New Transistor from CEA-Leti Inspired by Human Synapses
March 3, 2023 -- CEA-Leti has announced the development of a transistor inspired by human synapses. The transistor is analog; in other words, instead of having two possible states, open & closed, it has around 50 possible states. This enables it to reproduce how synapses function. Synapses act as the connection between brain neurons, which are activated when their synapses have recorded a certain number of electrical impulses. A transistor with several dozen states can imitate this behavior.
Energy Consumption to Equal a Synapse
Another similarity between this new transistor and a synapse is that both are ionic. The transistor takes advantage of the same electrochemical reaction found in a synapse. In the transistor’s case, its channel is made up of titanium oxide through which lithium ions flow. According to their number, they modulate the channel’s electronic conductivity.
This bio-inspired function enables the transistor to set new records in terms of energy efficiency: the transistor consumes 1 femtoJoul/square micron, the same amount as a synapse. Its energy consumption is up to 100 times less than other components such as resistive memory, which are currently used for the same applications
Ultra-thin Wafers & CMOS Compatibility
This new transistor layer is ultra-thin (200 nm thick) and durable (more than 100,000 cycles). When integrated in a neuromorphic circuit, it achieved excellent results during an MNIST image recognition benchmark test. CEA-Leti designed the transistor with mass-production in mind: it is manufactured on 200 mm wafers with CMOS compatible processes.
“All of these elements are encouraging, but we’re only at the first stages of the evaluation process. We have to continue bringing the transistor to maturity and ensure an in-depth evaluation of its durability and reliability,” explained Sami Oukassi from CEA-Leti.
Targeting Deep Neuronal Networks
Once the transistor is fully evaluated and confirmed, its low energy consumption would enable it to be integrated into neuromorphic circuits. These circuits are dedicated to image and voice recognition. During learning phases, these circuits are used intensively and any savings in terms of energy consumption are particularly valuable at this moment. CEA-Leti has filled three patent requests to protect this promising technology.
About CEA-Leti
CEA-Leti, a technology research institute at CEA Tech, pioneers micro and nanotechnologies, tailoring differentiating applicative solutions that ensure competitiveness in a wide range of markets. The institute tackles critical challenges such as healthcare, energy, transport and ICTs. Its multidisciplinary teams deliver solid expertise for applications ranging from sensors to data processing and computing solutions, leveraging world-class pre-industrialization facilities. CEA-Leti builds long-term relationships with its industrial partners - global companies, SMEs and startups – and actively supports the launch of technology startups. CEA-Leti is a member of the Carnot Institutes network.
Source: CEA-Leti
