NimbleAI: towards neuromorphic sensing-processing 3D-integrated chips

The NimbleAI Horizon Europe project leverages key principles of energy-efficient visual sensing and processing in biological eyes and brains, and harnesses the latest advances in 33D stacked silicon integration, to create an integral sensing-processing neuromorphic architecture that efficiently and accurately runs computer vision algorithms in area-constrained endpoint chips. The rationale behind the NimbleAI architecture is: sense data only with high information value and discard data as soon as they are found not to be useful for the application (in a given context). The NimbleAI sensing-processing architecture is to be specialized after-deployment by tunning system-level trade-offs for each particular computer vision algorithm and deployment environment. The objectives of NimbleAI are: (1) 100x performance per mW gains compared to state-of-the-practice solutions (i.e., CPU/GPUs processing frame-based video); (2) 50x processing latency reduction compared to CPU/GPUs; (3) energy consumption in the order of tens of mWs; and (4) silicon area of approx. 50 mm 2 .NimbleAI has received funding from the EU’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme (Grant Agreement 101070679), and by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee (Grant Agreement 10039070)Peer ReviewedArticle signat per 49 autors/es: Xabier Iturbe, IKERLAN, Basque Country (Spain); Nassim Abderrahmane, MENTA, France; Jaume Abella, Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Catalonia, Spain; Sergi Alcaide, Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Catalonia, Spain; Eric Beyne, IMEC, Belgium; Henri-Pierre Charles, CEA-LIST, University Grenoble Alpes, France; Christelle Charpin-Nicolle, CEALETI, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, France; Lars Chittka, Queen Mary University of London, UK; Angélica Dávila, IKERLAN, Basque Country (Spain); Arne Erdmann, Raytrix, Germany; Carles Estrada, IKERLAN, Basque Country (Spain); Ander Fernández, IKERLAN, Basque Country (Spain); Anna Fontanelli, Monozukuri (MZ Technologies), Italy; José Flich, Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Spain; Gianluca Furano, ESA ESTEC, Netherlands; Alejandro Hernán Gloriani, Viewpointsystem, Austria; Erik Isusquiza, ULMA Medical Technologies, Basque Country (Spain); Radu Grosu, TU Wien, Austria; Carles Hernández, Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Spain; Daniele Ielmini, Politecnico Milano, Italy; David Jackson, University of Manchester, UK; Maha Kooli, CEA-LIST, University Grenoble Alpes, France; Nicola Lepri, Politecnico Milano, Italy; Bernabé Linares-Barranco, CSIC, Spain; Jean-Loup Lachese, MENTA, France; Eric Laurent, MENTA, France; Menno Lindwer, GrAI Matter Labs (GML), Netherlands; Frank Linsenmaier, Viewpointsystem, Austria; Mikel Luján, University of Manchester, UK; Karel Masařík, CODASIP, Czech Republic; Nele Mentens, Universiteit Leiden, Netherlands; Orlando Moreira, GrAI Matter Labs (GML), Netherlands; Chinmay Nawghane, IMEC, Belgium; Luca Peres, University of Manchester, UK; Jean-Philippe Noel, CEA-LIST, University Grenoble Alpes, France; Arash Pourtaherian, GrAI Matter Labs (GML), Netherlands; Christoph Posch, PROPHESEE, France; Peter Priller, AVL List, Austria; Zdenek Prikryl, CODASIP, Czech Republic; Felix Resch, TU Wien, Austria; Oliver Rhodes, University of Manchester, UK; Todor Stefanov, Universiteit Leiden, Netherlands; Moritz Storring, IMEC, Belgium; Michele Taliercio, Monozukuri (MZ Technologies), Italy; Rafael Tornero, Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Spain; Marcel van de Burgwal, IMEC, Belgium; Geert van der Plas, IMEC, Belgium; Elisa Vianello, CEALETI, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, France; Pavel Zaykov, CODASIP, Czech RepublicPostprint (author's final draft

