi Sugino and Akihide Kuwabara and Mamoru Kitaura and Kazuhiko Deguchi and Hiroki Taniguchi},
journal = {Advanced Electronic Materials},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/aelm.70613},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/aelm.70613},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Photo‐Dielectric Synaptic Plasticity in Zn‐Doped BaAl2O4
AU - Masashi Sugino
AU - Akihide Kuwabara
AU - Mamoru Kitaura
AU - Kazuhiko Deguchi
AU - Hiroki Taniguchi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - Advanced Electronic Materials
DO - 10.1002/aelm.70613
UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/aelm.70613
AB - Optically reconfigurable dielectrics represent an emerging route toward low‐power, spatially addressable neuromorphic elements, yet materials capable of exhibiting stable and broadly tunable photo‐induced plasticity remain scarce. Here we report that Zn‐substituted BaAl2O4, a wide‐bandgap aluminate, hosts an unusual form of light‐controlled dielectric modulation whose magnitude and retention can be programmably engineered. Below‐bandgap excitation at 3.4 eV produces a substantial and long‐lasting increase in permittivity with negligible electronic conduction, revealing a photo‐dielectric state that can be thermally released on demand. The response amplitude is continuously adjustable across six decades through excitation intensity, enabling analog, synapse‐like plasticity within a single inorganic phase. By identifying the microscopic origin of this persistent photo‐dielectric phenomenon, we establish wide‐bandgap aluminates as a materials platform where optical excitation directly manipulates dielectric functionality. This capability provides a route to neuromorphic architectures in which learning operations are executed via photo irradiation, opening new opportunities for photoelectronic information processing.
SN - 2199-160X
ER -