A multi-value 3D crossbar array nonvolatile memory based on pure memristors

Abstract

How to improve the storage density and solve the sneak path current problem has become the key to the design of nonvolatile memristive memory. In this paper, a high storage density and high reading/writing speed 3D crossbar array non-volatile memory based on pure memristors is proposed. The main works are as follows: 1) an extensible memristive cluster is proposed, 2) a memristive switch is designed, and 3) a 3D crossbar array non-volatile memory is constructed. The memory cell of the 3D crossbar array non-volatile memory is constructed by pure memristors and can be extended by adding memristor in a memristive cluster or adding memristive clusters in a memory cell to realize multi-value storage. The memristive switch can effectively reduce the sneak path current effect. The pure memristive memory cell solves the conflict between the storage density and sneak path current effect, greatly improve the storage density of memory cells. Furthermore, the 3D cross-array structure allows different memory cells on the same layer or different layers to be read and written in parallel, which greatly improves the speed of reading and writing. Simulations with PSpice verifies that the proposed memristive cluster can realize stable multi-value storage, has higher storage density, faster reading and writing speed, fewer input ports and output ports, better stability, and lower power consumption. Moreover, the structure proposed in this paper can also be used in the circuit design of the neuromorphic network, logic circuit, and other memristive circuits.

Novel memristor and memristor-based applications

“…Sun et al [13] illustrated the implementation of a 3D crossbar array using purely memristive cells. The authors reported that the proposed 3D crossbar array nonvolatile memory has higher reading/writing speed, higher storage density, and lower power consumption.…”

“…Additionally, the tools for memristor models should be diversified, such as fractional-order derivative, fractional-order difference, analog circuit, and digital circuits. Therefore, memristor-based studies are collected in this volume, including neural systems [1][2][3], multistability and hidden dynamics [4][5][6][7][8][9][10], synchronization controller [11,12], circuits [13][14][15][16][17][18], discrete memristor chaotic maps [19][20][21][22][23], and image encryption applications [24,25]. Some of the contributions discuss several aspects.…”

Design of the Threshold-Controllable Memristor Emulator Based on NDR Characteristics

“…A memristor is a non-linear resistor with memory characteristics, and its i-v characteristic curve is related to the frequency. Its proven good performance implies significant potential in the fields of chaotic circuits [3][4][5], nonvolatile memory [6,7], digital logic [8,9], artificial neural networks [10][11][12], and non-linear circuits. In general, the research of memristors includes physical implementation [2,13,14], applications in electronic circuits [15,16], and memristor emulators [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26].…”

Memristive Cluster Based Compact High-Density Nonvolatile Memory Design and Application for Image Storage

“…Then, Sun et al [38] proposed a new 1T2M structure, which solves the sneak path current problem with one word line. Some scholars have tried to use all-memristor designs to realize the design of memory cells, such as the structure of 2M1M [39] and 2M2M [40], 2M is used to replace the transistor to realize the switching function, and avoid sneak path current, all-memristor designs increase the storage density, but the problem of sneak path current is inevitable. Therefore, how to improve the storage density while solving the sneak path current problem is the research focus of memristor memory.…”

“…In our previous works [38,40], an extensible memristive cluster structure enabling multi-value memory is proposed, which can improve the store density by adding memristors with different characteristics. On the basis of this work, this paper proposes a 4M memristive cluster, which is connected with a transistor to form a memory cell of a crossbar array, to realize a 4-bit multi-valued nonvolatile memory.…”