Memristive Switch [HP Labs]

The Memristive switch:

“The team conducted its experiments by building a nanoscale memristor switch – at 50 nanometers by 50 nanometers, it is the world’s smallest – that contained a layer of titanium dioxide (a chemical commonly used in both sunscreen and white paint) between two nanowires. As its name implies, titanium dioxide typically comprises one titanium atom for every two oxygen atoms. Scientist Jianhua Yang found that by subtly manipulating the distribution of the oxygen atoms in this layer, he could control how the device functioned. Although other labs have demonstrated switching using similar materials, none have achieved this level of control over the switches. On Controlling the switch: The HP Labs scientists were able to determine both when current flowed through the switch and also how much current flowed through it, operating the switch more like a dial. They could set the switch to ‘on’ or ‘off’ – ‘1’ or ‘0’ – and they could dial up or down to anything in between. “A conventional device has just 0 and 1 – two states – this can be 0.2 or 0.5 or 0.9,” says Yang. That in-between quality is what gives the memristor its potential for brain-like information processing.”

– from HP Information and Quantum Systems Lab: Full Article, published Jun 2008.