An Ultra-Low Power Threshold Voltage Variable Artificial Retina Neuron

An artificial retina neuron is proposed and implemented by CMOS technology. It can be used as an image sensor in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) field with the benefit of ultra-low power consumption. The artificial neuron can generate signals in spike shape with pre-designed frequencies under different light intensities. The power consumption is reduced by removing the film capacitor. The comparator is adopted to improve the stability of the circuit, and the power consumption of the comparator is optimized. The power consumption of the proposed CMOS neuron circuit is suppressed. The ultra-low-power artificial neuron with variable threshold shows a frequency range of 0.8–80 kHz when the input current is varied from 1 pA to 150 pA. The minimum DC power is 35 pW when the input current is 5 pA. The minimum energy of the neuron is 3 fJ. The proposed ultra-low-power artificial retina neuron has wide potential applications in the field of AI.