Memristive blinking neuron enabling dense and scalable photonically-linked neural network

Memristive blinking neuron enabling dense and scalable photonically-linked neural network | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Memristive blinking neuron enabling dense and scalable photonically-linked neural network Bojun Cheng, Yue ZHOU, Yuetong Fang, Raphael Gisler, Hongwei Ren, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5489562/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 08 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Electronics → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) has driven a surging demand for powerful architectures whose capabilities scale with network size and dense neuron connections. However, the large footprint of CMOS neurons and the constraints on electric routing are significantly hindering the scale-up of the number of artificial neurons and their synaptic connectivity. Inspired by the biological neurons’ intricate and dense network structure, we introduce a 3-dimensional (3D) connectivity. Here, we demonstrate a 3D neural network (NN) with atomic scale memristive blinking neuron (MBN) linked by photons free from electrical routing constraints. Our MBN features a minimal footprint of 170×240 nm 2 and emits photon pulses upon integrating a critical number of incoming electrical spikes, eliminating the need for the bulky peripheral circuit readout and electrical wiring for transmitting the signals. Such MBN not only offers the functionality of a spiking neuron but also constitutes a CMOS-compatible planar light source for intra-neuron communication, overcoming the bottleneck of plenary CMOS technology. The functionality of the MBN is demonstrated in two different photonically-linked NN applications. First, we test the MBN on a four-class classification task within the Google Speech dataset and show 91.51% accuracy. We then show its operation in a high-density artificial neuron array with a pitch of 1 µm, pushing the boundaries of optical diffraction, realizing an unprecedented neuron density on par with the human brain. An MNIST classification task is performed with a 92.27% accuracy. Our new photonically-linked NN significantly increases the neuron density as well as scalability, showing great potential for realizing next-generation AI hardware. Physical sciences/Engineering/Electrical and electronic engineering Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale devices/Electronic devices Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Lasers, LEDs and light sources Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SIMBNsubmission.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 08 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Electronics → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5489562","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":381373699,"identity":"661abbf0-ea72-435e-b944-7aea4ed76120","order_by":0,"name":"Bojun 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However, the large footprint of CMOS neurons and the constraints on electric routing are significantly hindering the scale-up of the number of artificial neurons and their synaptic connectivity. Inspired by the biological neurons\u0026rsquo; intricate and dense network structure, we introduce a 3-dimensional (3D) connectivity. Here, we demonstrate a 3D neural network (NN) with atomic scale memristive blinking neuron (MBN) linked by photons free from electrical routing constraints. Our MBN features a minimal footprint of 170\u0026times;240 nm\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e and emits photon pulses upon integrating a critical number of incoming electrical spikes, eliminating the need for the bulky peripheral circuit readout and electrical wiring for transmitting the signals. 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