Heavy ion irradiation hardening study on 4kb arrays HfO2_2-based OxRAM

International audienceHfO$_2$ based OxRAM devices integrated in Back End Of Line (BEOL) of 130nm CMOS have been exposed to extreme irradiation conditions related to extensive journey in space, supernova or nuclear disaster exposure: 1.635 GeV Au ion energy and very high fluences, from 10$^9$ ions/cm² to 10$^{12}$ ions/cm². Single resistive devices as well as 4kbit 1T1R arrays have been studied, showing a very good resilience up to a fluence of 5.10$^{10}$ ions/cm². For higher fluences, the degradation of access transistors is identified as the main source for information loss. Without access transistor, single 1R devices were demonstrated to be functional even at the highest fluence of 10$^{12}$ ions/cm². TEM, EDX and nano diffraction analyses show no change in the HfO$_2$ material, as well as in the repartition of the element in the layers, whatever the fluence. These results demonstrate the OxRAM structure is resilient to extreme irradiation conditions

Heavy ion irradiation hardening study on 4kb arrays HfO2_2-based OxRAM

International audienceHfO$_2$ based OxRAM devices integrated in Back End Of Line (BEOL) of 130nm CMOS have been exposed to extreme irradiation conditions related to extensive journey in space, supernova or nuclear disaster exposure: 1.635 GeV Au ion energy and very high fluences, from 10$^9$ ions/cm² to 10$^{12}$ ions/cm². Single resistive devices as well as 4kbit 1T1R arrays have been studied, showing a very good resilience up to a fluence of 5.10$^{10}$ ions/cm². For higher fluences, the degradation of access transistors is identified as the main source for information loss. Without access transistor, single 1R devices were demonstrated to be functional even at the highest fluence of 10$^{12}$ ions/cm². TEM, EDX and nano diffraction analyses show no change in the HfO$_2$ material, as well as in the repartition of the element in the layers, whatever the fluence. These results demonstrate the OxRAM structure is resilient to extreme irradiation conditions

Heavy ion irradiation hardening study on 4kb arrays HfO2_2-based OxRAM

International audienceHfO$_2$ based OxRAM devices integrated in Back End Of Line (BEOL) of 130nm CMOS have been exposed to extreme irradiation conditions related to extensive journey in space, supernova or nuclear disaster exposure: 1.635 GeV Au ion energy and very high fluences, from 10$^9$ ions/cm² to 10$^{12}$ ions/cm². Single resistive devices as well as 4kbit 1T1R arrays have been studied, showing a very good resilience up to a fluence of 5.10$^{10}$ ions/cm². For higher fluences, the degradation of access transistors is identified as the main source for information loss. Without access transistor, single 1R devices were demonstrated to be functional even at the highest fluence of 10$^{12}$ ions/cm². TEM, EDX and nano diffraction analyses show no change in the HfO$_2$ material, as well as in the repartition of the element in the layers, whatever the fluence. These results demonstrate the OxRAM structure is resilient to extreme irradiation conditions

Nano-analytical investigation of the forming process in an HfO2-based resistive switching memory

International audienceMetal oxide-based resistive random access memory devices are highly attractive candidates for next-generation nonvolatile memories, butthe resistive switching phenomena remain poorly understood. This article focuses on the microscopic understanding of the initial formingstep, which is decisive for the switching process. The integrated resistive switching memory effect in Ti/HfO2/TiWN metal insulator metalstructures is studied. After forming, transmission electron microscopy investigations pointed out the presence of a funnel-shaped region, inthe ON state of the cell, where slightly oxidized Ti (TiOx) was present within HfO2 dielectric. Modeling of the measured ON state conductance of the cell with the semi-classical approximation is consistent with a conductive nanometric TiOx filament (or a sum of sub-nanometric TiOx filaments) present in the funnel-shaped region. The conductive area is likely formed by diffusion after the dielectric breakdow

Heavy Ions Radiation Effects on 4kb Phase-Change Memory

International audienceIn this work we analyze, thanks to both material and 4kb memory arrays characterization, the different effects of heavyion radiation at high fluences on Ge$_2$Sb$_2$Te$_5$ and Ge-rich GeSbTe based Phase-Change Memory (PCM)

Heavy Ions Radiation Effects on 4kb Phase-Change Memory

International audienc