Reconfigurable Cascaded Thermal Neuristors for Neuromorphic Computing.

While the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology is the mainstream for the hardware implementation of neural networks, we explore an alternative route based on a new class of spiking oscillators we call "thermal neuristors", which operate and interact solely via thermal processes. Utilizing the insulator-to-metal transition in vanadium dioxide, we demonstrate a wide variety of reconfigurable electrical dynamics mirroring biological neurons. Notably, inhibitory functionality is achieved just in a single oxide device, and cascaded information flow is realized exclusively through thermal interactions. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of the neuristors, a detailed theoretical model is developed, which accurately reflects the experimental results. This study establishes the foundation for scalable and energy-efficient thermal neural networks, fostering progress in brain-inspired computing. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.