Computational flexoelectronics

A framework for analyzing PN junctions in flexoelectric semiconductors

authored by: Han Hu, Zhaowei Liu, Qiong Liu, Xiaoning Jiang, Xiaoying Zhuang, Timon Rabczuk
Abstract: The miniaturization of electronic devices has intensified the need to tailor material properties at the nanoscale, where flexoelectricity becomes prominent. This paper investigates flexoelectronics—a novel field that harnesses strain gradients and flexoelectric polarization to modulate electronic behavior in semiconductors. Existing models often rely on linearized constitutive relations that fail to capture the behavior of semiconductors under large carrier perturbations. To address this limitation, this work presents a novel computational framework for the fully-coupled physics of flexoelectronics based on isogeometric analysis. The framework robustly models the nonlinear interplay among elasticity, flexoelectric polarization, and carrier transport in PN junctions, overcoming the constraints of traditional linearized approaches. Verification against analytical benchmarks confirms the accuracy of the method. Applications to two-dimensional PN junctions reveal a previously unreported competing mechanism between drift and diffusion currents under flexoelectric modulation. Furthermore, the framework demonstrates that device strain sensitivity is a tunable property that can be optimized by adjusting the junction's position, providing a clear pathway for enhanced flexoelectronic device design.
Organisation(s): Institute of Photonics
External Organisation(s): Hohai University
North Carolina State University
Tongji University
Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
Type: Article
Journal: International Journal of Mechanical Sciences
Volume: 305
ISSN: 0020-7403
Publication date: 01.11.2025
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Civil and Structural Engineering, General Materials Science, Aerospace Engineering, Condensed Matter Physics, Ocean Engineering, Mechanics of Materials, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mathematics
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2025.110740 (Access: Open)
: Details in the research portal "Research@Leibniz University"

BibTeX

@article{4d897d10667f4393b49385b1b1f8c883,
title = "Computational flexoelectronics: A framework for analyzing PN junctions in flexoelectric semiconductors",
abstract = "The miniaturization of electronic devices has intensified the need to tailor material properties at the nanoscale, where flexoelectricity becomes prominent. This paper investigates flexoelectronics—a novel field that harnesses strain gradients and flexoelectric polarization to modulate electronic behavior in semiconductors. Existing models often rely on linearized constitutive relations that fail to capture the behavior of semiconductors under large carrier perturbations. To address this limitation, this work presents a novel computational framework for the fully-coupled physics of flexoelectronics based on isogeometric analysis. The framework robustly models the nonlinear interplay among elasticity, flexoelectric polarization, and carrier transport in PN junctions, overcoming the constraints of traditional linearized approaches. Verification against analytical benchmarks confirms the accuracy of the method. Applications to two-dimensional PN junctions reveal a previously unreported competing mechanism between drift and diffusion currents under flexoelectric modulation. Furthermore, the framework demonstrates that device strain sensitivity is a tunable property that can be optimized by adjusting the junction's position, providing a clear pathway for enhanced flexoelectronic device design.",
keywords = "Computational mechanics, Flexoelectronics, Isogeometric analysis, PN junction, Semiconductor physics, Strain sensitivity",
author = "Han Hu and Zhaowei Liu and Qiong Liu and Xiaoning Jiang and Xiaoying Zhuang and Timon Rabczuk",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 The Authors",
year = "2025",
month = nov,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2025.110740",
language = "English",
volume = "305",
journal = "International Journal of Mechanical Sciences",
issn = "0020-7403",
publisher = "Elsevier Ltd.",
}

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