What is the memristor and how it plans to use

The term memristor formed of two words memory (memory) and a resistor (resistance). At its core, the chip component is a kind of an unusual kind of resistor whose memory is present.

The essence lies in the fact that this element there is a change in conductivity in accordance with the amount of memristor passed through the charge as a function of the integral over time transmitted through the component current.

Memristor can be described as a two-terminal current-voltage characteristics of the nonlinear nature with a certain hysteresis.

A new era in the world of computer technology

The history of this unusual element takes in the early 70s of the last century already. It was then that a scientist from the American Professor L. Chua created their theoretical model, where the given relation between the voltage applied to the object and the time integral of the current.

And a very long time, theoretical calculations of American scientists were just a theory. It was only in 2008 another experiment representatives of Hewlett - Packard, under the constant supervision of S. Williams helped to create a prototype of an element with memory. However, it is quite significantly different from the theoretical model.

This element is not in any way support the magnetic flux (the coil), does not perform a charge accumulation function (like a classic capacitor) and did not respond like a normal resistor. That is, get the fourth component!

Thus the obtained conductive member properties underwent changes due to chemical reactions occurring in the two-layer film of titanium dioxide, the thickness of which is equal to 5 nm.

Wherein the first layer has been specifically depleted of oxygen, and when voltage is applied through titanium electrodes, the vacant locations oxygen started to move between the layers. Thus changing the resistance of the device.

This phenomenon of hysteresis enabled already at this early stage to predict the application of memristor as memory, as well as in several areas of the new item of electronics is quite able to replace semiconductor transistors.

Opening perspectives widespread use memristor

If you speculate a little, then the application of memristor opens the following perspectives:

Realized memory memristor theory should be much faster and denser than of modern flash memory. And so it will be completely replaced by computer memory and not only.

Since the memristor peculiar way records in memory passed charge, in principle, computers can generally exclude such a thing as the system load. And the work will continue with exactly the point at which you stopped it the last time.

Hewlett-Packard Company and Hynix issued a statement that the technology is ready for widespread adoption. And in 2014 the project was published, and a prototype supercomputer «The Machine» already in 2016 demonstrated. In which memory just been put into memristor.

The potential use of the new element is wide enough, because memristors can be used not only for save the data, but also as an element of actively participating in the processing of the data stream.

In theory, using the memristor is quite possible to create an artificial synapse in the composite complex neural networks. After all, the real behavior of the memristor is very similar to the behavior of the synapse: that is, the larger the signal passes through it, the better throughput in the future.

In other words, the prospects for the introduction of a new element is enormous. After all, even the energy efficient computing systems with the ability to establish the current state even after power failure is a strong leap forward

In the near future we can get at least a better class of integrated circuits. Where pros capacitors and inductors are used successfully at the nanoscale.

Interest in this discovery is only growing, and these are just a few companies active in this area:

conclusion

Progress does not stand still and the creation of, and in the near future and active implementation, the memristor another proof. If the article was useful to you, or are interested in, you will appreciate it Like. Thank you for your attention!