Project 4

Single-grain Perovskites for Neuromorphic Memory

(Prof. B. Alphenaar, ECE)

Memristors are two-terminal circuit elements with electrical resistance that can be switched between low and high values when exposed to external electric field. They are being considered for “neuromorphic memory”, in which information is stored according to the morphology of the material, in a way similar to neurological systems. [1,2] Hybrid-perovskites are a class of materials that have recently generated considerable interest due to their use in solar cell applications (figure above). [3] However, they also exhibit field-induced structural changes that can be exploited for memory applications. This project will explore the use of hybrid perovskites for neuromorphic memory elements. The REU students will fabricate and characterize 2-terminal perovskite memristors and will study the influence of material quality, chemical composition, and environmental conditions on the memristor switching fields, switching speed, and ON/OFF ratio. Time permitting, arrays of perovskite memristors will be fabricated to create a high-density memory element and 3-terminal gated perovskites will be fabricated and tested to produce multi-state memristor-transistor devices. This project is appropriate for students interested in Chem, Physics, ECE or ChE.

References

[1] Jo, S. H.; Chang, T.; Ebong, I.; Bhadviya, B. B.; Mazumder, P.; Lu, W., Nanoscale Memristor Device as Synapse in Neuromorphic Systems. Nano Letters 2010, 10 (4), 1297-1301.

[2] Prodromakis, T.; Toumazou, C.; Chua, L., Two centuries of memristors. Nat Mater 2012, 11 (6), 478-481.

[3] Snaith, H. J., Perovskites: The Emergence of a New Era for Low-Cost, High-Efficiency Solar Cells. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 2013, 4 (21), 3623-3630.