Solution-Processed Perovskite Field-Effect Transistor Artificial Synapses

Adv Mater. 2021 Dec;33(52):e2104034. doi: 10.1002/adma.202104034. Epub 2021 Oct 22.

Abstract

Metal halide perovskites are distinctive semiconductors that exhibit both ionic and electronic transport and are promising for artificial synapses. However, developing a 3-terminal transistor artificial synapse with the perovskite channel remains elusive due to the lack of a proper technique to regulate mobile ions in a non-volatile manner. Here, a solution-processed perovskite transistor is reported for artificial synapses through the implementation of a ferroelectric gate. The ferroelectric polarization provides a non-volatile electric field on the perovskite, leading to fixation of the mobile ions and hence modulation of the electronic conductance of the channel. Multi-state channel conductance is realized by partial ferroelectric polarization. The ferroelectric-gated perovskite transistor is successfully used as an artificial synapse that emulates basic synaptic functions such as long-term plasticity with excellent linearity, short-term as well as spike-timing-dependent plasticity. The strategy to regulate ion dynamics in the perovskites using the ferroelectric gate suggests a generic route to employ perovskites for synaptic electronics.

Keywords: artificial synapses; ferroelectrics; field-effect transistors; ion transport; metal halide perovskites; neuromorphic devices.