Neuromorphic hardware that can store data even when power is off

The device, developed by IIT Delhi and Bombay, consists of an ultra-thin layer of cobalt, fabricated using state-of-the-art facilities at IIT Delhi. Thickness of the layer used are in nano-meter range, which is 80,000-1,00,000 times smaller than human hair. 

A research team led by Prof Pranaba Kishor Muduli at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and Prof Debanjan Bhowmik at IIT Bombay has built a new neuromorphic hardware using magnetic materials. The device is capable of storing data even when the power is off. It functions similar to a synapse in the neurological system.  

The device consists of an ultra-thin layer of cobalt, fabricated using state-of-the-art facilities at IIT Delhi. Thickness of the layer used are in nano-meter range, which is 80,000-1,00,000 times smaller than human hair. The fabrication needs enormous precision; hence it is carried out in an ultra-high vacuum chamber containing nearly no air molecules. 

The experimental work has been carried out mainly by Ram Singh Yadav, a PhD student at the Department of Physics, IIT Delhi, and jointly supervised by Prof Pranaba Kishor Muduli and Prof Debanjan Bhowmik. This is the first experimental demonstration of neuromorphic device using magnetic materials from India.  

“We have high hopes that the study contributes significantly to both India semiconductor mission as well as Make-in-India mission of the Government of India,” Prof Pranaba Kishor Muduli, Department of Physics, IIT Delhi, said. The work was supported by “Scheme for Transformational and Advanced Research in Sciences (STARS)”, which is funded by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. 

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