A hybrid nanomemristor/transistor logic circuit capable of self-programming

doi:10.1073/pnas.0806642106

A hybrid nanomemristor/transistor logic circuit capable of self-programming

Information and Quantum Systems Lab, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, 1501 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304

Edited by Konstantin Likharev, State University of New York, Stony Brook University, and accepted by the Editorial Board December 19, 2008 (received for review July 9, 2008)

Abstract

Memristor crossbars were fabricated at 40 nm half-pitch, using nanoimprint lithography on the same substrate with Si metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOS FET) arrays to form fully integrated hybrid memory resistor (memristor)/transistor circuits. The digitally configured memristor crossbars were used to perform logic functions, to serve as a routing fabric for interconnecting the FETs and as the target for storing information. As an illustrative demonstration, the compound Boolean logic operation (A AND B) OR (C AND D) was performed with kilohertz frequency inputs, using resistor-based logic in a memristor crossbar with FET inverter/amplifier outputs. By routing the output signal of a logic operation back onto a target memristor inside the array, the crossbar was conditionally configured by setting the state of a nonvolatile switch. Such conditional programming illuminates the way for a variety of self-programmed logic arrays, and for electronic synaptic computing.

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Footnotes

¹To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: stan.williams{at}hp.com
Author contributions: J.B., Z.L., J.S., D.R.S., and R.S.W. designed research; J.B., Z.L., X.L., D.A.A.O., and W.W. performed research; J.B., Z.L., J.S., X.L., D.A.A.O., W.W., and D.R.S. contributed new reagents/analytic tools; J.B., Z.L., and R.S.W. analyzed data; and J.B., Z.L., and R.S.W. wrote the paper.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
This article is a PNAS Direct Submission. K.L. is a guest editor invited by the Editorial Board.
Freely available online through the PNAS open access option.