Memristor Device Mimics Brain Synapse

Clipped from: Memristor: A Device That Mimics The Brain’s Synaptic Action - PSFK

Memristor: A Device That Mimics The Brain’s Synaptic Action

A US military-funded project used memristors, a device whose resistance at any moment depends on the last voltage it experienced, to attempt building brain-like computers.

Clipped from: Silver sputtered nano chips mimic brain synapse

Silver sputtered nano chips mimic brain synapse

The two-terminal electronic device, known as a memristor ('memory' + 'resistor'), is similar to a biological synapse in that its conductance can be precisely changed by controlling the charge running through it. The researchers found that changing the way they embedded silver ions in the silicon-based devices improved their performance.

A memristor's resistance is controlled by its 'memory' of the currents and voltages it has been exposed to. 'It can be employed to build a computer in the way that nature builds brains,' explained Wei Lu of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

How memristors can act as synapses between neurons, with schematics of the memristor structure and the two-terminal device in the insets.

Clipped from: Lu Nanoelectronics Group » Projects

Neuromorphic Circuits Based on Memristor Synapses
(Sung Hyun Jo and Ting Chang)

A synapse is essentially a two-terminal device and bears striking resemblance to an electrical device termed memristor (memory + resistor). Similar to a biological synapse, the conductance of a memristor can be incrementally modified by controlling charge flown through it. This project aims to build computers following the approach nature builds brains. In the proposed memristor-based neuromorphic system, CMOS computing units will serve as neurons and a crossbar array of memristors will serve as synapses, as shown in the image above. This hybrid CMOS/memristor circuit that can potentially offer connectivity and function density comparable to those of biological systems. In particular, we have developed nanoscale Si-based memristors and verified that Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP), an important synaptic modification rule for competitive Hebbian learning, can be achieved in the hybrid CMOS/memristor system.

Clipped from: Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: "Wei Lu Receives CAREER Award"

Wei Lu Receives CAREER Award

Prof. Wei Lu, assistant professor in division of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was recently awarded an NSF CAREER grant for his research project, "Understanding, Development and Applications of Nanoscale Memristor Devices."

Sources:

1. Memristor: A Device That Mimics The Brain’s Synaptic Action - PSFK
2. Silver sputtered nano chips mimic brain synapse
3. Lu Nanoelectronics Group » Projects
4. Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: "Wei Lu Receives CAREER Award"

Related:

1. Engineer's memristor chip could lead to faster, cheaper computers
2. Wei Lu: EECS Faculty, Nanoelectronics
3. Brain-Like Computer Closer to Realization
4. Electronics 'missing link' brings neural computing closer - tech - 15 March 2010 - New Scientist
5. Nanoscale Memristor Device as Synapse in Neuromorphic Systems - Nano Letters (ACS Publications)
6. Memristor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
7. Memristor found: HP Labs proves fourth integrated circuit element
8. MEMRISTOR- A groundbreaking breakthrough in fundamental electronics!!