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Abstract The application of hardware‐based neural networks can be enhanced by integrating sensory neurons and synapses that enable direct input from external stimuli. This work reports direct optical control of an oscillatory neuron based on volatile threshold switching in V3O5. The devices exhibit electroforming‐free operation with switching parameters that can be tuned by optical illumination. Using temperature‐dependent electrical measurements, conductive atomic force microscopy (C‐AFM), in situ thermal imaging, and lumped element modelling, it is shown that the changes in switching parameters, including threshold and hold voltages, arise from overall conductivity increase of the oxide film due to the contribution of both photoconductive and bolometric characteristics of V3O5, which eventually affects the oscillation dynamics. Furthermore, V3O5is identified as a new bolometric material with a temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) as high as −4.6% K−1at 423 K. The utility of these devices is illustrated by demonstrating in‐sensor reservoir computing with reduced computational effort and an optical encoding layer for spiking neural network (SNN), respectively, using a simulated array of devices.
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Physical Origin of Negative Differential Resistance in V 3 O 5 and Its Application as a Solid‐State Oscillator
Abstract Oxides that exhibit an insulator–metal transition can be used to fabricate energy‐efficient relaxation oscillators for use in hardware‐based neural networks but there are very few oxides with transition temperatures above room temperature. Here the structural, electrical, and thermal properties of V3O5thin films and their application as the functional oxide in metal/oxide/metal relaxation oscillators are reported. The V3O5devices show electroforming‐free volatile threshold switching and negative differential resistance (NDR) with stable (<3% variation) cycle‐to‐cycle operation. The physical mechanisms underpinning these characteristics are investigated using a combination of electrical measurements, in situ thermal imaging, and device modeling. This shows that conduction is confined to a narrow filamentary path due to self‐confinement of the current distribution and that the NDR response is initiated at temperatures well below the insulator–metal transition temperature where it is dominated by the temperature‐dependent conductivity of the insulating phase. Finally, the dynamics of individual and coupled V3O5‐based relaxation oscillators is reported, showing that capacitively coupled devices exhibit rich non‐linear dynamics, including frequency and phase synchronization. These results establish V3O5as a new functional material for volatile threshold switching and advance the development of robust solid‐state neurons for neuromorphic computing.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2033328
- PAR ID:
- 10388761
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Advanced Materials
- Volume:
- 35
- Issue:
- 8
- ISSN:
- 0935-9648
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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