Reliably unreliable nanotechnologies

纳米级电阻开关（RS）元件，也被称为忆阻器，目前被认为是建立下一代存储器的一个很有前途的解决方案，因为它们具有无穷小的尺寸，每个元件可以存储多个比特的信息，并且写入不同状态所需的能量极小。目前，微电子界渴望以确定性的方式利用这些属性，其中信息编码和处理通过静态表示实现。因此，研究工作集中在以“More Moore”方法优化忆阻器技术上，以符合现有CMOS器件的属性，即高产量，最高可重复性，非常长的保留特性和传统的电路设计形式。然而，这些元素的功能特性与不可逆的速率限制电/热力学变化有关，这些变化经常使它们处于“远离平衡”的状态，这表明了在概率框架内进行非常规计算的机会。该项目旨在开发超薄功能氧化物、纳米级电阻开关元件和大规模系统。我们将首先研究量子相变的影响和导致不同材料的热力学稳定/不稳定的远程有序/无序的机制。这些机制将在纳米级固态器件中得到利用，用于建立最先进的非易失性多态存储器，以及可能被用作动态计算元件的易失性元件。后者的丰富动力学将与自然发生的纳米系统的反应扩散机制进行比较，以促进新的设计范式和新兴的ICT应用，以证实非常规的计算形式。成功的结果将展示成熟的记忆器件制造技术，该技术将得到必要的设计工具的支持，使CMOS技术远远超出其目前的最先进水平。

Nanoscale resistive switching (RS) elements, also known as memristors, are nowadays regarded as a promising solution for establishing next-generation memory, due to their infinitesimal dimensions, their capacity to store multiple bits of information per element and the miniscule energy required to write distinct states. Currently, the microelectronics community aspires exploiting these attributes in a deterministic fashion where information encoding and processing is realised via static representations. In consequence, research efforts are focused on optimising memristor technology in a "More Moore" approach to comply with existing CMOS devices attributes, i.e. high-yield, supreme reproducibility, very long retention characteristics and conventional circuit design formalisms. The functional properties of such elements are however associated with irreversible rate-limiting electro/thermo-dynamic changes that often bring them in "far from equilibrium" conditions, manifesting opportunities for unconventional computing within a probabilistic framework.This fellowship aims exploiting the strong emergence of ultra-thin functional oxides, nanoscale resistive switching elements and large-scale systems of the same. We will first investigate the effect of quantum phase transitions and the mechanisms leading into thermodynamically stable/unstable long-range order/disorder of distinct materials. These mechanisms will then be exploited in nanoscale solid-state devices for establishing the state-of-the-art in non-volatile multi-state memory but also volatile elements that could potentially be employed as dynamic computational elements. The rich-dynamics of the later will be compared against reaction-diffusion mechanisms of naturally occurring nano-systems to facilitate novel design paradigms and emerging ICT applications for substantiating unconventional computation formalisms. A successful outcome will demonstrate a mature memristive device manufacturing technology that will be supported by the necessary design tools, for taking CMOS technology far beyond its current state-of-art.