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Synergistic defect-interface-photocarrier modulation based on IGZO/HfO2 heterojunction memristors for neuromorphic
Shang-Ming Li1, Xuan Gu1, Jin-Yuan Liu1
1School of Physics & Optoelectric Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensing Physics and System Integration Applications, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
|June 25, 2026
Summary
This study presents a novel optoelectronic synaptic device for neuromorphic vision. The developed heterojunction memristor demonstrates stable switching and emulates synaptic functions for efficient visual processing.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Neuroscience
- Electrical Engineering
Background:
- Neuromorphic visual systems need devices that combine optical sensing, memory, and processing.
- HfO2-based memristors struggle with stable switching, light-modulated plasticity, and visual processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a sol-gel-derived Au/IGZO/HfO2/FTO heterojunction memristor for optoelectronic synaptic emulation.
- To address challenges in HfO2-based memristors for neuromorphic visual applications.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a sol-gel-derived Au/IGZO/HfO2/FTO heterojunction memristor.
- Investigation of the IGZO/HfO2 heterointerface's role in regulating defects and charge transport.
- Emulation of synaptic functions and evaluation of optoelectronic synaptic behavior.
- Implementation of a device-array system for image contrast enhancement and neural network simulations.
Main Results:
- The heterojunction memristor exhibits stable bipolar resistive switching and tunable optoelectronic synaptic behavior.
- The device successfully emulates various synaptic functions (STP, LTP/LTD, PPR, learning-forgetting-relearning).
- Low synaptic energy consumption (11.925 nJ) achieved under specific optical conditions.
- High recognition accuracies (97.94% MNIST, 84.18% Fashion-MNIST) demonstrated via neural network simulations.
Conclusions:
- The developed IGZO/HfO2 heterojunction memristor shows significant potential for low-power neuromorphic visual preprocessing.
- This device offers a promising pathway for advanced neuromorphic visual applications.
- Synergistic regulation at the heterointerface is key to achieving stable and tunable optoelectronic synaptic functions.
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