EAGER: Exploring Neuromorphic and Spintronic Behaviors in Ternary Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Alloys

非技术描述：改进计算技术需要将越来越多的晶体管封装到更小的体积中。随着可实现的晶体管密度达到基本极限，以及计算能源需求持续增长，需要新的方法。因此，下一代技术必须以更低的能耗提供更高的性能。该项目的重点是通过开发具有神经形态和自旋电子计算行为的材料来应对可持续计算的挑战。神经形态计算通过连接神经元的固态类似物来模拟大脑，这反过来又以较低的能源成本提供硬件学习能力。自旋电子学是一个截然不同的领域，计算是通过改变电子自旋而不是电荷来进行的，比起基于电荷的技术，产生速度更快，效率更高。这个研究小组寻求开发一种能够将这些方法结合在一起的材料，方法是通过优化过渡金属二卤化物的合金化，以创建一种可以模拟生物神经元的新的自旋电子材料。该项目中研究的合金可以作为神经形态-自旋电子网络的基础，该网络将通过结合每种技术的优势从根本上改变计算。这项研究工作包括这些研究的研究生、本科生和高中研究人员，并将促进跨学科的材料研究，同时在梅森创新交换中心指导学生。技术说明：2D过渡金属二卤化物基于过渡金属和硫族原子的选择提供多种电子和结构特性，使其对下一代计算技术具有吸引力。通过开发三元合金，可以在这些材料中设计出新的行为，这反过来又可以实现非传统器件的概念。该项目将过渡金属二卤化物固有的多功能性与合金工程相结合，通过创造一种既能支持自旋电子行为又能支持神经形态行为的材料，来应对可持续计算技术的挑战。这项研究的主要目标是：1)探索三元过渡金属二卤化物合金的相图，以确定实现按需结构相变的最佳成分；2)评估合金的光学和电子性质，以了解硫族取代对自旋电子功能的影响；以及3)利用热、应变或电荷触发合金中的结构相变，并确认自旋电子性质经受住了多个开关周期。证明这些基本行为的目的是为了证明三元过渡金属二卤化物合金适合于未来发展神经形态-自旋电子网络的假说。

Nontechnical Description: Improving computational technology requires packing increasingly large numbers of transistors into smaller volumes. New approaches are needed as the achievable transistor density is reaching fundamental limits and the energy requirements for computing continue to grow. Next-generation technologies must therefore offer enhanced performance with reduced energy consumption. This project focuses on addressing the challenge of sustainable computing by developing materials capable of neuromorphic and spintronic computing behaviors. Neuromorphic computation mimics the brain by networking solid-state analogues of the neuron, which in turn provides hardware learning capabilities with low energy costs. Spintronics is a radically different field where computing occurs by shifting electron spin rather than charge, yielding speed boosts and improved efficiency over charge-based technology. This research team seeks to develop a material capable of combining these approaches by optimized alloying of transitional metal dichalcogenides, a class of atomically-thin materials, to create a new spintronic material that could mimic the biological neuron. The alloys investigated in the project could serve as the foundation of a neuromorphic-spintronic network that would fundamentally transform computing by combining the benefits of each technology. The research effort includes graduate, undergraduate and high school researchers in these studies and will promote interdisciplinary materials research while mentoring students at the Mason Innovation eXchange.Technical Description: 2D transition metal dichalcogenides offer versatile electronic and structural properties based upon the choice of transition metal and chalcogen atoms, making them attractive for next-generation computation technologies. New behaviors can be engineered into these materials by developing ternary alloys, which in turn can enable unconventional device concepts. This project combines the intrinsic versatility of transition metal dichalcogenides with alloy engineering to address the challenge of sustainable computing technology by creating a material that can support both spintronic and neuromorphic behaviors. The primary objectives of this research are: 1) explore the phase diagram of a ternary transition metal dichalcogenide alloy to identify the composition optimal for achieving on-demand structural phase transitions; 2) evaluate the optical and electronic properties of the alloys to understand the impact of chalcogen substitution on spintronic functionality; and 3) trigger structural phase transitions in the alloy using heat, strain, or charge, and confirm the spintronic properties survive multiple switching cycles. Demonstrating these essential behaviors aims to prove the hypothesis that ternary transition metal dichalcogenide alloys are suitable for the future development of a combined neuromorphic-spintronic network.