The memtransistor is an experimental multi-terminal passive electronic component that might be used in the construction of

artificial neural network Artificial neural networks (ANNs), usually simply called neural networks (NNs) or neural nets, are computing systems inspired by the biological neural networks that constitute animal brains. An ANN is based on a collection of connected units ...

s. It is a combination of the

memristor A memristor (; a portmanteau of ''memory resistor'') is a non-linear two-terminal electrical component relating electric charge and magnetic flux linkage. It was described and named in 1971 by Leon Chua, completing a theoretical quartet of ...

and

transistor upright=1.4, gate (G), body (B), source (S) and drain (D) terminals. The gate is separated from the body by an insulating layer (pink). A transistor is a semiconductor device used to Electronic amplifier, amplify or electronic switch, switch ...

technology.Sangwan, V.K. et al
Multi-terminal memtransistors from polycrystalline monolayer molybdenum disulfide
''Nature'' Vol. 554 No. 7693, 22 February 2018 : DOI: 10.1038/nature25747 : pages 500-504 This technology is different from the 1T-1R approach since the devices are merged into one single entity. Multiple memristers can be embedded with a single transistor, enabling it to more accurately model a

neuron A neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an membrane potential#Cell excitability, electrically excitable cell (biology), cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses. The neuron is the main component of nervous ...

with its multiple synaptic connections. A neural network produced from these would provide hardware-based

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machine A machine is a physical system using Power (physics), power to apply Force, forces and control Motion, moveme ...

with a good foundation.

Applications

These types of devices would allow for a synapse model that could realise a learning rule, by which the synaptic efficacy is altered by voltages applied to the terminals of the device. An example of such a learning rule is spike-timing-dependant-plasticty by which the weight of the synapse, in this case the conductivity, could be modulated based on the timing of pre and post synaptic spikes arriving at each terminal. The advantage of this approach over two terminal memristive devices is that read and write protocols have the possibility to occur simultaneously and distinctly.

Implementations

Researchers at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...

have fabricated a seven-terminal device fabricated on molybdenum disulfide (). One terminal controls the current between the other six. It has been shown that the I_D / V_D characteristics of the transistor can be modified even after fabrication. Subsequently, designs which would originally require multiple (selectable) transistors can be implemented with a single configurable transistor.

References

{{Reflist Transistors Artificial neural networks Experimental electrical components