An artificial neuromuscular junction for enhanced reflexes and oculomotor dynamics based on a ferroelectric...

A neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is a particularized synapse that activates muscle fibers for macro-motions, requiring more energy than computation. Emulating the NMJ is thus challenging owing to the need for both synaptic plasticity and high driving power to trigger motions. Here, we present an artificial NMJ using CuInP₂S₆ (CIPS) as a gate dielectric integrated with an AlGaN/GaN-based high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT). The ferroelectricity of the CIPS is coupled with the two-dimensional electron gas channel in the HEMT, providing a wide programmable current range of 6 picoampere per millimeter to 5 milliampere per millimeter. The large output current window of the CIPS/GaN ferroelectric HEMT (FeHEMT) allows for amplifier-less actuation, emulating the biological NMJ functions of actuation and synaptic plasticity. We also demonstrate the emulation of biological oculomotor dynamics, including in situ object tracking and enhanced stimulus responses, using the fabricated artificial NMJ. We believe that the CIPS/GaN FeHEMT offers a promising pathway for bioinspired robotics and neuromorphic vision.