A Reconfigurable Mem-Element Using CMOS Current Amplifiers

There is a plethora of mem-element emulators using different active devices, current amplifier (CA) based memristor, memcapacitors, and meminductor have not been reported in the literature. Although the CA is one of the four fundamental amplifier types, its applications has been limited because synthesis of CA based circuits is challenging. The main contributions of this paper are presenting these missing emulator circuits and demonstrating the realization of a novel universal reconfigurable mem-element using CAs realized in CMOS technology. Since CAs have the potential advantage of offering wide bandwidth compared to its voltage-mode counterparts, these new circuits inherently would exhibit improved frequency response. Various types of mem-elements using only CAs and a multiplier are developed in this work. Starting from the mathematical foundation of the linear model of a mem-element, this work provides a systematic approach leading to the design of a novel reconfigurable mem-element based on CAs. The proposed mem-elements are designed in 180 nm TSMC CMOS process. Cadence simulations show an operating frequency up to 1 MHz while consuming less than 3 mW. Also, experimental results using a prototype implemented using commercially available ICs show the validity of the proposed designs.