State-of-the-art IoT technologies request novel design solutions in edge computing, resulting in even more portable and energy-efficient hardware for in-the-field processing tasks. Vision sensors, processors, and hardware accelerators are among the most demanding IoT applications. Resistance switching (RS) two-terminal devices are suitable for resistive RAMs (RRAM), a promising technology to realize storage class memories. Furthermore, due to their memristive nature, RRAMs are appropriate candidates for in-memory computing architectures. Recently, we demonstrated a CMOS compatible silicon nitride (SiNx) MIS RS device with memristive properties. In this paper, a report on a new photodiode-based vision sensor architecture with in-memory computing capability, relying on memristive device, is disclosed. In this context, the resistance switching dynamics of our memristive device were measured and a data-fitted behavioral model was extracted. SPICE simulations were made highlighting the in-memory computing capabilities of the proposed photodiode-one memristor pixel vision sensor. Finally, an integration and manufacturing perspective was discussed.
Keywords: IoT; SPICE; crossbar; dot product engine; edge computing; in-memory computing; memristor; photodiode; resistance switching; resistive random-access memory (RRAM); silicon nitride; vision sensor.