A Photoelectric-Stimulated MoS₂ Transistor for Neuromorphic Engineering

The von Neumann bottleneck has spawned the rapid expansion of neuromorphic engineering and brain-like networks. Synapses serve as bridges for information transmission and connection in the biological nervous system. The direct implementation of neural networks may depend on novel materials and devices that mimic natural neuronal and synaptic behavior. By exploiting the interfacial effects between MoS₂ and AlOx, we demonstrate that an h-BN-encapsulated MoS₂ artificial synapse transistor can mimic the basic synaptic behaviors, including EPSC, PPF, LTP, and LTD. Efficient optoelectronic spikes enable simulation of synaptic gain, frequency, and weight plasticity. The Pavlov classical conditioning experiment was successfully simulated by electrical tuning, showing associated learning behavior. In addition, h-BN encapsulation effectively improves the environmental time stability of our devices. Our h-BN-encapsulated MoS₂ artificial synapse provides a new paradigm for hardware implementation of neuromorphic engineering.