The Lecture offers a thorough understanding of diverse nano-scale brain-inspired devices, covering the foundational physics behind their operation, spanning from classical descriptions to quantum principles. Additionally, it provides an overview of micro/nano-fabrication technologies. The lecture will conclude by exploring real-world applications inspired by the brain's functionality.

Big Data, AI and the Internet of Things demand new hardware which overcomes the limitations of von Neumann architectures. The lecture gives an insight how the fundamental physics and the resulting complex functionalities of nanodevices and circuits offer viable alternatives. Their increased computational power and energy efficiency are demonstrated through neuromorphic computing applications.

At the interface between materials sciences, electrical engineering and neurosciences, this course presents how the physical properties of materials can be used in electronic circuits which behave like the brain. For example, the quantum tunneling current through a ferroelectric junction can be reversibly increased by flipping the polarization, mimicking the “potentiation” of a biological synapse.