Tuning the conductivity of resistive switching devices for electronic synapses

© 2017 The implementation of electronic synapses is today one of the challenges of hardware-based neuromorphic engineering, which aims to design electronic circuits with a similar architecture and behavior those found in biological brains. In this work, the control of the conductivity of MIM structures was investigated in order to determine their suitability for the implementation of electronic synapses in neuromorphic circuits. Electrical characterization consisting of cyclic voltammetry was carried out under two different schemes, both involving the gradual variation of the compliance current from cycle to cycle. The smart interruption of the measurement in one of the test schemes allowed the study of the conductivity characteristics according to the Quantum Point Contact (QPC) model. Obtained results showed that the conductivity of the tested devices can be tuned by means of gradually modifying the compliance current driving each device.