CMOS-native dielectric emerging as photonic EO + ferroelectric memory platform
Physics / mechanism
HfO₂ has been the standard high-k gate dielectric in CMOS since the 45nm node — every advanced silicon process already uses it. Doped variants (Si:HfO₂, Zr:HfO₂) exhibit ferroelectricity, with Pockels coefficient ~10-30 pm/V. The combination of CMOS-fab-native materials + emerging EO + ferroelectric memory makes HfO₂ a uniquely well-positioned candidate for monolithic photonic-electronic integration.
The strategic pitch: any process that can deposit HfO₂ for FETs can also deposit HfO₂ for photonic modulators. The fab learning curve is already paid for.
Competitive landscape
Research stage for photonics. Production for FeFET memory: GF 22FDX-FeFET (commercially available since 2024), Sony, NaMLab spin-offs. Photonic modulator demonstrators: IMEC, Fraunhofer IPMS. Integration with the same fab line that serves FeFET memory is the unique-selling-point.
Frontier (open questions)
See frontmatter frontier: block.