An efficient Verilog-A memristor model implementation: simulation and application

Abstract

Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology is reaching its limits due to the continuous shrinking process, which has an impact on various aspects including device size, performance, and power consumption. The memristor is one of the promising devices under investigation for use with deep-nanometer CMOS, having applicability in several fields due to its nonlinear behavior, nonvolatility, low power consumption, high density, and CMOS compatibility. Several models for memristors have been developed to date, but there is a requirement for compact models that are both flexible and sufficiently accurate. A general memristor model generated in Verilog-A is discussed herein to confirm its behavior in the one-transistor one-resistor (1T1R) oxide-based random-access memory (OxRAM) configuration, and validated at circuit level. The results of the model correlate well with experimental characterization data for the HfO2-based OxRAM memristor device, describing the characteristics of both its bipolar and unipolar memristor behaviors. The 1T1R structure is analyzed using the Spectre circuit simulator. Two cases are considered, using the cell as either programmable read-only memory (PROM) or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). The simulation results confirm the desired nonlinear memristor characteristic, and the applicability of the model to fit and simulate different switching behaviors. The results are verified against both electrical and experimental characterization data, suggesting that the Verilog-A model is suitable for low-power and high-density logic circuit applications at the industrial level.