PERFORMANCE COMPARISON OF CELL-BASED AND PACKET-BASED SWITCHING SCHEMES FOR SHARED MEMORY SWITCHES

Shared Memory (SM) switches are widely used for its high throughput, low delay and efficient use of memory. This paper compares the performance of two prominent switching schemes of SM packet switches: Cell-Based Switching (CBS) and Packet-Based Switching (PBS).Theoretical analysis is carried out to draw qualitative conclusion on the memory requirement,throughput and packet delay of the two schemes. Furthermore, simulations are carried out to get quantitative results of the performance comparison under various system load, traffic patterns,and memory sizes. Simulation results show that PBS has the advantage of shorter time delay while CBS has lower memory requirement and outperforms in throughput when the memory size is limited. The comparison can be used for tradeoff between performance and complexity in switch design.

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF MULTICAST REPLICATION MECHANISM IN SHARED-MEMORY SWITCH WITH SPEEDUP

A multicast replication algorithm is proposed for shared memory switches. It uses a dedicated FIFO to multicast by replicating cells at receiver and the FIFO is operating with shared memory in parallel. Speedup is used to promote loss and delay performance. A new queueing analytical model is developed based on a sub-timeslot approach. The system performance in terms of cell loss and delay is analyzed and verified by simulation.

Resistive Switching Memory of TiO2 Nanowire Networks Grown on Ti Foil by a Single Hydrothermal Method

The resistive switching characteristics of TiO_2 nanowire networks directly grown on Ti foil by a single-step hydrothermal technique are discussed in this paper. The Ti foil serves as the supply of Ti atoms for growth of the TiO_2 nanowires, making the preparation straightforward. It also acts as a bottom electrode for the device. A top Al electrode was fabricated by e-beam evaporation process. The Al/TiO_2 nanowire networks/Ti device fabricated in this way displayed a highly repeatable and electroforming-free bipolar resistive behavior with retention for more than 10~4 s and an OFF/ON ratio of approximately 70. The switching mechanism of this Al/TiO_2 nanowire networks/Ti device is suggested to arise from the migration of oxygen vacancies under applied electric field. This provides a facile way to obtain metal oxide nanowire-based Re RAM device in the future.

Observation of Resistive Switching Memory by Reducing Device Size in a New Cr/CrO_x/TiO_x/TiN Structure

The resistive switching memory characteristics of 100 randomly measured devices were observed by reducing device size in a Cr/Cr Ox/Ti Ox/Ti N structure for the first time.Transmission electron microscope image confirmed a viahole size of 0.4 lm.A 3-nm-thick amorphous Ti Oxwith 4-nm-thick polycrystalline Cr Oxlayer was observed.A small 0.4-lm device shows reversible resistive switching at a current compliance of 300 l A as compared to other larger size devices(1–8 lm)owing to reduction of leakage current through the Ti Oxlayer.Good device-to-device uniformity with a yield of[85%has been clarified by weibull distribution owing to higher slope/shape factor.The switching mechanism is based on oxygen vacancy migration from the Cr Oxlayer and filament formation/rupture in the Ti Oxlayer.Long read pulse endurance of[105cycles,good data retention of 6 h,and a program/erase speed of 1 ls pulse width have been obtained.

Atomic crystals resistive switching memory

Facing the growing data storage and computing demands, a high accessing speed memory with low power and non- volatile character is urgently needed. Resistive access random memory with 4F2 cell size, switching in sub-nanosecond, cycling endurances of over 1012 cycles, and information retention exceeding 10 years, is considered as promising next- generation non-volatile memory. However, the energy per bit is still too high to compete against static random access memory and dynamic random access memory. The sneak leakage path and metal film sheet resistance issues hinder the further scaling down. The variation of resistance between different devices and even various cycles in the same device, hold resistive access random memory back from commercialization. The emerging of atomic crystals, possessing fine interface without dangling bonds in low dimension, can provide atomic level solutions for the obsessional issues. Moreover, the unique properties of atomic crystals also enable new type resistive switching memories, which provide a brand-new direction for the resistive access random memory.

Flexible and degradable resistive switching memory fabricated with sodium alginate

Transient electronics has attracted interest as an emerging technology to solve electronic-waste problem,due to its physically vanishing ability in solution.Here in this work,we demonstrate a flexible and degradable transient resistive switching(RS) memory device with simple structure of Cu/sodium alginate(SA)/ITO.The device presents excellent RS characteristics as well as high flexibility,including low operating voltage(<1.5 V) and multilevel RS behavior.No performance degradation occurs after bending the device 50 times.Moreover,our device can be absolutely dissolved in deionized water.The proposed SA-based transient memory device has great potential for the development of green and security memory devices.

