A research team led by Academician Peng Lianmao and researcher Qiu Chenguang at Peking University's School of Electronics has achieved a breakthrough in ferroelectric transistor technology. The researchers successfully fabricated the world's smallest and lowest-power ferroelectric transistor, scaling the physical gate length down to the 1nm atomic limit.

The breakthrough addresses the fundamental challenge of ferroelectric materials requiring high voltage for polarization switching. Through innovative nano-gate structural design, the team achieved polarization reversal at just 0.6V—an order of magnitude lower energy consumption than the previous international best.

Ferroelectric FETs (FeFETs) uniquely combine memory and computation functions, similar to biological neurons. This "in-memory computing" capability directly addresses the von Neumann bottleneck that plagues traditional architectures, making FeFETs promising candidates for neuromorphic computing and next-generation AI chips.

Qiu Chenguang explained that the nano-gate design effectively "leverages" the electric field, enabling polarization reversal with minimal voltage. The ultra-low operating voltage and energy consumption position this technology as foundational for energy-efficient data centers and high-performance AI accelerators.

ICgoodFind : Peking University's 1nm FeFET represents a fundamental physics breakthrough, not just another scaling step. By achieving polarization switching at 0.6V—10x better than prior art—this research opens a practical path toward energy-efficient neuromorphic computing that could redefine AI hardware architecture.