Dual-function floating-gate memory driver for energy-efficient integrated display–illumination system
Abstract The increasing demand for multifunctional micro-displays capable of both high-brightness illumination and low-power image display highlights a critical bottleneck in existing display technologies, which struggle to efficiently switching between large-area uniform light output and fine-grained pixel-level control. Here, we introduce the Integrated Nonvolatile Display–Illumination System (INDIS)—a monolithically integrated Micro-LED architecture based on transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) floating-gate memory (FGM) devices, achieving dual-mode operation. Pixel-level addressing is realized with only a single FGM per pixel and an independent gate controller, enabling the programmed image pattern to be retained without continuous refresh. To support lighting functionality, INDIS adopts a matrix circuit with shared drain electrodes acting as a common anode port, allowing the entire Micro-LED array to be simultaneously activated for large-area illumination. By unifying memory and emission functions within a compact architecture, INDIS achieves display–illumination fusion, offering a scalable and energy-efficient solution for next-generation multifunctional micro-display applications.
Authors
- Qijun Zong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1199-8774)
- Yizhe Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4143-7001)
- Huawei Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4433-5075)
- Jiali Yi
- Tanghao Xie
- Xingxia Sun
- Jian Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8349-6595)
- Bobo Tian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4251-2755)
- Xudong Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7280-345X)
- Xiaoli Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5497-4538)
- Anlian Pan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3335-3067)
- Xiao Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1833-1065)
- Ben Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2916-3447)
- Dong Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0391-7060)
- Xiao Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2973-8215)
- Xiaoqin Liao
- Penghui Guo
- Haifeng Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6370-8415)
- Qin Shuai
- Yazhou Wang
- Xiaoming Zhao
Institutions
- Hunan University (CN)
- Hunan Normal University (CN)
- Suzhou University of Science and Technology (CN)
- East China Normal University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2026-08-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-76263-3
- Primary Topic
- Thin-Film Transistor Technologies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00