Stereoscopic artificial compound eyes for spatiotemporal perception in three-dimensional space.

Arthropods' eyes are effective biological vision systems for object tracking and wide field of view because of their structural uniqueness; however, unlike mammalian eyes, they can hardly acquire the depth information of a static object because of their monocular cues. Therefore, most arthropods rely on motion parallax to track the object in three-dimensional (3D) space. Uniquely, the praying mantis (Mantodea) uses both compound structured eyes and a form of stereopsis and is capable of achieving object recognition in 3D space. Here, by mimicking the vision system of the praying mantis using stereoscopically coupled artificial compound eyes, we demonstrated spatiotemporal object sensing and tracking in 3D space with a wide field of view. Furthermore, to achieve a fast response with minimal latency, data storage/transportation, and power consumption, we processed the visual information at the edge of the system using a synaptic device and a federated split learning algorithm. The designed and fabricated stereoscopic artificial compound eye provides energy-efficient and accurate spatiotemporal object sensing and optical flow tracking. It exhibits a root mean square error of 0.3 centimeter, consuming only approximately 4 millijoules for sensing and tracking. These results are more than 400 times lower than conventional complementary metal-oxide semiconductor-based imaging systems. Our biomimetic imager shows the potential of integrating nature's unique design using hardware and software codesigned technology toward capabilities of edge computing and sensing.

Highly Transparent Red Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with AZO/Ag/AZO Multilayer Electrode.

Free-form factor optoelectronics is becoming more important for various applications. Specifically, flexible and transparent optoelectronics offers the potential to be adopted in wearable devices in displays, solar cells, or biomedical applications. However, current transparent electrodes are limited in conductivity and flexibility. This study aims to address these challenges and explore potential solutions. For the next-generation transparent conductive electrode, Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO) and silver (AZO/Ag/AZO) deposited by in-line magnetron sputtering without thermal treatment was investigated, and this transparent electrode was used as a transparent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) anode to maximize the transparency characteristics. The experiment and simulation involved adjusting the thickness of Ag and AZO and OLED structure to enhance the transmittance and device performance. The AZO/Ag/AZO with Ag of 12 nm and AZO of 32 nm thickness achieved the results of the highest figure of merit (FOM) (Φ550 = 4.65 mΩ-1) and lowest roughness. The full structure of transparent OLED (TrOLED) with AZO/Ag/AZO anode and Mg:Ag cathode reached 64.84% transmittance at 550 nm, and 300 cd/m2 at about 4 V. The results demonstrate the feasibility of adopting flexible substrates, such as PET, without the need for thermal treatment. This research provides valuable insights into the development of transparent and flexible electronic devices.

Low-Thermal-Budget Ferroelectric Field-Effect Transistors Based on CuInP2S6 and InZnO.

In this paper, we demonstrate low-thermal-budget ferroelectric field-effect transistors (FeFETs) based on the two-dimensional ferroelectric CuInP2S6 (CIPS) and oxide semiconductor InZnO (IZO). The CIPS/IZO FeFETs exhibit nonvolatile memory windows of ∼1 V, low off-state drain currents, and high carrier mobilities. The ferroelectric CIPS layer serves a dual purpose by providing electrostatic doping in IZO and acting as a passivation layer for the IZO channel. We also investigate the CIPS/IZO FeFETs as artificial synaptic devices for neural networks. The CIPS/IZO synapse demonstrates a sizable dynamic ratio (125) and maintains stable multilevel states. Neural networks based on CIPS/IZO FeFETs achieve an accuracy rate of over 80% in recognizing MNIST handwritten digits. These ferroelectric transistors can be vertically stacked on silicon complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) with a low thermal budget, offering broad applications in CMOS+X technologies and energy-efficient 3D neural networks.

An artificial neuromuscular junction for enhanced reflexes and oculomotor dynamics based on a ferroelectric CuInP2S6/GaN HEMT.

A neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is a particularized synapse that activates muscle fibers for macro-motions, requiring more energy than computation. Emulating the NMJ is thus challenging owing to the need for both synaptic plasticity and high driving power to trigger motions. Here, we present an artificial NMJ using CuInP2S6 (CIPS) as a gate dielectric integrated with an AlGaN/GaN-based high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT). The ferroelectricity of the CIPS is coupled with the two-dimensional electron gas channel in the HEMT, providing a wide programmable current range of 6 picoampere per millimeter to 5 milliampere per millimeter. The large output current window of the CIPS/GaN ferroelectric HEMT (FeHEMT) allows for amplifier-less actuation, emulating the biological NMJ functions of actuation and synaptic plasticity. We also demonstrate the emulation of biological oculomotor dynamics, including in situ object tracking and enhanced stimulus responses, using the fabricated artificial NMJ. We believe that the CIPS/GaN FeHEMT offers a promising pathway for bioinspired robotics and neuromorphic vision.

Reconfigurable Physical Reservoir in GaN/α-In2Se3 HEMTs Enabled by Out-of-Plane Local Polarization of Ferroelectric 2D Layer.

