An electro-optical Mott neuron based on niobium dioxide

Various applications—including brain-like computing and on-chip artificial vision—increasingly demand a combination of electronic and photonic techniques. However, integrating both approaches on a single chip is challenging, and solutions typically rely on disparate components with power-hungry signal conversions. Here we report electro-optical Mott neurons that combine visible light emission with electrical threshold switching, as well as neuron-like oscillations. The devices are based on thin films of sputtered niobium dioxide (NbO₂), a Mott insulator–metal transition material, operating at room temperature and emitting light that peaks around 810 nm. Operando measurements reveal an electronic origin to the light emission: charge carrier relaxation initiated by high-field transport in the NbO₂. Our devices combine electrical and optical functions within a single material, thereby expanding the options available for future artificial intelligence hardware.