Phase change memory for synaptic plasticity application in neuromorphic systems

In this paper, we show that Phase Change Memory (PCM) can be used to emulate specific functions of a biological synapse similar to Long Term Potentiation (LTP) and Long Term Depression (LTD) plasticity effects. The dependence of synaptic weight on programming pulse width and pulse amplitude is shown experimentally for the PCM devices. Different combinations of consecutive LTD and LTP events have been experimentally demonstrated and analyzed for the PCM synapse.