A Highly Transparent Artificial Photonic Nociceptor

A nociceptor is an essential element in the human body, alerting us to potential damage from extremes in temperature, pressure, etc. Realizing nociceptive behavior in an electronics device remains a central issue for researchers, designing neuromorphic devices. This study proposes and demonstrates an all-oxide-based highly transparent ultraviolet-triggered artificial nociceptor, which responds in a very similar way to the human eye. The device shows a high transmittance (>65%) and very low absorbance in the visible region. The current-voltage characteristics show loop opening, which is attributed to the charge trapping/detrapping. Further, the ultraviolet-stimuli-induced versatile criteria of a nociceptor such as a threshold, relaxation, allodynia, and hyperalgesia are demonstrated under self-biased condition, providing an energy-efficient approach for the neuromorphic device operation. The reported optically controlled features open a new avenue for the development of transparent optoelectronic nociceptors, artificial eyes, and memory storage applications.