Mitigation of inoperable low resistance elements in programable crossbar arrays
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorJanice H. Nickel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A programmable crossbar array includes a layer of row conductors and a layer of column conductors with the row conductors crossing over the column conductors to form junctions. Programmable crosspoint devices are sandwiched between a row conductor and a column conductor at a junction. Each programmable crosspoint device includes a data element with a first programming threshold and a control element with a second programming threshold, in which the second programming threshold is greater than the first programming threshold. A method for mitigating shorts in a programmable crossbar array is also provided.
Claims15
A programmable crossbar array with short mitigation comprising:
- a layer of row conductors;
- a layer of column conductors, the row conductors crossing over the column conductors to form junctions;
- and
- programmable crosspoint devices sandwiched between a row conductor and a column conductor at a junction, each programmable crosspoint device comprising:
- a data element with a first programming threshold;
- a control element with a second programming threshold, in which the second programming threshold is greater than the first programming threshold.
A programmable crossbar array with short mitigation comprising:
- a layer of row conductors;
- a layer of column conductors, the row conductors crossing over the column conductors to form junctions;
- and
- programmable crosspoint devices sandwiched between a row conductor and a column conductor at a junction, each programmable crosspoint device comprising:
- a data memristor element with a first programming threshold;
- a control memristor element with a second programming threshold, the control element comprising a low resistance ON state maintained when the data element is functional and a high resistance OFF state maintained when the data element is in an inoperable low resistance state;
- in which:
- the second programming threshold is greater than the first programming threshold;
- the first programming threshold is a first programming voltage sufficient to change the state of the data element and the second programming threshold is a second programming voltage that is greater than the first programming voltage, such that application of the first programming voltage across the programmable crosspoint device alters the state of the data element but not the control element.
A method for mitigating shorts in a programmable crossbar array comprising:
- detecting an inoperable low resistance data element within a crosspoint device in the array;
- and
- applying a short mitigating programming voltage to the crosspoint device such that a control element within the crosspoint device switches from a low resistance state to a high resistance state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.