Magnetic skyrmion-based synaptic devices
This work addresses the need for efficient synaptic devices in spiking neuromorphic computing, offering a novel approach but appears incremental as it builds on existing skyrmion concepts.
The researchers tackled the challenge of creating synaptic devices for neuromorphic computing by developing a bioinspired magnetic skyrmion-based device that mimics synaptic plasticity, demonstrating functionalities like short-term and long-term potentiation with spiking time-dependent plasticity.
Magnetic skyrmions are promising candidates for next-generation information carriers, owing to their small size, topological stability, and ultralow depinning current density. A wide variety of skyrmionic device concepts and prototypes have been proposed, highlighting their potential applications. Here, we report on a bioinspired skyrmionic device with synaptic plasticity. The synaptic weight of the proposed device can be strengthened/weakened by positive/negative stimuli, mimicking the potentiation/depression process of a biological synapse. Both short-term plasticity(STP) and long-term potentiation(LTP) functionalities have been demonstrated for a spiking time-dependent plasticity(STDP) scheme. This proposal suggests new possibilities for synaptic devices for use in spiking neuromorphic computing applications.