Optoelectronic artificial synapses based on copper (II) phthalocyanine with modulated neuroplasticity

Optoelectronic synapses have been attracting significant attention due to their important role in visual information processing. In this work, we fabricate an all-organic optoelectronic synaptic device with a double heterojunction structure of PEDOT:PSS/poly(vinylidene fluoridetrifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE))/copper (II) phthalocyanine (CuPc) by a simple preparation process. The introduction of a dielectric P(VDF-TrFE) layer between PEDOT:PSS and CuPc layers benefits the trapping of charge carriers and slows down the electron-hole recombination rate. This two-terminal optoelectronic device is successfully applied to simulate synaptic functions of biological synapses by using optical pulses of 660 nm, including paired-pulse facilitation, spike-duration dependent plasticity, spike-rate dependent plasticity, spike-number dependent plasticity, and learning-experience behavior. Furthermore, the key characteristics of a nociceptor and the optical logic function of the “AND” and “OR” operations are also emulated. This work illustrates the potential of such device for constructing neuromorphic computing systems at the physical level.