Photo-activated digital resistive switching in a cryogenic photomemory
- Jiarui Wang
- Yu-Ting Huang
- Yuhao Li
- Meiyu Wang
- Shengsheng Lin
- Yuanhao Wei
- Jingjing Chang
- Yun Li
- Fengqiu Wang
- Songlin Li
- Xian-Bin Li
- Xinran Wang
- Yi Shi
- Zaiyao Fei
2026-07-28
Resistive switching is the basis of many emerging memory technologies. However, its operation at cryogenic temperatures remains scarce, and it generally lacks compatibility with optical control and in-situ electrical programmability. Here, we report the discovery of a photo-activated digital resistive switching effect in a cryogenic photomemory based on α-In 2 Se 3 . After an optical pulse, the device can be repeatably switched from a high- to a low-resistance state digitally, which persists long after the photoactivation. The switching threshold voltage can be continuously tuned over a wide range by the reset voltage pulse, additional optical pulses, and electrostatic gating, providing multimodal control over the memory logic. The device also exhibits a markedly enhanced photoresponse and resettable persistent photoconductivity, allowing the emulation of synaptic behaviors at cryogenic temperatures. Our work reveals a defect-mediated mechanism for embedding programmable digital logic into a nonvolatile photomemory, establishing a versatile platform for adaptive optoelectronics at cryogenic temperatures.