Ultrasensitive artificial synapse based on conjugated polyelectrolyte

Wentao Xu, Thanh Luan Nguyen, Young Tae Kim, Christoph Wolf, Raphael Pfattner, Jeffrey Lopez, Byeong Gyu Chae, Sung Il Kim, Moo Yeol Lee, Eul Yong Shin, Yong Young Noh, Joon Hak Oh, Hyunsang Hwang, Chan Gyung Park, Han Young Woo, Tae Woo Lee*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

84 Scopus citations

Abstract

Emulating essential synaptic working principles using a single electronic device has been an important research field in recent years. However, achieving sensitivity and energy consumption comparable to biological synapses in these electronic devices is still a difficult challenge. Here, we report the fabrication of conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE)-based artificial synapse, which emulates important synaptic functions such as paired-pulse facilitation (PPF), spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) and spiking rate dependent plasticity (SRDP). The device exhibits superior sensitivity to external stimuli andlow-energy consumption. Ultrahigh sensitivity and low-energy consumption are key requirements for building up brain-inspired artificial systems and efficient electronic-biological interface. The excellent synaptic performance originated from (i) a hybrid working mechanism that ensured the realization of both short-term and long-term plasticity in the same device, and (ii) the mobile-ion rich CPE thin film that mediate migration of abundant ions analogous to a synaptic cleft. Development of this type of artificial synapse is both scientifically and technologically important for construction of ultrasensitive highly-energy efficient and soft neuromorphic electronics.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)575-581
Number of pages7
JournalNano Energy
Volume48
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2018

Funding

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning) (NRF- 2016R1A3B1908431 ). This work was also supported by the Center for Advanced Soft-Electronics funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning as Global Frontier Project ( 2013M3A6A5073175 ), and Creative-Pioneering Researchers Program through Seoul National University (SNU). J.L. acknowledges support by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program by the United States government under Grant No. ( DGE‐114747 ).

Keywords

  • Dipole reorientation
  • Ion migration
  • Memory
  • Neuromorphic devices
  • Sensitivity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • General Materials Science
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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