近年来，受生物神经系统结构和功能的启发，神经形态计算引起广泛兴趣。忆阻器可以通过其电荷或磁通量调节电导，与人脑突触作用机制相似，是神经形态计算最有前途的候选器件之一。提出一种基于飞秒激光加工氧化石墨烯基忆阻器的方法，通过调整器件两端扫描电压，实现了极性可控的电阻开关：低电压下，器件表现出单极性电阻开关特性，在150个循环扫描中呈现高度稳定性，且功耗仅有0.75 nW；高电压下，器件呈现双极性开关特性。伴随测试次数的增加，器件整体电导逐步增加，同时分别讨论了两种电压下器件的开关机制。

The rapid development of neuromorphic computing has stimulated extensive research interest in artificial synapses. Optoelectronic artificial synapses using laser beams as stimulus signals have the advantages of broadband, fast response, and low crosstalk. However, the optoelectronic synapses usually exhibit short memory duration due to the low lifetime of the photo-generated carriers. It greatly limits the mimicking of human perceptual learning, which is a common phenomenon in sensory interactions with the environment and practices of specific sensory tasks. Herein, a heterostructure optoelectronic synapse based on graphene nanowalls and CsPbBr3 quantum dots was fabricated. The graphene/CsPbBr3 heterojunction and the natural middle energy band in graphene nanowalls extend the carrier lifetime. Therefore, a long half-life period of photocurrent decay - 35.59 s has been achieved. Moreover, the long-term optoelectronic response can be controlled by the adjustment of numbers, powers, wavelengths, and frequencies of the laser pulses. Next, an artificial neural network consisting of a 28 × 28 synaptic array was established. It can be used to mimic a typical characteristic of human perceptual learning that the ability of sensory systems is enhanced through a learning experience. The learning behavior of image recognition can be tuned based on the photocurrent response control. The accuracy of image recognition keeps above 80% even under a low-frequency learning process. We also verify that less time is required to regain the lost sensory ability that has been previously learned. This approach paves the way toward high-performance intelligent devices with controllable learning of visual perception.

人工智能技术,特别是人工神经网络的创新引领了许多领域的应用革命,如网络搜索、计算机识别和语言、图像的识别技术。近年来纳米光子学的发展为传统的人工神经网络技术,特别是光学神经网络的发展带来了全新的物理视角以及截然不同的实现方法。一方面,纳米光子学是一门研究光与材料在纳米尺度相互作用的科学,可以带来全新的技术,如超分辨光学加工技术和超分辨光学成像技术,进而推动微纳尺度上多种功能的光学神经网络的实现。另一方面,纳米光子学中光子传播的多频段、高速度、低功耗的特点,促使了光学神经网络向着小体积、高密度、低功耗的方向发展。人工神经网络自身的发展也促使神经网络算法(如逆向设计、深度学习)在纳米光子学器件的设计中发挥前所未有的作用,以满足纳米光子学器件对自身功能、体积、集成度、计算功能的日益增长的要求。以神经网络的发展为起点,阐述人工神经网络特别是光学神经网络的发展趋势,以及人工神经网络与纳米光子学相互促进的发展历程。

Neuromorphic computing applies concepts extracted from neuroscience to develop devices shaped like neural systems and achieve brain-like capacity and efficiency. In this way, neuromorphic machines, able to learn from the surrounding environment to deduce abstract concepts and to make decisions, promise to start a technological revolution transforming our society and our life. Current electronic implementations of neuromorphic architectures are still far from competing with their biological counterparts in terms of real-time information-processing capabilities, packing density and energy efficiency. A solution to this impasse is represented by the application of photonic principles to the neuromorphic domain creating in this way the field of neuromorphic photonics. This new field combines the advantages of photonics and neuromorphic architectures to build systems with high efficiency, high interconnectivity and high information density, and paves the way to ultrafast, power efficient and low cost and complex signal processing. In this Perspective, we review the rapid development of the neuromorphic computing field both in the electronic and in the photonic domain focusing on the role and the applications of memristors. We discuss the need and the possibility to conceive a photonic memristor and we offer a positive outlook on the challenges and opportunities for the ambitious goal of realising the next generation of full-optical neuromorphic hardware.