Versatile Logic and Nonvolatile Memory Based on a van der Waals Heterojunction

With the development of artificial intelligence, the increasing amount of data has put forward higher requirements for computing efficiency. However, existing architectures have discrete memory and computing units, and the fact that silicon-based circuits are shrinking close to the physical limits makes it difficult to further reduce the distance between the processor and memory, resulting in a limited system area and energy efficiency. Here, we report a device structure based on a van der Waals heterojunction, which integrates the versatile function of AND/OR logic computing, nonvolatile memory, and rectification. The device shows a tunable logic behavior with a current ratio of 100, and when served as memory the current state maintains about three magnitudes of difference after 100 cycles. The device shows potential for application to in-memory computing and becomes a promising candidate to break the dilemma of memory-computing separation. The multifunctional integration based on a van der Waals heterojunction paves the way for the construction of highly area- and energy-efficient chips.