Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 24, 2025

Assembly and Characterization of Biomolecular Memristors Consisting of Ion Channel-doped Lipid Membranes
Published on: March 9, 2019
Mimicking biological synapses with a-HfSiOx-based memristor: implications for artificial intelligence and memory
Muhammad Ismail1, Maria Rasheed1, Chandreswar Mahata1
1Division of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Dongguk University, Seoul, 04620, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Memristors, owing to their uncomplicated structure and resemblance to biological synapses, are predicted to see increased usage in the domain of artificial intelligence. Additionally, to augment the capacity for multilayer data storage in high-density memory applications, meticulous regulation of quantized conduction with an extremely low transition energy is required. In this work, an a-HfSiOx-based memristor was grown through atomic layer deposition (ALD) and investigated for its electrical and biological properties for use in multilevel switching memory and neuromorphic computing systems. The crystal structure and chemical distribution of the HfSiOx/TaN layers were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The Pt/a-HfSiOx/TaN memristor was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and showed analog bipolar switching behavior with high endurance stability (1000 cycles), long data retention performance (104 s), and uniform voltage distribution. Its multilevel capability was demonstrated by restricting current compliance (CC) and stopping the reset voltage. The memristor exhibited synaptic properties, such as short-term plasticity, excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC), spiking-rate-dependent plasticity (SRDP), post-tetanic potentiation (PTP), and paired-pulse facilitation (PPF). Furthermore, it demonstrated 94.6% pattern accuracy in neural network simulations. Thus, a-HfSiOx-based memristors have great potential for use in multilevel memory and neuromorphic computing systems.
Related Concept Videos
MOS Capacitor
The metal gate is typically made from highly conductive materials such as aluminum or polysilicon. Beneath the metal gate lies a thin layer of...
Storage
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Role of Neurotransmitters in Memory
Glutamate and Synaptic Plasticity
Glutamate, the brain's main excitatory neurotransmitter, is...
Understanding Memory
Electrical Synapses
Gap junctions allow the current to pass directly from one cell to the next. In contrast, in the chemical synapse, the neurotransmitters carry the information through the synaptic cleft from one neuron to the next. They consist of two...

