A synaptic transistor based on van der Waals heterojunction HfS₂/HfO_x/SnS₂ with optical modulation properties

Neuromorphic devices, which break the traditional von Neumann architecture, have attracted much attention for their ability to mimic the perception, learning, and memory functions of the human brain. Two-dimensional (2D) materials are excellent candidates for building neuromorphic devices due to their atomic-level thickness and excellent optoelectronic properties. In this work, we designed a nonvolatile floating-gate synaptic device based on an HfS2/HfOx/SnS2 van der Waals heterostructure. This device exhibits a large memory window of 60 V, based on which synaptic properties, such as an excitatory postsynaptic current, and short-term and long-term plasticity, were simulated. In addition, the long-term potentiation/depression (LTP/D) characteristics of the device can be optically modulated. The device has a low nonlinearity of 0.22 for LTP, and the ratio of the number of effective conductance states was 93.3% under 532 nm illumination; this is an improvement on the levels reported using 2D-material floating-gate devices in recent years. This work offers the possibility of future applications of optoelectronic synaptic devices.