School of Electrical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
Nano Lett. 2020 Dec 9;20(12):8781-8788. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c03652. Epub 2020 Nov 25.
Realizing a neuromorphic-based artificial visual system with low-cost hardware requires a neuromorphic device that can react to light stimuli. This study introduces a photoresponsive neuron device composed of a single transistor, developed by engineering an artificial neuron that responds to light, just like retinal neurons. Neuron firing is activated primarily by electrical stimuli such as current via a well-known single transistor latch phenomenon. Its firing characteristics, represented by spiking frequency and amplitude, are additionally modulated by optical stimuli such as photons. When light is illuminated onto the neuron transistor, electron-hole pairs are generated, and they allow the neuron transistor to fire at lower firing threshold voltage. Different photoresponsive properties can be modulated by the intensity and wavelength of the light, analogous to the behavior of retinal neurons. The artificial visual system can be miniaturized because a photoresponsive neuronal function is realized without bulky components such as image sensors and extra circuits.
实现基于神经形态的低成本硬件人工视觉系统需要一种能够对光刺激做出反应的神经形态器件。本研究介绍了一种由单个晶体管组成的光响应神经元器件，通过工程设计一种对光做出反应的人工神经元来实现，就像视网膜神经元一样。神经元的发射主要由电流等电刺激激活，这是通过众所周知的单晶体管锁存现象实现的。其发射特性由尖峰频率和幅度表示，还可以通过光子等光刺激进行调制。当光照射到神经元晶体管上时，会产生电子-空穴对，从而使神经元晶体管能够在更低的发射阈值电压下发射。不同的光响应特性可以通过光的强度和波长进行调制，类似于视网膜神经元的行为。由于不需要图像传感器和额外电路等笨重组件，因此可以实现小型化的人工视觉系统。
