Spike-time dependent plasticity rule in memristor models for circuits design

Abstract Spike Time-Dependent Plasticity (STDP) represents an essential learning rule found in biological synapses which is recommended for replication in neuromorphic electronic systems. This rule is defined as a process of updating synaptic weight that depends on the time difference between the pre- and post-synaptic spikes. It is well known that pre-synaptic activity preceding post-synaptic activity may induce long term potentiation (LTP) whereas the reverse case induces long term depression (LTD). Memristors, which are two-terminal memory devices, are excellent candidates to implement such a mechanism due to their distinctive characteristics. In this article, we analyze the fundamental characteristics of three of the most known memristor models, and then we simulate it in order to mimic the plasticity rule of biological synapses. The tested models are the linear ion drift model (HP), the Voltage ThrEshold Adaptive Memristor (VTEAM) model and the Enhanced Generalized Memristor (EGM) model. We compare the I-V characteristics of these models with an experimental memristive device based on Ta2O5. We simulate and validate the STDP Hebbian learning algorithm proving the capability of each model to reproduce the conductance change for the LTP and LTD functions. Thus, our simulation results explore the most suitable model to operate as a synapse component for neuromorphic circuits.