The aim of this book is to present the collective expertise of the neuromorphic engineering community. It presents the central concepts required for creative and successful design of analog very-large-scale-integrated (VLSI) circuits. The book could support teaching courses, and provides an efficient introduction to new practitioners who have some previous training in engineering, physics, or computer science.
Neuromorphic engineers are striving to improve the performance of artificial systems by developing chips and systems that process information collectively using predominantly analog circuits. Consequently, our book biases the discussion of analog principles and design towards novel circuits that emulate natural signal processing. These circuits have been used in implementations of neural computational systems or neuromorphic systems and biologicallyinspired processing systems. Unlike most circuits in commercial or industrial applications, our circuits are operated mainly in the subthreshold or weak inversion region. Moreover, their functionality is not limited to linear operations, but encompasses also many interesting nonlinear operations similar to those occuring in natural systems.
Neuromorphic engineers work to improve the performance of artificial systems through the development of chips and systems that process information collectively using primarily analog circuits. This book presents the central concepts required for the creative and successful design of analog VLSI circuits. The discussion is weighted toward novel circuits that emulate natural signal processing. Unlike most circuits in commercial or industrial applications, these circuits operate mainly in the subthreshold or weak inversion region. Moreover, their functionality is not limited to linear operations, but also encompasses many interesting nonlinear operations similar to those occurring in natural systems. Topics include device physics, linear and nonlinear circuit forms, translinear circuits, photodetectors, floating-gate devices, noise analysis, and process technology.