Significant effort for demonstrating a gallium nitride (GaN)-based ferroelectric metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS)-high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) for reconfigurable operation via simple pulse operation has been hindered by the lack of suitable materials, gate structures, and intrinsic depolarization effects. In this study, we have demonstrated artificial synapses using a GaN-based MOS-HEMT integrated with an α-In2Se3 ferroelectric semiconductor. The van der Waals heterostructure of GaN/α-In2Se3 provides a potential to achieve high-frequency operation driven by a ferroelectrically coupled two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). Moreover, the semiconducting α-In2Se3 features a steep subthreshold slope with a high ON/OFF ratio (∼1010). The self-aligned α-In2Se3 layer with the gate electrode suppresses the in-plane polarization while promoting the out-of-plane (OOP) polarization of α-In2Se3, resulting in a steep subthreshold slope (10 mV/dec) and creating a large hysteresis (2 V). Furthermore, based on the short-term plasticity (STP) characteristics of the fabricated ferroelectric HEMT, we demonstrated reservoir computing (RC) for image classification. We believe that the ferroelectric GaN/α-In2Se3 HEMT can provide a viable pathway toward ultrafast neuromorphic computing.

In-sensor image memorization and encoding via optical neurons for bio-stimulus domain reduction toward visual cognitive processing.

As machine vision technology generates large amounts of data from sensors, it requires efficient computational systems for visual cognitive processing. Recently, in-sensor computing systems have emerged as a potential solution for reducing unnecessary data transfer and realizing fast and energy-efficient visual cognitive processing. However, they still lack the capability to process stored images directly within the sensor. Here, we demonstrate a heterogeneously integrated 1-photodiode and 1 memristor (1P-1R) crossbar for in-sensor visual cognitive processing, emulating a mammalian image encoding process to extract features from the input images. Unlike other neuromorphic vision processes, the trained weight values are applied as an input voltage to the image-saved crossbar array instead of storing the weight value in the memristors, realizing the in-sensor computing paradigm. We believe the heterogeneously integrated in-sensor computing platform provides an advanced architecture for real-time and data-intensive machine-vision applications via bio-stimulus domain reduction.

Visible and infrared dual-band imaging via Ge/MoS2 van der Waals heterostructure.

Multispectral photodetectors are emerging devices capable of detecting photons in multiple wavelength ranges, such as visible (VIS), near infrared (NIR), etc. Image data acquired with these photodetectors can be used for effective object identification and navigations owing to additional information beyond human vision, including thermal image and night vision. However, these capabilities are hindered by the structural complexity arising from the integration of multiple heterojunctions and selective absorbers. In this paper, we demonstrate a Ge/MoS2 van der Waals heterojunction photodetector for VIS- and IR-selective detection capability under near-photovoltaic and photoconductive modes. The simplified single-polarity bias operation using single pixel could considerably reduce structural complexity and minimize peripheral circuitry for multispectral selective detection. The proposed multispectral photodetector provides a potential pathway for the integration of VIS/NIR vision for application in self-driving, surveillance, computer vision, and biomedical imaging.

Hetero-integration enables fast switching time-of-flight sensors for light detection and ranging.

The time-of-flight (ToF) principle is a method used to measure distance and construct three-dimensional (3D) images by detecting the time or the phase difference between emitted and back-reflected optical flux. The ToF principle has been employed for various applications including light ranging and detection (LiDAR), machine vision and biomedical engineering; however, bulky system size and slow switching speed have hindered the widespread application of ToF technology. To alleviate these issues, a demonstration of hetero-integration of GaN-based high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and GaAs-based vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) on a single platform via a cold-welding method was performed. The hetero-integrated ToF sensors show superior switching performance when compared to silicon-transistor-based systems, miniaturizing size and exhibiting stable ranging and high-resolution depth-imaging. This hetero-integrated system of dissimilar material-based high-performance devices suggests a new pathway towards enabling high-resolution 3D imaging and inspires broader range application of heterogeneously integrated electronics and optoelectronics.

O-GlcNAcylation of light chain serine 12 mediates rituximab production doubled by thiamet G.

O-Glycosylation occurs in recombinant proteins produced by CHO cells, but this phenomenon has not been studied extensively. Here, we report that rituximab is an O-linked N-acetyl-glucosaminylated (O-GlcNAcylated) protein and the production of rituximab is increased by thiamet G, an inhibitor of O-GlcNAcase. The production of rituximab doubled with OGA inhibition and decreased with O-GlcNAc transferase inhibition. O-GlcNAc-specific antibody and metabolic labelling with azidO-GlcNAc confirmed the increased O-GlcNAcylation with thiamet G. Protein mass analysis revealed that serine 7, 12, and 14 of the rituximab light chain were O-GlcNAcylated. S12A mutation of the light chain decreased rituximab stability and failed to increase the production with thiamet G without any significant changes of mRNA level. Cytotoxicity and thermal stability assays confirmed that there were no differences in the biological and physical properties of rituximab produced by thiamet G treatment. Therefore, thiamet G treatment improves the production of rituximab without significantly altering its function.