To provide a semiconductor device with a novel structure. The semiconductor device includes an accelerator. The accelerator includes a first memory circuit, a second memory circuit, and an arithmetic circuit. The first memory circuit includes a first transistor. The second memory circuit includes a second transistor. Each of the first transistor and the second transistor includes a semiconductor layer including a metal oxide in a channel formation region. The arithmetic circuit includes a third transistor. The third transistor includes a semiconductor layer including silicon in a channel formation region. The first transistor and the second transistor are provided in different layers. The layer including the first transistor is provided over a layer including the third transistor. The layer including the second transistor is provided over the layer including the first transistor. The data retention characteristics of the first memory circuit are different from those of the second memory circuit.

A device for implementing spike-timing-dependent plasticity is provided. The device includes a phase-change element, first and second electrodes disposed respective first and second surfaces of the phase-change element. The phase-change element includes a phase-change material with an inverse resistivity characteristic. The first electrode includes a first heater element, and a first electrical insulating layer which electrically insulates the first resistive heater element from the first electrode and the phase-change element. The second electrode includes a second resistive heater element, and a second electrical insulating layer which electrically insulates the second resistive heater element from the second electrode and the phase-change element.

A phase change (PCM) memory device that includes a PCM and a resistance-capacitance (RC) circuit. The PCM has one or more PCM properties, each PCM property has a plurality of PCM property states. As the PCM property states of a given property are Set or Reset, the PCM property states each produce an incremental change to a property level of the respective/associated PCM property, e.g., PCM conductance. The incremental changes to property level of the PCM memory device are in response to application of one or more of a pulse number of voltage pulses. The RC circuit produces a configuring current that flows through the PCM in response to one or more of the voltage pulses. The configuring current modifies one or more of the incremental changes to one or more of the property levels so that the property level changes lineally with respect to the pulse number. The PCM memory device has use in a synapse connector, e.g., in a memory array. The memory array can be used to store and/or read memory values associated with one or more of the property levels. The memory values can be used as weighting values in a neuromorphic computing application/system, like a neural network.

A neuromorphic computing device a method of controlling thereof are provided. The neuromorphic computing device includes a first memory cell array including resistive memory cells that are connected to wordlines, bitlines and source lines, and configured to store data and generate read currents based on input signals and the data; a second memory cell array including reference resistive memory cells that are connected to reference wordlines, reference bitlines and reference source lines, and configured to generate reference currents; and an analog-to-digital converting circuit configured to convert the read currents into digital signals based on the reference currents, wherein a voltage is applied to the reference wordlines, the reference resistive memory cells are arranged in columns to form reference columns, and the reference columns are configured to generate column currents, and one of the reference currents is generated by averaging at least two of the column currents.

An error compensation circuit for analog capacitor memory circuits includes a first transistor and a second transistor with gates connected respectively to top and bottom of an analog memory capacitor to read a voltage charged in the analog memory capacitor; a first switch and a second switch connected respectively to the first transistor and the second transistor to select the voltage to read; a first capacitor and a second capacitor to charge an electric charge to compensate or refresh the analog memory capacitor according to on/off of the first switch and the second switch; and an input terminal connected to sources of the first transistor and the second transistor to apply the voltage to operate the circuit. Accordingly, it is possible to compensate for an unintended phenomenon of the analog capacitor memory or refresh a change in memory value caused by leakage.

A semiconductor memory apparatus may include: a data adjusting circuit configured to conditionally adjust a weight data value for a MAC (Multiplication and ACcumulation) operation based on comparing the weight data value to a reference data value, and generate flag information indicating whether the weight data value has been adjusted; a memory cell array circuit configured to store the adjusted weight data value outputted from the data adjusting circuit; and a data calculation circuit configured to recover, on the flag information, a result based on the weight data value from a result based on the adjusted weight data value to perform the MAC operation on an input data value and the weight data value.

There is provided a magnetoresistance effect element includes: a channel layer that extends in a first direction; a recording layer which includes a film formed from a ferromagnetic material, of which a magnetization state is changed to one of two or greater magnetization states, and which is formed on the channel layer; a non-magnetic layer that is provided on a surface of the recording layer; a reference layer which is provided on a surface of the non-magnetic layer, which includes a film formed from a ferromagnetic material, and of which a magnetization direction is fixed; a terminal pair that includes a first terminal and a second terminal which are electrically connected to the channel layer with an interval in the first direction, and to which a current pulse for bringing the recording layer to any one magnetization state with a plurality of pulses is input by flowing a current to the channel layer between the first terminal and the second terminal; and a third terminal that is electrically connected to the reference layer.

There is provided a magnetoresistance effect element includes: a channel layer that extends in a first direction; a recording layer which includes a film formed from a ferromagnetic material, of which a magnetization state is changed to one of two or greater magnetization states, and which is formed on the channel layer; a non-magnetic layer that is provided on a surface of the recording layer; a reference layer which is provided on a surface of the non-magnetic layer, which includes a film formed from a ferromagnetic material, and of which a magnetization direction is fixed; a terminal pair that includes a first terminal and a second terminal which are electrically connected to the channel layer with an interval in the first direction, and to which a current pulse for bringing the recording layer to any one magnetization state with a plurality of pulses is input by flowing a current to the channel layer between the first terminal and the second terminal; and a third terminal that is electrically connected to the reference layer.

Novel connection between neurons of a neural network is provided. A perceptron included in the neural network includes a plurality of neurons; the neuron includes a synapse circuit and an activation function circuit; and the synapse circuit includes a plurality of memory cells. A bit line selected by address information for selecting a memory cell is shared by a plurality of perceptrons. The memory cell is supplied with a weight coefficient of an analog signal, and the synapse circuit is supplied with an input signal. The memory cell multiplies the input signal by the weight coefficient and converts the multiplied result into a first current. The synapse circuit generates a second current by adding a plurality of first currents and converts the second current into a first potential. The activation function circuit is a semiconductor device that converts the first potential into a second potential by a ramp function and supplies the second potential as an input signal of the synapse circuit included in the perceptron in a next stage.

Novel connection between neurons of a neural network is provided. A perceptron included in the neural network includes a plurality of neurons; the neuron includes a synapse circuit and an activation function circuit; and the synapse circuit includes a plurality of memory cells. A bit line selected by address information for selecting a memory cell is shared by a plurality of perceptrons. The memory cell is supplied with a weight coefficient of an analog signal, and the synapse circuit is supplied with an input signal. The memory cell multiplies the input signal by the weight coefficient and converts the multiplied result into a first current. The synapse circuit generates a second current by adding a plurality of first currents and converts the second current into a first potential. The activation function circuit is a semiconductor device that converts the first potential into a second potential by a ramp function and supplies the second potential as an input signal of the synapse circuit included in the perceptron in a next stage.