This application claims the priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 201911127991.9 filed before the Chinese National Intellectual Property Administration on Nov. 18, 2019, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to an afferent neuron circuit and a mechanoreceptive system, which belong to the technical field of brain-like bionics.
The present disclosure provides an afferent neuron circuit and a mechanoreceptive system. An artificial afferent neuron is a component that converts an external stimulation signal into a systematic impulse signal and plays an important role in the construction of an impulse neural network system. At present, an afferent neuron circuit is mainly based on CMOS circuits, so that it has a complex structure and poor scalability and thereby is not applicable to large-scale integration use.
The present disclosure provides an afferent neuron circuit and a mechanoreceptive system, which solves the technical problem in the existing technology that afferent neuron circuits have a complex structure and poor scalability and thereby are not applicable to large-scale integration use.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, provided is an afferent neuron circuit, which includes a resistance Rc and a volatile threshold switching device TS, wherein the volatile threshold switching device TS has a parasitic capacitor Cparasitic; a first end of the resistance Rc is used as a signal input terminal, and a second end of the resistance Rc is used as a signal output terminal; a first end of the volatile threshold switching device TS is connected to the signal output terminal, and a second end of the volatile threshold switching device TS is grounded.
In some embodiments, the afferent neuron circuit adopts an integrated semiconductor structure.
In some embodiments, the volatile threshold switching device TS includes: a first substrate 11; a first isolation layer 12 formed on the first substrate 11; a first lower electrode 13 formed on the first isolation layer 12; a second isolation layer 14 formed on the first lower electrode 13; a first functional layer 15 formed on the second isolation layer 14, wherein a middle part of the first functional layer 15 is connected to the first lower electrode 13 through an etched via hole; and a first intermediate electrode 16 formed on the first functional layer 15, wherein a first resistive film 17 is deposited on the first intermediate electrode 16 to serve as the resistance Rc, and a first upper electrode 18 is deposited on the first resistive film 17.
In some embodiments, the first substrate 11 is a silicon wafer; the first isolation layer 12 is a SiO2 layer; a material of the first lower electrode 13 is TiN, Poly-Si, Pd, Pt, W, or Au; the second isolation layer 14 is a SiO2 layer; a material of the first functional layer 15 is NbO2, VO2, SiTe, SiO2:Ag, a-Si:Cu, a-Si:Ag, or AM4Q8; a material of the first intermediate electrode 16 is TiN, Poly-Si, Pd, Pt, W, Cu, Ag or Au; a resistance value of the first resistive film 17 is greater than 5 times of a resistance value of the first functional layer 15 in a low-resistance state and is less than ⅕ of a resistance value of the first functional layer 15 in a high-resistance state; wherein the AM4Q8 is a mixed material of Ga, Ge, V, Nb, Ta, Mo, S, and Se.
In some embodiments, the volatile threshold switching device TS includes: a second substrate 21; a third isolation layer 22 formed on the second substrate 21; a second lower electrode 23 formed on the third isolation layer 22; a second functional layer 24 formed on the third isolation layer 23; and a second intermediate electrode 25 formed on the second functional layer 24, wherein a second resistive film 26 is deposited on the second intermediate electrode 25 to serve as the resistance Rc, and a second upper electrode 27 is deposited on the second resistive film 26.
In some embodiments, the second substrate 21 is a silicon wafer; the third isolation layer 22 is a SiO2 layer; a material of the second lower electrode 23 is TiN, Poly-Si, Pd, Pt, W or Au; a material of the second functional layer 24 is NbO2, VO2, SiTe, SiO2:Ag, a-Si:Cu, a-Si:Ag, or AM4Q8; a material of the second intermediate electrode 25 is TiN, Poly-Si, Pd, Pt, W, Cu, Ag, or Au; a resistance value of the second resistive film 26 is greater than 5 times of a resistance value of the second functional layer 24 in a low-resistance state and is less than ⅕ of a resistance value of the first functional layer 15 in a high-resistance state; and wherein said the AM4Q8 is a mixed material of Ga, Ge, V, Nb, Ta, Mo, S, and Se.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, provided is a mechanoreceptive system, which includes: the aforementioned afferent neuron circuit; and, a first piezoelectric film 19 formed on the first upper electrode 18 of the aforementioned afferent neuron circuit, and a first ground electrode 10 deposited on the first piezoelectric film 19.
In some embodiments, a material of the first piezoelectric film 19 may be BaTiO3/bacterial cellulose, K0.5Na0.5NbO3—BaTiO3/polyvinylidene fluoride, crystal, lithium gallate, lithium germanate, titanium germanate, or lithium tantalate.
In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, provided is a mechanoreceptive system, which includes: the aforementioned afferent neuron circuit; and, a second piezoelectric film 28 formed on the second upper electrode 27 of the aforementioned afferent neuron circuit, and a second ground electrode 29 deposited on the second piezoelectric film 28.
