Low voltage and time constant organic synapse-transistor

TL;DR

This paper introduces a low-voltage organic synapse-transistor that mimics short-term synaptic plasticity with fast response times, combining memory and transistor functionalities for neuro-inspired computing.

Contribution

The work demonstrates a novel organic synapse-transistor operating at 1V with short-term plasticity and real-time analysis of morphology-transport relationships.

Findings

Operates at 1V with <200ms response time

Exhibits facilitation and depression behaviors

Consumes about 2 nJ per spike

Abstract

We report on an artificial synapse, an organic synapse-transistor (synapstor) working at 1 volt and with a typical response time in the range 100-200 ms. This device (also called NOMFET, Nanoparticle Organic Memory Field Effect Transistor) combines a memory and a transistor effect in a single device. We demonstrate that short-term plasticity (STP), a typical synaptic behavior, is observed when stimulating the device with input spikes of 1 volt. Both significant facilitating and depressing behaviors of this artificial synapse are observed with a relative amplitude of about 50% and a dynamic response < 200 ms. From a series of in-situ experiments, i.e. measuring the current-voltage characteristic curves in-situ and in real time, during the growth of the pentacene over a network of gold nanoparticles, we elucidate these results by analyzing the relationship between the organic film morphology and the transport properties. This synapstor works at a low energy of about 2 nJ/spike. We discuss the implications of these results for the development of neuro-inspired computing architectures and interfacing with biological neurons.