Characterization and Modeling of Nonfilamentary Ta/TaOx/TiO2/Ti Analog Synaptic Device

A two-terminal analog synaptic device that precisely emulates biological synaptic features is expected to be a critical component for future hardware-based neuromorphic computing. Typical synaptic devices based on filamentary resistive switching face severe limitations on the implementation of concurrent inhibitory and excitatory synapses with low conductance and state fluctuation. For overcoming these limitations, we propose a Ta/TaO_x/TiO₂/Ti device with superior analog synaptic features. A physical simulation based on the homogeneous (nonfilamentary) barrier modulation induced by oxygen ion migration accurately reproduces various DC and AC evolutions of synaptic states, including the spike-timing-dependent plasticity and paired-pulse facilitation. Furthermore, a physics-based compact model for facilitating circuit-level design is proposed on the basis of the general definition of memristor devices. This comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of the promising electronic synapse can facilitate realizing large-scale neuromorphic systems.