Dual Synapses and Security Devices from Ternary C60‐Pentacene‐TiO2‐x Nanorods Heterostructures

Abstract

AbstractIn the context of information explosion, neuromorphic and hardware‐based security devices have garnered significant attention for their capacity to facilitate parallel computing and not be vulnerable to hacking, respectively. A demonstration of a dual photosynaptic (DPS) and physically unclonable function (PUF) devices characterized by ternary TiO2‐x nanorods (NRs)/Pentacene/C60 heterostructure are simultaneously presented. For the DPS device, the ternary heterostructure leads to parallel‐operating DPS characteristics: i) wavelength‐dependent (WD) synapse and ii) stimulus‐moment‐dependent (SMD) synapse. Each synaptic characteristic demonstrates a remarkable degree of plasticity, which signifies a smooth transition from short‐term potentiation (STP) to long‐term potentiation (LTP). Moreover, The face recognition assessments have unveiled recognition rates of 83.3% for 2 operational modes. Notably, the DPS device maintains stable performance on the business card, even after a rigorous 49‐day testing period and undergoing 1 000 bending cycles. Regarding the PUF device, the security keys with unique patterns are created due to random current distribution induced by placement‐dependent doping effects of SnO2 quantum dots (QDs). Moreover, near‐ideal inter‐hamming distances (inter‐HDs), uniformities, and entropies are verified for all cryptographic keys. These findings introduce a pioneering concept of photonic synapses with their successful integration onto various substrates, including the hardware‐based security PUF device.