Artificial Synapses Realized by Atomic
Switch Technology
Tohru Tsuruoka, Takeo Ohno, Alpana Nayak, Rui Yang,
Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, Kazuya Terabe, James K. Gimzewski,
and Masakazu Aono
Abstract The atomic switch technology can be used to emulate the synaptic
plasticity underlying short-term and long-term memory functions in the human
brain. These functions are realized by transport of metal ions or oxygen ions in
sulfide or oxide matrices. The change in conductance of these devices is considered
analogous to the change in strength of biological synapses that varies depending on
the strength, frequency, and number of stimulating input pulses. The devices also
exhibit sensitivity to the moisture in and temperature of the ambient environment,
and configurable multifunction including rectification and synaptic plasticity under
different electroforming conditions. These observations indicate that the atomic
switch technology has great potential for use as an essential building block for
neural computing systems.
T. Tsuruoka (*) · K. Terabe · M. Aono
International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials
Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
e-mail: TSURUOKA.Tohru@nims.go.jp
T. Ohno
Faculty of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, Oita University, Oita,
Japan
A. Nayak
Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Bihta, Patna, Bihar, India
R. Yang
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology,
Wuhan, China
T. Hasegawa
Department of Applied Physics, Waseda University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
J. K. Gimzewski
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, East Los
Angeles, CA, USA
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
M. Aono (ed.), Atomic Switch, Advances in Atom and Single Molecule Machines,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34875-5_10
175
Switch Technology
Tohru Tsuruoka, Takeo Ohno, Alpana Nayak, Rui Yang,
Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, Kazuya Terabe, James K. Gimzewski,
and Masakazu Aono
Abstract The atomic switch technology can be used to emulate the synaptic
plasticity underlying short-term and long-term memory functions in the human
brain. These functions are realized by transport of metal ions or oxygen ions in
sulfide or oxide matrices. The change in conductance of these devices is considered
analogous to the change in strength of biological synapses that varies depending on
the strength, frequency, and number of stimulating input pulses. The devices also
exhibit sensitivity to the moisture in and temperature of the ambient environment,
and configurable multifunction including rectification and synaptic plasticity under
different electroforming conditions. These observations indicate that the atomic
switch technology has great potential for use as an essential building block for
neural computing systems.
T. Tsuruoka (*) · K. Terabe · M. Aono
International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials
Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
e-mail: TSURUOKA.Tohru@nims.go.jp
T. Ohno
Faculty of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, Oita University, Oita,
Japan
A. Nayak
Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Bihta, Patna, Bihar, India
R. Yang
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology,
Wuhan, China
T. Hasegawa
Department of Applied Physics, Waseda University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
J. K. Gimzewski
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, East Los
Angeles, CA, USA
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
M. Aono (ed.), Atomic Switch, Advances in Atom and Single Molecule Machines,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34875-5_10
175