Moiré quantum materials host exotic electronic phenomena through enhanced internal Coulomb interactions in twisted two-dimensional heterostructures. When combined with the exceptionally high electrostatic control in atomically thin materials, moiré heterostructures have the potential to enable next-generation electronic devices with unprecedented functionality. However, despite extensive exploration, moiré electronic phenomena have thus far been limited to impractically low cryogenic temperatures, thus precluding real-world applications of moiré quantum materials. In recent work from Northwestern University MRSEC IRG-1, room-temperature operation of a low-power moiré synaptic transistor based on an asymmetric bilayer graphene/hexagonal boron nitride moiré heterostructure has been achieved. The asymmetric moiré potential gives rise to robust electronic ratchet states, which enable hysteretic, non-volatile injection of charge carriers that control the conductance of the device. The asymmetric gating in these dual-gated moiré heterostructures realize diverse bio-realistic neuromorphic functionalities that are ideally suited for efficient compute-in-memory designs and edge hardware accelerators for artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Nature, 624, 551 (2023).
