Electrically Induced, Non-Volatile, Metal Insulator Transition in a Ferroelectric Gated MoS${}_2$ Transistor

We demonstrate an electrically induced, non-volatile, metal-insulator phase transition in a MoS${}_2$ transistor. A single crystalline, epitaxially grown, PbZr${}_{0.2}$Ti${}_{0.8}$O${}_3$ (PZT) was placed in the gate of a field effect transistor made of thin film MoS${}_2$. When a gate voltage is applied to this ferroelectric gated transistor, a clear transition from insulator to metal and vice versa is observed. Importantly, when the gate voltage is turned off, the remnant polarization in the ferroelectric can keep the MoS${}_2$ in its original phase, thereby providing a non-volatile state. Thus a metallic or insulating phase can be written, erased or retained simply by applying a gate voltage to the transistor.