High-Precision Tuning of State for Memristive Devices by Adaptable Variation-Tolerant Algorithm

TL;DR

This paper presents a simple, adaptable algorithm for precisely tuning memristive device conductance to 1% accuracy, enabling reliable analog computing despite device variability.

Contribution

The authors introduce a variation-tolerant write algorithm that achieves high-precision, nonvolatile state tuning in memristive devices with large switching variations.

Findings

Achieved 1% conductance tuning accuracy in memristive devices

Demonstrated hybrid CMOS-memristor circuit for analog multiply-accumulate operations

High-precision states are stable and likely durable in nanoscale devices

Abstract

Using memristive properties common for the titanium dioxide thin film devices, we designed a simple write algorithm to tune device conductance at a specific bias point to 1% relative accuracy (which is roughly equivalent to 7-bit precision) within its dynamic range even in the presence of large variations in switching behavior. The high precision state is nonvolatile and the results are likely to be sustained for nanoscale memristive devices because of the inherent filamentary nature of the resistive switching. The proposed functionality of memristive devices is especially attractive for analog computing with low precision data. As one representative example we demonstrate hybrid circuitry consisting of CMOS summing amplifier and two memristive devices to perform analog multiply and accumulate computation, which is a typical bottleneck operation in information processing.