Researchers from Cambridge University have developed computer memory devices that use self-assembled barriers to process data in a similar way to synapses. The devices, based on hafnium oxide, could lead to the development of memory devices with greater density, higher performance and lower energy consumption. The team developed a prototype device based on hafnium oxide, which is already used in the semiconductor industry. By adding barium to thin films of the material, the researchers were able to create vertical barium-rich “bridges” that allow electrons to pass through, while the surrounding hafnium oxide remains unstructured.