Resistive switching memory for high density storage and computing

The resistive random access memory(RRAM)has stimulated a variety of promising applications including programmable analog circuit,massive data storage,neuromorphic computing,etc.These new emerging applications have huge demands on high integration density and low power consumption.The cross-point configuration or passive array,which offers the smallest footprint of cell size and feasible capability of multi-layer stacking,has received broad attention from the research community.In such array,correct operation of reading and writing on a cell relies on effective elimination of the sneaking current coming from the neighboring cells.This target requires nonlinear I-V characteristics of the memory cell,which can be realized by either adding separate selector or developing implicit build-in nonlinear cells.The performance of a passive array largely depends on the cell nonlinearity,reliability,on/off ratio,line resistance,thermal coupling,etc.This article provides a comprehensive review on the progress achieved concerning 3D RRAM integration.First,the authors start with a brief overview of the associative problems in passive array and the category of 3D architectures.Next,the state of the arts on the development of various selector devices and self-selective cells are presented.Key parameters that influence the device nonlinearity and current density are outlined according to the corresponding working principles.Then,the reliability issues in 3D array are summarized in terms of uniformity,endurance,retention,and disturbance.Subsequently,scaling issue and thermal crosstalk in 3D memory array are thoroughly discussed,and applications of 3D RRAM beyond storage,such as neuromorphic computing and CMOL circuit are discussed later.Summary and outlooks are given in the final.

TiOx-based self-rectifying memory device for crossbar WORM memory array applications

Resistive switching with a self-rectifying feature is one of the most effective solutions to overcome the crosstalk issue in a crossbar array. In this paper, a memory device based on Pt/TiO_(x)/W structure with self-rectifying property is demonstrated for write-once-read-many-times(WORM) memory application. After programming, the devices exhibit excellent uniformity and keep in the low resistance state(LRS) permanently with a rectification ratio as high as 10^(4) at ±1 V. The self-rectifying resistive switching behavior can be attributed to the Ohmic contact at TiO_(x)/W interface and the Schottky contact at Pt/TiO_(x) interface. The results in this paper demonstrate the potential application of TiO_(x)-based WORM memory device in crossbar arrays.

Enhanced resistance switching stability of transparent ITO/TiO_2/ITO sandwiches

We report that fully transparent resistive random access memory （TRRAM） devices based on ITO/TiO2/ITO sandwich structure, which are prepared by the method of RF magnetron sputtering, exhibit excellent switching stability. In the visible region （400 800 nm in wavelength） the TRRAM device has a transmittance of more than 80%. The fabricated TRRAM device shows a bipolar resistance switching behaviour at low voltage, while the retention test and rewrite cycles of more than 300,000 indicate the enhancement of switching capability. The mechanism of resistance switching is further explained by the forming and rupture processes of the filament in the TiO2 layer with the help of more oxygen vacancies which are provided by the transparent ITO electrodes.

Effects of Film Thickness and Ar/O2 Ratio on Resistive Switching Characteristics of HfOx-Based Resistive-Switching Random Access Memories

Cu/HfOx/n^＋Si devices are fabricated to investigate the influence of technological parameters including film thickness and Ar/02 ratio on the resistive switching （RS） characteristics of HfOx films, in terms of switch ratio, endurance properties, retention time and multilevel storage. It is revealed that the RS characteristics show strong dependence on technological parameters mainly by altering the defects （oxygen vacancies） in the film. The sample with thickness of 2Onto and Ar/O2 ratio of 12：3 exhibits the best RS behavior with the potential of multilevel storage. The conduction mechanism of all the films is interpreted based on the filamentary model.

Ultralow switching voltage and power consumption of GeS_(2)thin film resistive switching memory

The coming Big Data Era requires progress in storage and computing technologies.As an emerging memory technology,Resistive RAM(RRAM)has shown its potential in the next generation high-density storage and neuromorphic computing applications,which extremely demand low switching voltage and power consumption.In this work,a 10 nm-thick amorphous GeS_(2)thin film was utilized as the functional layer of RRAM in a combination with Ag and Pt electrodes.The structure and memory performance of the GeS_(2)-based RRAM device was characterized-it presents high on/off ratio,fast switching time,ultralow switching voltage(0.15 V)and power consumption(1.0 pJ and 0.56 pJ for PROGRAM and ERASE operations,respectively).We attribute these competitive memory characteristics to Ag doping phenomena and subsequent formation of Ag nano-islands in the functional layer that occurs due to diffusion of Ag from electrode into the GeS_(2)thin film.These properties enable applications of GeS_(2)for low energy RRAM device.

