Neuromorphic vision sensors: Principle, progress and perspectives

Conventional frame-based image sensors suffer greatly from high energy consumption and latency.Mimicking neurobiological structures and functionalities of the retina provides a promising way to build a neuromorphic vision sensor with highly efficient image processing.In this review article,we will start with a brief introduction to explain the working mechanism and the challenges of conventional frame-based image sensors,and introduce the structure and functions of biological retina.In the main section,we will overview recent developments in neuromorphic vision sensors,including the silicon retina based on conventional Si CMOS digital technologies,and the neuromorphic vision sensors with the implementation of emerging devices.Finally,we will provide a brief outline of the prospects and outlook for the development of this field.

Charge transport and quantum confinement in MoS2 dual-gated transistors

Semiconductive two dimensional(2D)materials have attracted significant research attention due to their rich band structures and promising potential for next-generation electrical devices.In this work,we investigate the MoS2 field-effect transistors(FETs)with a dual-gated(DG)architecture,which consists of symmetrical thickness for back gate(BG)and top gate(TG)dielectric.The thickness-dependent charge transport in our DG-MoS2 device is revealed by a four-terminal electrical measurement which excludes the contact influence,and the TCAD simulation is also applied to explain the experimental data.Our results indicate that the impact of quantum confinement effect plays an important role in the charge transport in the MoS2 channel,as it confines charge carriers in the center of the channel,which reduces the scattering and boosts the mobility compared to the single gating case.Furthermore,temperature-dependent transfer curves reveal that multi-layer MoS2 DG-FET is in the phonon-limited transport regime,while single layer MoS2 shows typical Coulomb impurity limited regime.

M0S2 dual-gate transistors with electrostatically doped contacts

Two-dimensional(2D)transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDs)such as molybdenum disulfide(M0S2)have been intensively investigated because of their exclusive physical properties for advaneed electronics and optoelectronics.In the present work,we study the M0S2 transistor based on a novel tri-gate device architecture,with dual-gate(Dual-G)in the channel and the buried side-gate(Side-G)for the source/drain regi ons.All gates can be in depe ndently con trolled without in terfere nee.For a MoS2 sheet with a thick ness of 3.6 nm,the Schottky barrier(SB)and non-overlapped channel region can be effectively tuned by electrostatically doping the source/drain regions with Side-G.Thus,the extri nsic resista nee can be effectively lowered,and a boost of the ON-state cur re nt can be achieved.Mean while,the cha nn el c ontrol remai ns efficient under the Dual-G mode,with an ON-OFF current ratio of 3 x 107 and subthreshold swing of 83 mV/decade.The corresponding band diagram is also discussed to illustrate the device operati on mechanism.This no vel device structure ope ns up a new way toward fabricati on of high-performance devices based on 2D-TMDs.

Large capacitance and fast polarization response of thin electrolyte dielectrics by spin coating for two- dimensional MoS2 devices

A spin-coating method was applied to obtain thinner and smoother poly（ethylene oxide） （PEO）/LiC104 polymer electrolyte films （EFs） with a lower level of crystallization than those obtained using a drop-casting method. When the applied frequency was as high as 10 kHz, the specific capacitance of such EFs with thicknesses of 1.5 μm was on the order of I μF·cm^-2 a value larger than most of the previously reported results achieved from the same material. We then combined the thin EFs with two-dimensional （2D） materials to fabricate a MoS2 transistor with a top gate right above the channel, defined by a shadowmask method, and an inverter device. This transistor showed excellent static characteristics and the inverter device showed excellent switching performance at 100 Hz, which indicates a fast polarization response of the thin EFs. Such device architecture is suitable for future low power and flexible electronics based on 2D materials.

Stacking monolayers at will:A scalable device optimization strategy for two-dimensional semiconductors

In comparison to monolayer(1L),multilayer(ML)two-dimensional(2D)semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDs)exhibit more application potential for electronic and optoelectronic devices due to their improved current carrying capability,higher mobility,and broader spectral response.However,the investigation of devices based on wafer-scale ML-TMDs is still restricted by the synthesis of uniform and high-quality ML films.In this work,we propose a strategy of stacking MoS_(2) monolayers via a vacuum transfer method,by which one could obtain wafer-scale high-quality MoS_(2) films with the desired number of layers at will.The optical characteristics of these stacked ML-MoS_(2) films(>2L)indicate a weak interlayer coupling.The stacked MLMoS_(2) phototransistors show improved optoelectrical performances and a broader spectral response(approximately 300-1,000 nm)than that of 1L-MoS_(2).Additionally,the dual-gate ML-MoS_(2) transistors enable enhanced electrostatic control over the stacked ML-MoS_(2) channel,and the 3L and 4L thicknesses exhibit the optimal device performances according to the turning point of the current on/off ratio and the subthreshold swing.