In some embodiments, a material of the second piezoelectric film 28 may be BaTiO3/bacterial cellulose, K0.5Na0.5NbO3—BaTiO3/polyvinylidene fluoride, crystal, lithium gallate, lithium germanate, titanium germanate, or lithium tantalate.
The present disclosure provides an afferent neuron circuit and a mechanoreceptive system, wherein the afferent neuron circuit with a simple structure is formed by connecting a resistance Rc and a volatile threshold switching device TS in series. A connection point between the volatile threshold switching device TS and the resistance Rc is used as a signal output terminal. An input signal is a voltage signal or a current signal, and an output signal is an oscillation frequency signal. An oscillation frequency of the output signal is related to the strength of the input signal. The volatile threshold switching device TS is provided with a parasitic capacitor Cparasitic, so that when there is an input signal at the signal input terminal, the TS device is charged by the circuit through the resistance Rc; when a voltage across the parasitic capacitor Cparasitic exceeds a switching voltage of the TS device, the TS device switches to a low-resistance state, and the capacitor discharges through the TS device; when the voltage across the parasitic capacitor Cparasitic drops to a holding voltage of the TS device, the TS device switches to a high-resistance state, and the parasitic capacitor Cparasitic is charged again through the resistance Rc. These are repeated over and over again to form an oscillation output pulse signal, thereby achieving the so-called functional integrity of an afferent neuron.
By reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiments below, various other advantages and benefits will become clear to those of ordinary skill in the art. The drawings are only used for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments and should not be considered as a limitation to the present disclosure. Also, throughout the drawings, the same reference symbol is configured to denote the same component.
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the drawings show exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.
The technical solution of the present disclosure will be further described in detail below through the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.
Referring to
An input signal is a voltage signal or a current signal, and an output signal is an oscillation frequency signal. An oscillation frequency of the output signal is related to the strength of the input signal.
When there is an input signal at the signal input terminal, the parasitic capacitor Cparasitic is charged by the circuit through the resistance Rc.
In the case that a voltage across the parasitic capacitor Cparasitic exceeds a switching voltage of the volatile threshold switching device TS, the volatile threshold switching device TS switches to a low-resistance state, and the parasitic capacitor Cparasitic discharges through the volatile threshold switching device TS.
In the case that the voltage across the parasitic capacitor Cparasitic drops to a holding voltage of the volatile threshold switching device TS, the volatile threshold switching device TS switches to a high-resistance state, and the parasitic capacitor Cparasitic is charged again through the resistance Rc. The charge and discharge processes are repeated over and over again to form an oscillation output pulse signal.
Referring to
Referring to
Specifically, the volatile threshold switching device TS includes:
wherein a first resistive film 17 is deposited on the first intermediate electrode 16 to serve as the resistance Rc, and a first upper electrode 18 is deposited on the first resistive film 17.
In the present embodiment, the first substrate 11 is a silicon wafer;
Referring to
At Step 1, a silicon wafer serves as a first substrate 11, and oxidation is applied on the silicon wafer to form a SiO2 layer as a first isolation layer 12. The thickness of the SiO2 layer is 100 nm˜300 nm, and the thickness of the SiO2 layer may also be decreased or increased according to an actual process condition.
At Step 2, a first lower electrode 13 is deposited on the SiO2 layer. The thickness of the first lower electrode 13 is 10 nm˜100 nm.
At Step 3, a second isolation layer 14 is deposited on the first lower electrode 13. The second isolation layer 14 is a SiO2 layer with a thickness of 100 nm to 300 nm. The thickness of the SiO2 layer may also be decreased or increased according to an actual process condition.
At Step 4, by using an etching process, a hole is etched on the deposited films prepared in Steps 1 to 3. The depth of the hole directly reaches inside of the first isolation layer 12, and the first isolation layer 12 is etched by a certain depth to ensure that the cross-section of the first lower electrode 13 is completely exposed. The first isolation layer 12 should also retain a sufficient thickness after etching.
At Step 5, a first functional layer 15 is deposited on the etched hole. The thickness of the first functional layer 15 is 5 nm˜50 nm.
At Step 6, a first intermediate electrode 16 is deposited on the first functional layer 15. The thickness of the first intermediate electrode 16 is 10 nm˜100 nm.
At Step 7, a first resistive film 17 is deposited on the first intermediate electrode 16 to serve as a resistance Rc. The resistance value of the first resistive film 17 is 1 Ω˜1 MΩ, which depends on a high-resistance or low-resistance state of the functional layer that is actually deposited.
At Step 8, a first upper electrode 18 is deposited on the first resistive film. A material of the first upper electrode 18 is not limited herein.
Referring to
the afferent neuron circuit;
a first piezoelectric film 19, which is formed on the first upper electrode 18; and
a first ground electrode 10, which is deposited on the first piezoelectric film 19.
