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Synaptic memory devices from CoO/Nb:SrTiO3 junction.
Le Zhao1,2, Jie Xu3, Xiantao Shang3
1School of Control Science and Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250061, People's Republic of China.
Royal Society Open Science
|June 12, 2019
Summary
This study introduces a novel CoO/Nb:SrTiO3 heterojunction memristor for artificial synapses. It demonstrates reliable synaptic plasticity, offering lower energy consumption for future neurocomputation systems.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Neuroscience
- Electrical Engineering
Background:
- Non-volatile memristors are crucial for hardware-based neurocomputation due to their ability to mimic biological synapses.
- Current research focuses on optimizing memristor performance for lower energy consumption and enhanced biological plausibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel non-volatile memristor design utilizing a CoO/Nb:SrTiO3 heterojunction.
- To investigate the device's potential for emulating synaptic functions and implementing learning rules.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a CoO/Nb:SrTiO3 heterojunction memristor.
- Characterization of resistivity switching behaviors attributed to oxygen vacancy migration and charge trapping/detrapping.
- Implementation of voltage pulse stimulations to achieve gradual conductance modulation.
Main Results:
- The memristor exhibits intrinsic resistivity switching behaviors at the heterojunction interface.
- Carrier trapping and detrapping levels are controllable via voltage amplitude regulation.
- Successful implementation of spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), a key Hebbian learning rule.
Conclusions:
- The CoO/Nb:SrTiO3 heterojunction shows promise for creating artificial synapses.
- This device offers potential advantages over filamentary memristors, including reduced energy consumption and improved reliability for large-scale neuromorphic systems.
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