Reconfigurable Cascaded Thermal Neuristors for Neuromorphic Computing

While the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology is the mainstream for the hardware implementation of neural networks, an alternative route is explored based on a new class of spiking oscillators called "thermal neuristors", which operate and interact solely via thermal processes. Utilizing the insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) in vanadium dioxide, a wide variety of reconfigurable electrical dynamics mirroring biological neurons is demonstrated. Notably, inhibitory functionality is achieved just in a single oxide device, and cascaded information flow is realized exclusively through thermal interactions. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of the neuristors, a detailed theoretical model is developed, which accurately reflects the experimental results. This study establishes the foundation for scalable and energy-efficient thermal neural networks, fostering progress in brain-inspired computing. Targeting a scalable and energy-efficient thermal neural network, a novel class of spiking oscillators termed "thermal neuristors" is engineered based on the insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) in vanadium dioxide. Solely through thermal interactions, a wide variety of reconfigurable functionalities mirroring biological neurons are demonstrated, including cascaded information flow, as well as excitatory and inhibitory interactions, without relying on traditional CMOS-based circuits.image