Full analogue electronic realisation of the Hodgkin-Huxley neuronal dynamics in weak-inversion CMOS

Enhancement-mode MOSFETs are pivotal components in electronics, distinguished by their capacity to act as highly efficient switches. They are part of the larger family of metal-oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFETs). They are available in two types: p-channel and n-channel, each tailored to specific polarity operations.
In their basic form, enhancement-mode MOSFETs are typically non-conductive when the gate-source voltage (Vgs) is zero. This default 'off' state means no current...

Biasing a Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET) is crucial for setting operational parameters and ensuring efficient functioning in electronic circuits. JFETs are characterized by using a single carrier type in N-channel or P-channel configurations, where the channel is surrounded by PN junctions. These junctions are central to the device's ability to control current flow.
In an N-channel JFET, the structure consists of N-type material forming the channel on a P-type substrate, with the gate...

A Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) capacitor is a fundamental structure used extensively in semiconductor device technology, particularly in the fabrication of integrated circuits and MOSFETs (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors). The MOS capacitor consists of three layers: a metal gate, a dielectric oxide, and a semiconductor substrate.
The metal gate is typically made from highly conductive materials such as aluminum or polysilicon. Beneath the metal gate lies a thin layer of...

Neural circuits and neuronal pools are two of the main structures found in the nervous system. Neural circuits are networks of neurons that work together to carry out a specific task or process. They consist of interconnected neurons and glial cells, which provide structural and metabolic support.
Neuronal pools are collections of nerve cells with similar functions and interact through chemical and electrical signals. These pools include both interneurons (the central neural circuit nodes that...

A postsynaptic neuron usually receives numerous impulses from several other presynaptic neurons. The axon hillock of the postsynaptic neuron integrates all these signals and determines the likelihood of firing an action potential.
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential.

Electrical synapses found in all nervous systems play important and unique roles. In these synapses, the presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes are very close together (3.5 nm) and are actually physically connected by channel proteins forming gap junctions.
Gap junctions allow the current to pass directly from one cell to the next. In contrast, in the chemical synapse, the neurotransmitters carry the information through the synaptic cleft from one neuron to the next. They consist of two...