A memristor-based pixel implementing light-to-resistance conversion

This letter reports a pixel architecture that implements a light-to-resistance encoder exploiting the properties of a memristor. A light-to-frequency (L2F) converter is adopted to drive a memristor with pulses, thus changing its resistance according with the light intensity. In a conventional L2F implementation, a binary counter is needed to store the number of pulses generated within the exposure time (T-i). In the proposed circuit, the binary counter has been replaced with an analog counterpart, made of a single memristor. This turns into a smaller pixel pitch, compared with an all-CMOS solution and analog nonvolatile characteristics. The proposed circuit has been simulated in a 3.3 V, 0.35 mu m CMOS process, while the memristor behavior relies on the HP model. (C) 2016 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).