Mechanically Triggered Synaptic Transistor for Tactile-Perception System Using Deformable Polymer Composite Electrolytes

Abstract

Recently, neuromorphic devices have attracted a lot of attention for an artificial intelligence and deep learning technologies with the Fourth Industrial Revolution. While the classical von Neumann structures have issues with bottleneck, the neuromorphic devices allows processing big data efficiently and low power consumption.

In this regard, many attempts have been made artificial sensory perception system for future applications such as neurocomputing, humanoid system, biological engineering and neural prosthetics. A sensory nervous system of human, consisting of stimuli receptors, transmitter and synapse, carries the sensory information to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). To emulate these sensory perception system, many researchers have realized integrated systems composed of sensing and processing device. However, the limitations of this approach is that high resolutions for recognizing various and complicated sensory information to simulate the function of human skin.

To overcome these challenges, I purpose mechanically triggered synaptic transistor inspired by sensory perception system of human, which have sensing ability and synaptic behavior in a unit device. The deformable polymer composite electrolyte as a dielectric layer have unique characteristic of triggered reversible hydrogen bonding under external mechanical stimuli but not under electrical field. Therefore, mechanical driven current change is able to be induced by a formation of electric double layer at the semiconductor/electrolyte interface. As a result, the mechanically triggered synaptic transistor is emulated detecting external stimuli, signal transmission and synaptic plasticity with amplitude and frequency of pressure. I believe that this study provides new insight into developing synaptic electronics for integration of neuromorphic circuit, soft robotics and biomedical engineering.