Integration of Neuromorphic and Reconfigurable Logic‐in‐Memory Operations in an Electrolyte‐Manipulated Ferroelectric Organic Neuristor

Abstract

The rapid development of digital technology results in a tremendous increase in computational tasks that impose stringent performance requirements on next‐generation computing. Biological neurons with fault tolerance and logic functions exhibit powerful computing capacity when facing complex real‐world problems, which strikes the inspiration for the development of highly energy‐efficient brain‐like computing. Herein, a novel device architecture, an electrolyte‐manipulated ferroelectric organic neuristor, which emulates biological neurons to perform both neuromorphic and reconfigurable logic‐in‐memory operations in a single cell, is proposed. The interfacial coupling of ions and dipoles in the neuristor contributes to the tunable synaptic behaviors of short‐ to long‐term plasticity. Notably, by virtue of lateral capacitive coupling, the neuristor is effectively controlled by multiple in‐plane gates to achieve heterosynaptic plasticity. An artificial neural network exhibits robust recognition ability with high accuracy of 93.7% in speech recognition, further demonstrating the feasibility of the neuristor for neuromorphic computing. Additionally, reconfigurable logic‐in‐memory operations (OR and AND) are successfully demonstrated in a single device. Therefore, the devices shed new light on the development of more brain‐inspired computing systems in the era of big data.

Task-Adaptive Neuromorphic Computing Using Reconfigurable Organic Neuristors with Tunable Plasticity and Logic-in-Memory Operations

“…Moreover, synaptic activity is subject to modulation by other synapses, leading to heterosynaptic behavior within the nervous system, which is important for associative learning and spatiotemporal information processing. 7 To emulate the structures and functionalities of neurons in the human brain, multigate organic neuristors based on a double-layer ferroelectric−electrolyte dielectric interface and high-performance ultrathin organic semiconducting crystals were fabricated (Figure 1c). The fabrication of the doublelayer dielectric involved the sequential spin-coating of an electrolyte chitosan film onto a heavily doped silicon substrate and the deposition of a ferroelectric poly(vinylidenefluoridecotrifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] film on chitosan through an antisolvent-assisted crystallization technique (Experimental Section in the Supporting Information).…”

“…The incorporation of multiple gate structures with the ferroelectric−electrolyte dielectric interface provides a promising platform for the emulation and modulation of plasticity and functions in neuristors. 7,8 The ferroelectric properties of the ultrathin P(VDF-TrFE) film were meticulously characterized by using piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). In general, the depolarization field generated by the surface-bound charge is enhanced as the thickness of the ferroelectric film decreases.…”

“…The integration of presynaptic inputs activates the neuron, prompting it to emit a spike that communicates with other connected neurons. Moreover, synaptic activity is subject to modulation by other synapses, leading to heterosynaptic behavior within the nervous system, which is important for associative learning and spatiotemporal information processing …”

“…Furthermore, multiple in-plane side gates with different gate–channel distances and source-drain electrodes were finally deposited as presynapses from branched dendrites and postsynapses of the next neuron, respectively. The incorporation of multiple gate structures with the ferroelectric–electrolyte dielectric interface provides a promising platform for the emulation and modulation of plasticity and functions in neuristors. , …”

“…Benefiting from the coupling of the bilayer electrolyte− ferroelectric dielectric interface, organic neuristors provide a unique interface that modulates carrier dynamics in ultrathin organic crystalline films, enabling novel electrical properties, especially tunable synaptic plasticity and logic-in-memory operations. 7 We then studied the mechanisms of modulation of the synaptic plasticity. Panels a and b of Figure 2 demonstrate the device structure and schematic of a synapsetype neuristor.…”