Electric field induced metallic behavior in thin crystals of ferroelectric α-In2Se3

Ferroelectric semiconductor field effect transistors (FeSmFETs), which employ ferroelectric semiconducting thin crystals of alpha-In2Se3 as the channel material as opposed to the gate dielectric in conventional ferroelectric FETs (FeFETs), were prepared and measured from room to liquid-helium temperatures. These FeSmFETs were found to yield evidence for the reorientation of electrical polarization and an electric field-induced metallic state in alpha-In2Se3. Our findings suggest that FeSmFETs can serve as a platform for the fundamental study of ferroelectric metals as well as the exploration of potential applications of semiconducting ferroelectrics.