Room-temperature developed flexible biomemristor with ultralow switching voltage for array learning

• Published in: Nanoscale Vol. 12; no. 16; pp. 9116 - 9123
• Main Authors: Wang, Tian-Yu, Meng, Jia-Lin, He, Zhen-Yu, Chen, Lin, Zhu, Hao, Sun, Qing-Qing, Ding, Shi-Jin, Zhou, Peng, Zhang, David Wei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Royal Society of Chemistry 30.04.2020
• Subjects: Arrays; Computer simulation; Electric potential; Electronics; Flexible components; Heat treatment; High temperature; Learning; Low cost; Memristors; Physical vapor deposition; Resistance; Room temperature; Switching; Voltage
• ISSN: 2040-3364; 2040-3372; 2040-3372
• DOI: 10.1039/d0nr00919a

As one of the emerging neuromorphic computing devices, memristors may break through the limitation of traditional computers with a von Neumann architecture. However, the development of flexible memristors is limited by the high-temperature fabrication process, large operating voltage and non-uniform distribution of resistance. The room-temperature process has attracted great attention due to its advantages of low thermal dissipation, low cost and excellent compatibility with flexible electronics. Here, we proposed a fully physical vapour deposition (PVD) process for fabricating a memristor without additional heat treatment. The device showed excellent resistive switching characteristics with ultralow set/reset voltages (0.48 V/−0.39 V), uniform distribution (10%/15%), stable retention characteristic, multilevel storage behavior and reliable flexibility (radius of 10 mm). With continuously modulated conductance, typical synaptic plasticities were simulated by our flexible biomemristor, including excitatory post-synaptic current (EPSC), paired-pulse facilitation (PPF), long-term potentiation/depression (LTP/LTD) and learning-forgetting curve. Furthermore, the array learning behavior like that of the human brain was simulated with these trainable biomemristors. This study paves a new way for developing low-cost, wearable, neuromorphic computing electronics at room temperature and expands the applications of artificial synapse arrays. A flexible biomemristor fabricated at room temperature with ultralow switching voltage and array learning capability.