Memristive switching, a nonlinear current–voltage (I–V) characteristic, has seen a tremendous surge in interest as an approach to achieve implementation of synaptic functions. The memristive switching behavior of self‐assembled NiO nanocrystals is investigated via scanning probe microscopy, based on first‐order reversal curve current–voltage spectroscopy. Synaptic switching is clearly observed as a direct consequence of filament growth (i.e., gradually increased conductance) in the nanocrystals. A spatial dependency of the conduction in the nanocrystals suggests that there is a localization of the switching filament. The current understanding of this localization ignores features related to local lateral variation current, which can generate an excessive local heat and temperature such as electrical dissipation. The observation of low electrical dissipation at the edge of the nanocrystals shows that less energy is wasted as heat such that the bias applied can be utilized more efficiently to assist the nucleation of the filament and thus reduces the power consumption. Electrical power dissipation is also found to scale with nanocrystal height and has spatial dependence within the nanocrystals. The combination of synaptic switching and high density of the nanocrystals demonstrate that it is feasible to exploit them to create a basic architecture for neuromorphic memory devices.

中文翻译：

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自组装NiO纳米晶阵列作为忆阻元素

忆阻开关，非线性电流-电压（I – V）的特性，作为实现突触功能的一种方法，人们的兴趣激增。基于一阶反转曲线电流-电压光谱，通过扫描探针显微镜研究了自组装NiO纳米晶体的忆阻开关行为。可以清楚地观察到突触切换是纳米晶体中细丝生长（即电导逐渐增加）的直接结果。纳米晶体中传导的空间依赖性表明，开关丝存在局部。当前对这种局部化的理解忽略了与局部横向变化电流有关的特征，该电流可能产生过多的局部热量和温度，例如电耗散。在纳米晶体的边缘处的低电耗的观察表明，较少的能量被浪费为热量，从而可以更有效地利用所施加的偏压来辅助灯丝的成核，从而降低了功耗。还发现电耗散与纳米晶体的高度成比例，并且在纳米晶体内具有空间依赖性。突触开关和纳米晶体的高密度的结合表明，利用它们来创建神经形态存储设备的基本体系结构是可行的。还发现电耗散与纳米晶体的高度成比例，并且在纳米晶体内具有空间依赖性。突触开关和纳米晶体的高密度的结合表明，利用它们来创建神经形态存储设备的基本体系结构是可行的。还发现电耗散与纳米晶体的高度成比例，并且在纳米晶体内具有空间依赖性。突触切换和纳米晶体的高密度的结合表明，利用它们来创建神经形态存储设备的基本体系结构是可行的。