In some schemes, a material of the first piezoelectric film 19 may be BaTiO3/bacterial cellulose, K0.5Na0.5NbO3—BaTiO3/polyvinylidene fluoride, crystal, lithium gallate, lithium germanate, titanium germanate, or lithium tantalate. The piezoelectric material may, but be not limited to, be selected from the above materials, and any material having a piezoelectric characteristic can be applied. However, the thermal budget of the functional layers should be taken into account during integration so as to determine the annealing temperature of the piezoelectric material.
Referring to
At Step 9, on the basis of the aforementioned afferent neuron circuit, a first piezoelectric film 19 is deposited on the first upper electrode 18.
At Step 10, a first ground electrode 10 is deposited on the first piezoelectric film 19. The material of the first ground electrode 10 is not limited herein.
Referring to
The volatile threshold switching device TS includes:
In the present embodiment, the second substrate 21 is a silicon wafer;
Referring to
At Step 1, a silicon wafer serves as a second substrate 21, and oxidation is applied on the silicon wafer to form a SiO2 layer as a second isolation layer 22. The thickness of the SiO2 layer is 100 nm˜300 nm. The thickness of the SiO2 layer may also be decreased or increased according to an actual process condition.
At Step 2, a second lower electrode 23 is deposited on the second isolation layer 22. The thickness of the second lower electrode 23 is 10 nm˜100 nm.
At Step 3, a second functional layer 24 is deposited on the second lower electrode 23. The thickness of the second functional layer 24 is 5 nm˜50 nm.
At Step 4, a second intermediate electrode 25 is deposited on the second functional layer 24. The thickness of the second intermediate electrode 25 is 10 nm˜100 nm.
At Step 5, a second resistive film 26 is deposited on the second intermediate electrode 25. The resistance value of the second resistive film 26 is 1 Ω˜1 MΩ, which depends on a high-resistance or low-resistance state of the functional layer that is actually deposited.
At Step 6, a second upper electrode 27 is deposited on the second resistive film 26. The material of the second upper electrode 27 is not limited herein.
Referring to
The material of the second piezoelectric film 28 may be BaTiO3/bacterial cellulose, K0.5Na0.5NbO3—BaTiO3/polyvinylidene fluoride, crystal, lithium gallate, lithium germanate, titanium germanate, or lithium tantalate.
Referring to
At Step 7, on the basis of the aforementioned afferent neuron integration scheme, a second piezoelectric film 28 is deposited on the second upper electrode 27. A piezoelectric material may, but be not limited to, be selected from the above materials, and any material having a piezoelectric characteristic can be used. However, a thermal budget of the functional layer should be taken into account during integration so as to determine the annealing temperature of the piezoelectric material.
At Step 8, a second ground electrode 29 is deposited on the second piezoelectric film 28. The material of the second ground electrode 29 is not limited herein.
The performance of the above circuits and systems is described below through graphs.
Referring to
When a voltage applied to the intermediate electrode exceeds a certain voltage value (VTH+ or VTH−), the volatile threshold switching device TS switches from a high-resistance state to a low-resistance state.
In the process of voltage flyback, when the voltage is less than a certain voltage value (VHOLD+ or VHOLD−), the volatile threshold switching device TS returns from the low-resistance state to the high-resistance state as the voltage of the intermediate electrode is not adequate to maintain the low-resistance state of the volatile threshold switching device TS.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
It is ready to find that the circuit and system prepared according to the above embodiments all have good performances of an afferent neuron circuit.
According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, one or more technical solutions have at least the following technical effects or advantages.
According to the afferent neuron circuit and the mechanoreceptive system that the embodiments of the present disclosure have provided, an afferent neuron circuit is formed with a simple structure by connecting a resistance Rc and a volatile threshold switching device TS in series. A connection point between the volatile threshold switching device TS and the resistance Rc is used as a signal output terminal. An input signal is a voltage signal or a current signal, and an output signal is an oscillation frequency signal. The oscillation frequency of the output signal is related to the strength of the input signal. The volatile threshold switching device TS is provided with a parasitic capacitor Cparasitic, so that when there is an input signal at the signal input terminal, the TS device is charged by the circuit through the resistance Rc; when a voltage across the parasitic capacitor Cparasitic exceeds a switching voltage of the TS device, the TS device switches to a low-resistance state, and the capacitor discharges through the TS device; when the voltage across the parasitic capacitor Cparasitic drops to a holding voltage of the TS device, the TS device switches to a high-resistance state, and the parasitic capacitor Cparasitic is charged again through the resistance Rc. These are repeated over and over again to form an oscillation output pulse signal, thereby achieving functional integrity.
The above are only preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and are not used to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure. Any modification, equivalent replacement, and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure should be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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201911127991.9 | Nov 2019 | CN | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/CN2019/121843 | 11/29/2019 | WO |