Optically accessible memristive devices

One of the most promising contenders for ultralow-energy electronic devices are memristive memories, which allow for sustainably scalable “neuromorphic” computing, potentially capable of reducing power dissipation in IT by >50%. Understanding the nanoscale kinetics of the switching mechanisms is needed to enable high-endurance devices – only this can unlock their integration into fast, low-energy, logic-in-memory architectures. Lately, non-perturbative techniques were introduced to study morphological changes within memristive devices. In particular, plasmonic nanocavities recently became a smart and powerful investigation tool and opened the path for completely new electro-optical applications based on memristive devices. In this review, we will discuss the main research streams currently linking the fields of nanoscale device engineering and plasmon-enhanced light-matter interactions focusing on innovative fast ways to study real-time movement of individual atoms that underpins this new generation of ultralow-energy memory nano-devices.