Scalable transition metal dichalcogenide memtransistor arrays with Schottky-barrier control for energy-efficient artificial neural networks

Scalable transition metal dichalcogenide memtransistor arrays with Schottky-barrier control for energy-efficient artificial neural networks

Nature Communications

10.1038/s41467-025-64579-5

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64579-5

Xiangyu Hou, Wei Zhang, Sisheng Duan, Tengyu Jin, Xiangrui Geng, Ming Lin, Yichen Cai, Jingyu Mao, Yizhuo Luo, Jinlong Zhu, Junhao Lin, Wei Chen

28 October 2025

Hou, X., Zhang, W., Duan, S., Jin, T., Geng, X., Lin, M., Cai, Y., Mao, J., Luo, Y., Zhu, J., Lin, J., & Chen, W. (2025). Scalable transition metal dichalcogenide memtransistor arrays with Schottky-barrier control for energy-efficient artificial neural networks. Nature Communications, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64579-5

Memtransistors that integrate memristor and transistor functionalities are promising candidates for scalable, energy-efficient neuromorphic computing. However, achieving high performance in memtransistor arrays—particularly in terms of resistive switching ratio, uniformity, and scalability—remains a significant challenge for practical deployment in artificial neural networks. Here, we present scalable memtransistor arrays based on transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), where the Schottky barrier is precisely controlled by modulating vacancy distribution and migration behavior. This approach enables a substantial improvement in the resistive switching ratio, reaching through gate modulation. The device-to-device variation is maintained below 6.8%, and the power consumption is as lowas 1 pJ per operation. These devices demonstrate high performance in artificial neural network applications, achieving greater than 98% accuracy in image recognition tasks. Furthermore, the devices exhibit remarkable scalability, with a cell size as small as 4.65 F², and can be furtherminiaturized by adjusting the channel size without affecting the switching performance. This work highlights the potential of TMDC-based memtransistor arrays for energy-efficient, high-performance artificial neural networks, offering a scalable solution for next-generation neuromorphic computing hardware.

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

This research / project is supported by the National Research Foundation - National Research Foundation Investigatorship Program
Grant Reference no. : NRF NRFI08-2022-0009

https://oar.a-star.edu.sg/communities-collections/articles/22621

2041-1723

Institute of Materials Research and Engineering