Near ideal synaptic functionalities in Li ion synaptic transistor using Li3POxSex electrolyte with high ionic conductivity

Abstract

All solid-state lithium-ion transistors are considered as promising synaptic devices for building artificial neural networks for neuromorphic computing. However, the slow ionic conduction in existing electrolytes hinders the performance of lithium-ion-based synaptic transistors. In this study, we systematically explore the influence of ionic conductivity of electrolytes on the synaptic performance of ionic transistors. Isovalent chalcogenide substitution such as Se in Li₃PO₄ significantly reduces the activation energy for Li ion migration from 0.35 to 0.253 eV, leading to a fast ionic conduction. This high ionic conductivity allows linear conductance switching in the LiCoO₂ channel with several discrete nonvolatile states and good retention for both potentiation and depression steps. Consequently, optimized devices demonstrate the smallest nonlinearity ratio of 0.12 and high on/off ratio of 19. However, Li₃PO₄ electrolyte (with lower ionic conductivity) shows asymmetric and nonlinear weight-update characteristics. Our findings show that the facilitation of Li ionic conduction in solid-state electrolyte suggests potential application in artificial synapse device development.