Reconfigurable memristive active light modulation and detection based on MoTe2

In this work, a vertically stacked metal/2H-MoTe2/metal structure was fabricated to take advantage of the optical and electrical properties of two phases of MoTe2. By applying an electric-field, we triggered a reversible, non-volatile phase transition from the 2H phase to the lower-resistance 1T' phase, resulting in a resistance difference of 104 times and an 80% shift in optical reflectance, suitable for active reflective light modulation. When operated as a photodetector, its responsivities at near-infrared wavelengths around 975 nm significantly depend on its phase state, indicating its potential as an active reconfigurable photodetector.