An artificial spiking synapse made of molecules and nanoparticles

TL;DR

This paper presents a molecule-based device mimicking biological synapses, using conjugated molecules and nanoparticles, potentially enabling new neuroelectronic architectures and neural network implementations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel spiking synapse device made of molecules and nanoparticles, demonstrating key synaptic behaviors for neural network integration.

Findings

Device exhibits main biological synapse behaviors

Potential for use in perceptron and Hopfield networks

Enables interfacing neurons with solid-state circuits

Abstract

Molecule-based devices are envisioned to complement silicon devices by providing new functions or already existing functions at a simpler process level and at a lower cost by virtue of their self-organization capabilities, moreover, they are not bound to von Neuman architecture and this may open the way to other architectural paradigms. Here we demonstrate a device made of conjugated molecules and metal nanoparticles (NPs) which behaves as a spiking synapse suitable for integration in neural network architectures. We demonstrate that this device exhibits the main behavior of a biological synapse. These results open the way to rate coding utilization of the NOMFET in perceptron and Hopfield networks. We can also envision the NOMFET as a building block of neuroelectronics for interfacing neurons or neuronal logic devices made from patterned neuronal cultures with solid-state devices and circuits.