Organic Synaptic Transistors Based on a Semiconductor Heterojunction for Artificial Visual and Neuromorphic Functions

Abstract

Visual acuity is the ability of the biological retina to distinguish images. High-sensitivity image acquisition improves the quality of visual perception, making images more recognizable for the visual system. Therefore, developing synaptic phototransistors with enhanced photosensitivity is crucial for high-performance artificial vision. Here, organic synaptic phototransistors (OSPs) based on p–n type semiconductor heterojunctions are presented, which demonstrate improved photoresponses and light storage characteristics. As many as 800 potentiation–depression states can be obtained, and the nonlinearity extracted from the long-term potentiation curve is only 0.08. Furthermore, by utilizing light-adjustable synapse-like behaviors, the phototransistors realize a noise reduction function and logic gate transformation. Benefiting from the enhanced photosensitivity of the OSPs, an artificial neural network constructed based on the OSPs shows the recognition accuracy of ∼93% for both handwritten numbers and electrocardiography signals. This research provides an effective path for developing OSPs with enhanced photoelectric performance to advance artificial visual systems.