The priority of synaptic device researches has been given to prove the device potential for the emulation of synaptic dynamics and not to functionalize further synaptic devices for more complex learning. Here, we demonstrate an optic-neural synaptic device by implementing synaptic and optical-sensing functions together on h-BN/WSe2 heterostructure. This device mimics the colored and color-mixed pattern recognition capabilities of the human vision system when arranged in an optic-neural network. Our synaptic device demonstrates a close to linear weight update trajectory while providing a large number of stable conduction states with less than 1% variation per state. The device operates with low voltage spikes of 0.3 V and consumes only 66 fJ per spike. This consequently facilitates the demonstration of accurate and energy efficient colored and color-mixed pattern recognition. The work will be an important step toward neural networks that comprise neural sensing and training functions for more complex pattern recognition.

Recently, research interest in brain-inspired neuromorphic computing based on robust and intelligent artificial neural networks has surged owing to the ability of such technology to facilitate massive parallel, low-power, highly adaptive, and event-driven computing. Here, a photosynaptic device with a novel weight updating mechanism for high-speed and low-power optoelectronic spike processing is proposed, wherein a synaptic weight is controlled by a mixed spike consisting of voltage and light spikes; the light spike, in particular, boosts up the probability of electron detrapping from graphene oxide charge-trapping layer to the photosensitive indium-gallium-zinc oxide charge-transporting layer. Compared to electrically operating synaptic device, the magnitude of conductance change in the proposed photosynaptic device increases remarkably from 2.32 to 5.95 nS without degradation of the nonlinearity (potentiation/depression values are changed from 4.24/8 to 5/8). Owing to this enhancement of synaptic operation, the recognition rates for the Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology digit patterns improve from 36% and 49% to 50% and 62% in artificial neural networks using long-term potentiation/depression characteristics with 20 and 100 weight states, respectively. The proposed photosynaptic device technology capable of optoelectronic spike processing is expected to play a crucial role in the implementation of neuromorphic computing in the future.

Recently, negative differential resistance devices have attracted considerable attention due to their folded current–voltage characteristic, which presents multiple threshold voltage values. Because of this remarkable property, studies associated with the negative differential resistance devices have been explored for realizing multi-valued logic applications. Here we demonstrate a negative differential resistance device based on a phosphorene/rhenium disulfide (BP/ReS2) heterojunction that is formed by type-III broken-gap band alignment, showing high peak-to-valley current ratio values of 4.2 and 6.9 at room temperature and 180 K, respectively. Also, the carrier transport mechanism of the BP/ReS2 negative differential resistance device is investigated in detail by analysing the tunnelling and diffusion currents at various temperatures with the proposed analytic negative differential resistance device model. Finally, we demonstrate a ternary inverter as a multi-valued logic application. This study of a two-dimensional material heterojunction is a step forward toward future multi-valued logic device research.

A high-performance ReS2 -based thin-film transistor and photodetector with high on/off-current ratio (10(4) ), high mobility (7.6 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) ), high photoresponsivity (2.5 × 10(7) A W(-1) ), and fast temporal response (rising and decaying time of 670 ms and 5.6 s, respectively) through O2 plasma treatment is reported.

Recently, three-terminal synaptic devices have attracted considerable attention owing to their nondestructive weight-update behavior, which is attributed to the completely separated terminals for reading and writing. However, the structural limitations of these devices, such as a low array density and complex line design, are predicted to result in low processing speeds and high energy consumption of the entire system. Here, we propose a vertical three-terminal synapse featuring a remote weight update via ion gel, which is also extendable to a crossbar array structure. This synaptic device exhibits excellent synaptic characteristics, which are achieved via precise control of ion penetration onto the vertical channel through the weight-control terminal. Especially, the applicability of the developed vertical organic synapse array to neuromorphic computing is demonstrated using a simple crossbar synapse array. The proposed synaptic device technology is expected to be an important steppingstone to the development of high-performance and high-density neural networks.