Development of Dendritic-Network-Implementable Artificial Neurofiber Transistors for Enhancing Neuromorphic Computing

Development of dendritic-network-implementable artificial neurofiber transistors

Advances in artificial-intelligence-based technologies have led to an astronomical increase in the amounts of data available for processing by computers. Computing methods that are currently used process data in a sequential manner, which requires a lot of time and energy to process large amounts of information. To solve these challenging issues, it is necessary to transition to a different computing paradigm. Researchers are working on developing energy-efficient neuromorphic computer technologies and hardware capable of processing large amounts of data by mimicking brain structure and mechanisms.

KIST reported that a team of researchers led by Dr. Jung ah Lim and Hyunsu Ji of the Center for Opto-electronic Materials and Devices had successfully developed organic transistors with a similar architecture and function to neurons in the brain. These transistors can be used to create a neural net. It is necessary to conduct research on devices that function as synapses and neurons in order to perform large-scale calculations in a similar manner to the data processing of the brain. The artificial neurofiber transistors created at KIST mimic both the behavior of neurons and synapses. Connecting the transistors into arrays allows one to create a structure that is similar to a neuronal network.

The fibrous branches of biological neurons can receive multiple signals simultaneously. Signal transmission is mediated by ion movements stimulated by electrical signal. Researchers at KIST developed artificial neurofibers based on fibrous transistors they developed in 2019. Memory transistors were developed that, like synapses in the brain, remember the strength of electrical signals applied. They then transmit this information via redox reaction between semiconductor channels and ions inside the insulators, upon receiving electrical stimulation from the neurofibers transistors. These artificial neurofibers mimic the signal-summation function of neurons.

Source:
https://techxplore.com/news/2021-09-dendritic-network-implementable-artificial-neurofiber-transistors.html