Thickness-dependent monochalcogenide GeSe-based CBRAM for memory and artificial electronic synapses

Investigating the promising chalcogenide materials for the development of memory and advanced neuromorphic computing applications is a critical step in realizing electronic memory and synaptic devices that can efficiently emulate biological synaptic functions.However,the assessment of monochalcogenide materials for the fabrication of highly scalable memory and electronic synaptic devices that can accurately mimic synaptic functions remain limited.In the present study,we investigated the thickness-dependent resistive switching(RS)behavior of conductive bridge random access memory(CBRAM)based on a monochalcogenide GeSe switching medium for its possible application in high-performance memory and electronic synapses.GeSe thin films of different thicknesses(6,13,24,35,47,and 56 nm)were deposited via sputtering to fabricate CBRAM devices with a stacking sequence of Ag/GeSe/Pt/Ti/SiO_(2).The devices exhibited compliance current(CC)-free and electroforming-free RS with highly stable endurance and retention characteristics with no major degradation.All devices with a thickness of 6 nm had a low-resistance state(LRS),which required an initial reset to ensure reliable switching cycles.The devices with a thickness of 47 nm and above exhibited the co-existence of unipolar resistive switching(U-RS)and bipolar resistive switching(B-RS)with the CC-controlled transition between the two switching behaviors.Multilevel resistance states in the 24-nm device between a high-resistance state(HRS)and an LRS were achieved by controlling the set-CC(from 5 mA to CC-free)and the reset stop voltage(from–0.5 to–1.0 V)during the set and reset processes,respectively.The analog RS behavior of the device was further investigated with appropriate pulse measurements to emulate vital synaptic functions,including long-term potentiation(LTP),long-term depression(LTD),spike-rate-dependent plasticity(SRDP),spike-timing-dependent plasticity(STDP),paired-pulse facilitation(PPF),paired-pulse depression(PPD)and post-tetanic potentiation(PTP).Overall,the detailed investigation of thickness-dependent GeSe monochalcogenide material indicates that it is a highly suitable candidate for use in highly scalable memory devices and electronic synapses for neuromorphic computing applications.

Resistive random access memory and its applications in storage and nonvolatile logic

The resistive random access memory（RRAM） device has been widely studied due to its excellent memory characteristics and great application potential in different fields. In this paper, resistive switching materials,switching mechanism, and memory characteristics of RRAM are discussed. Recent research progress of RRAM in high-density storage and nonvolatile logic application are addressed. Technological trends are also discussed.

Comparison between Pt/TiO_2/Pt and Pt/TaO_X/TaO_Y/Pt based bipolar resistive switching devices

Nonvolatile memories have emerged in recent years and have become a leading candidate towards replacing dynamic and static random-access memory devices.In this article,the performances of T1O_2 and TaO_2nonvolatile memristive devices were compared and the factors that make TaO_2 memristive devices better than T1O_2 memristive devices were studied.TaO_2 memristive devices have shown better endurance performances（10~8times more switching cycles） and faster switching speed（5 times） than TiO_2 memristive devices.Electroforming of TaO_2 memristive devices requires ~ 4.5 times less energy than TiO_2 memristive devices of a similar size.The retention period of TaO_2 memristive devices is expected to exceed 10 years with sufficient experimental evidence.In addition to comparing device performances,this article also explains the differences in physical device structure,switching mechanism,and resistance switching performances of TiO_2 and TaO_2 memristive devices.This article summarizes the reasons that give TaO_2 memristive devices the advantage over TiO_2 memristive devices,in terms of electroformation,switching speed,and endurance.

Technological Exploration of RRAM Crossbar Array for Matrix-Vector Multiplication

Matrix-vector multiplication is the key operation for many computationally intensive algorithms. The emerging metal oxide resistive switching random access memory （RRAM） device and RRAM crossbar array have demonstrated a promising hardware realization of the analog matrix-vector multiplication with ultra-high energy efficiency. In this paper, we analyze the impact of both device level and circuit level non-ideal factors, including the nonlinear current-voltage relationship of RRAM devices, the variation of device fabrication and write operation, and the interconnect resistance as well as other crossbar array parameters. On top of that, we propose a technological exploration flow for device parameter configuration to overcome the impact of non-ideal factors and achieve a better trade-off among performance, energy, and reliability for each specific application. Our simulation results of a support vector machine （SVM） and Mixed National Institute of Standards and Technology （MNIST） pattern recognition dataset show that RRAM crossbar array based SVM is robust to input signal fluctuation but sensitive to tunneling gap deviation. A further resistance resolution test presents that a 6-bit RRAM device is able to realize a recognition accuracy around 90%, indicating the physical feasibility of RRAM crossbar array based SVM. In addition, the proposed technological exploration flow is able to achieve 10.98% improvement of recognition accuracy on the MNIST dataset and 26.4% energy savings compared with previous work. Experimental results also show that more than 84.4% power saving can be achieved at the cost of little accuracy reduction.