Novel STT Device and Circuit Scheme to Enable All-Metallic Logic

Abstract

A novel Spin transfer torque magnetic tunnel junction (mCell) is described that enables non-volatile circuits. The mCell uses an MTJ for its magnetic logic state evaluation and the state is switched by an electrically isolated write path based on STT-driven domain wall motion. Unique mLogic circuits are created from m-Cells based on current signals and pulsed voltage supplies for power and clocking without requiring semiconductors. Simulations demonstrate circuits operating with supply voltages pulses of ±10-100mV that can be noisy or intermittent. Example circuits are shown for design opportunities of high throughput logic blocks, data converters, associative memories and FPGAs.

Bios

Larry Pileggi is the Tanoto professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and the director of the Center for Circuit and System Solutions (C2S2), one of six centers in the SRC/DARPA Focus Center Research Program. He previously held positions at Westinghouse Research and Development and the University of Texas at Austin. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 1989. He has received various awards, including Westinghouse corporation’s highest engineering achievement award in 1986, Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) Technical Excellence Awards in 1991 and 1999, the inaugural Richard A. Newton GSRC Industrial Impact Award, the SRC Aristotle award in 2008, and the 2010 IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Mac Van Valkenburg Award. He has published over 250 refereed publications and holds 30 U.S. patents. He is a fellow of IEEE.

Jian-Gang (Jimmy) Zhu is the ABB Professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and the director of the Data Storage Systems Center. He received his his Ph.D. in Physics from University of California at San Diego in 1989. Prior come to Carnegie Mellon in 1997, he had been a faculty in the Department of Electrical Engineering at University of Minnesota since 1990. Some of the awards that he received include the McKnight Land Grant Professorship from University of Minnesota in 1992, the NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award in 1993, the R&D Magazine Top 100 Invention Award in 1996, and most recently, IEEE Magnetic Society Achievement Award in 2011. He was IEEE Magnetic Society Distinguished Lecturer in 2004. He has published over 270 refereed journal papers along with six book chapters and has given over 70 invited papers at various major international conferences. He holds 16 U.S. patents. He is a Fellow of IEEE.