Arithmetic Operations within

Memristor-Based Analog Memory

Mika Laiho, Eero Lehtonen
Microelectronics Laboratory, University of Turku

© DSI CONFIDENTIAL
 Key Points

 Be able to program the memristor to the

reference resistance using the cyclincally
programming scheme
 Computing capability, such as addition,
both on negative and positive analog
conductance, is demonstrated

© DSI CONFIDENTIAL
Digital Memory verse Analog Memory

 Digital memory (1-bit information

depending on ON/OFF state, including
SRAM, DRAM, PCRAM, MRAM, Flash, etc.)
 Analog memory (many intermediate states
between ON/OFF states)
 Memoristor can be used for both digital
and analog memory

© DSI CONFIDENTIAL
 Memristor

 Without programming threshold

– Linearly programmed with charge flowing through
the device
– AC readout for memory application
– Pose high requirements on R/W cycles
 With programming threshold
– Nonlinear programmed with charge flowing
through the device
– DC readout possible

© DSI CONFIDENTIAL
Memristor With Programming Threshold

Bipolar reversible and nonvolatile switching of nanoscale TiO2-x devices

J. J. Yang et al., Memristor switching mechanism for metal/oxide/metal nanodevices, Nature Nanotechnology, 2008, 3, 429-433

© DSI CONFIDENTIAL
 Modeling Memristor
The current through the memristor

The time derivative of the state variable W

The window function

• ᵅ and ᵝ are fitting constants that are used to characterize the ON state
• ᵡ and ᵞ are the fitting constants used to characterize the net electronic barrier
when the memristor is switched OFF
• a, b, p and q are constants depending on the physical properties of the memristor
• w is the state variable of the memristor
© DSI CONFIDENTIAL
Simulated Memristor Characteristics

Device simulation based on SPICE model

© DSI CONFIDENTIAL
Simulated Memristor Characteristics

Device simulation based on SPICE model

© DSI CONFIDENTIAL
Memristor Analog Memory/Computing Circuit

VSSR

© DSI CONFIDENTIAL
Memory/Computing Circuit Simulation

V1 CT

Vin

Imem
W
Ir

Circuit simulation based on SPICE model

© DSI CONFIDENTIAL
 Processing as Summation

Monitoring phase Programming phase

gm1 = gm4 + gm5.

© DSI CONFIDENTIAL
Processing as Invertor

© DSI CONFIDENTIAL
Processing as Universal Addition

© DSI CONFIDENTIAL
 Conclusions

 Memristors could be used as analog

memories and for computing
 A two-memristor configuration was
proposed to be used as a memory element
so that addition operations of both positive
and negative numbers could be performed
 Further study on performing multiplication
and division is expected

© DSI CONFIDENTIAL
 Limitations

 Control circuits for programming the

memristors is too complicated increasing
design complexity
 Many sequences are required leading to
slow programming
 The programming time is unpredictable

© DSI CONFIDENTIAL