'Memtransistor' brings world closer to brain-like computing

Computer algorithms might be performing brain-like functions, such as facial recognition and language translation, but the computers themselves have yet to operate like brains.

"Computers have separate processing and memory storage units, whereas the brain uses neurons to perform both functions," said Northwestern University's Mark C. Hersam. "Neural networks can achieve complicated computation with significantly lower energy consumption compared to a digital computer."

In recent years, researchers have searched for ways to make computers more neuromorphic, or brain-like, in order to perform increasingly complicated tasks with high efficiency. Now Hersam, a Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science and Engineering in Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering, and his team are bringing the world closer to realizing this goal.

The research team has developed a novel device called a "memtransistor," which operates much like a neuron by performing both memory and information processing. With combined characteristics of a memristor and transistor, the memtransistor also encompasses multiple terminals that operate more similarly to a neural network.

Supported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Science Foundation, the research was published online today, February 22, in Nature. Vinod K. Sangwan and Hong-Sub Lee, postdoctoral fellows advised by Hersam, served as the paper's co-first authors.