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Traditional computation based on von Neumann architecture is limited by time and energy consumption due to data transfer between the storage and the processing units. The von Neumann architecture is also inefficient in solving unstructured, probabilistic, and real‐time problems. To address these challenges, a new brain‐inspired neuromorphic computational architecture is required. Due to the absence of resistance–capacitance delay, high bandwidth, and low power consumption, optoelectronic artificial synaptic devices are highly attractive. Yet, stable, scalable, and complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS)‐compatible materials exhibiting both inhibitory and excitatory optoelectronic synaptic functionalities have not been demonstrated. Here, epitaxial CMOS‐compatible scandium nitride (ScN) optoelectronic artificial synaptic devices that emulate both inhibitory and excitatory biological synaptic activities are presented. The negative and positive persistent photoconductivity of undoped and magnesium‐doped ScN is equated to the inhibitory and excitatory synaptic plasticity, respectively, which leads to functionalities like learning–forgetting, frequency‐selective optical filtering, frequency‐dependent potentiation and depression, Hebbian learning, and logic‐gate operations. Temperature‐dependent photoresponse and photo‐Hall measurements reveal that scattering of photogenerated carriers from charged defect centers results in negative photoconductivity in undoped degenerate ScN. This work opens up the possibility of utilizing a group‐III epitaxial semiconducting nitride material with inhibitory and excitatory optoelectronic synaptic functionalities for practical neuromorphic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epitaxial metal/semiconductor multilayers are attractive materials for a range of solid-state energy conversion devices. Applications include waste-heat-to-electrical energy conversion, hot-electron-based solar energy conversion in photocatalysis and photodiodes, optical hyperbolic metamaterials, and engineering thermal hyperconductivity. ZrN/ScN is among the first metal/semiconductor multilayer structures to also display promising thermal and electronic properties. However, for efficient thermionic transport, it is necessary to control and tune the Schottky barrier height at the metal/semiconductor interfaces, since this controls current flows across the superlattices' cross-plane directions. Sputter-deposited semiconducting ScN in ZrN/ScN multilayers contains a high concentration of n-type carriers, primarily due to oxygen impurities. This leads to a very small depletion width at metal/semiconductor interfaces, preventing thermionic transport. To overcome this challenge, the n-type carrier concentration of ScN has been reduced by Mg hole doping to ~ 1.6 × 1018 cm−3. In this article, we report the growth of thermally stable epitaxial ZrN/carrier-compensated Sc0.99Mg0.01N multilayers useful for thermionic emission-based devices. We present carrier concentration and transport regime calculations. Characterization of the microstructure and thermal stability was performed by combining aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping, and atom probe tomography. The results show stoichiometric Sc0.99Mg0.01N layers with a uniform magnesium concentration, and lattice-matched ZrN/Sc0.99Mg0.01N growth with smooth and atomically sharp interfaces that are thermally stable after 48 h at 950º C. The successful demonstration of thermally stable ZrN/carrier-compensated Sc0.99Mg0.01N multilayers with a semiconductor carrier concentration of 2 × 1018 cm−3 is expected to enable efficient thermionic transport devices with improved properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterostructures of inorganic halide perovskites with mixed-dimensional inorganic nanomaterials have shown great potential not only in the field of optoelectronic energy devices and photocatalysis but also for improving our fundamental understanding of the charge transfer across the heterostructure interface. Herein, we present for the first time the heterostructure integration of the CsPbBr 3 nanocrystal with an N-doped carbon dot. We explore the photoluminescence (PL) and photoconductivity of the heterostructure of CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals and N-doped carbon dots. PL quenching of CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals with the addition of N-doped carbon dots was observed. The photoexcited electrons from the conduction band of CsPbBr 3 are trapped in the N-acceptor state of N-doped carbon dots, and the charge transfer occurs via quasi type II-like electronic band alignment. The charge transfer in the halide perovskite-based heterostructure should motivate further research into the new heterostructure synthesis with perovskites and the fundamental understanding of the mechanism of charge/energy transfer across the heterostructure interface.