Transparent artificial synapses based on Ag/Al-doped ZnO/ITO memristors for bioinspired neuromorphic computing

Today's computing systems to meet the enormous demands of information processing have driven the development of brain-inspired neuromorphic systems that can perform fast and energy-efficient calculations. In this study, Al-doped ZnO (AZO: ZnO to Al2O3 = 98:2 wt%) films with over 95 % light transmission were prepared by RF magnetron sputtering, and a structurally simple Ag/AZO/ITO memristor was fabricated. Moreover, the sustained potentiation/depression behavior of the memristor allows it to mimic artificial synapses that exhibit biological synaptic and neuronal functions such as short-term/long-term plasticity and paired-pulse facilitation. These results will contribute to the research and development of high-performance artificial synapses.