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Implementation of 16 Boolean logic operations based on one basic cell of spin-transfer-torque magnetic random access memory

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Abstract

In-memory computing (IMC) systems based on emerging nonvolatile memories (NVMs) provide a thorough solution for memory wall issues and von Neumann bottlenecks. Massive IMC schemes have been proposed by utilizing ingenious structures and additional auxiliary components. However, these schemes are not compatible with the basic cell (one memory unit and one transistor) of emerging random-access memory (RAM), which goes against low-power and high-density requirements. In this paper, we propose a logic implementation scheme based on one magnetic tunnel junction and one transistor (1MTJ-1T), which is the basic cell of spin-transfer-torque magnetic RAM (STT-MRAM). With no other assistance, complete 16 logic operations can be accomplished in two steps with their logic outputs in-situ stored in the MTJ. The area (0.2 µm2) and energy consumption per logic operation (1.1–2.6 pJ) of the logic gates under 14 nm process node are evaluated using SPICE simulations, indicating its excellent performance. Our work exhibits a 1MTJ-1T-based logic operation implementation, which can bridge the gap between STT-MRAM and high-performance IMC applications.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51901008), International Mobility Project (Grant No. B16001), National Key Technology Program of China (Grant No. 2017ZX01032101), National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2018YFB0407602), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 92164206), International Collaboration Project (Grant No. B16001), and VR Innovation Platform from Qingdao Science and Technology Commission and Magnetic Sensor Innovation Platform from Laoshan District.

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Author notes

  1. Huang Y and Cao K H have the same contribution to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fert Beijing Institute, MIIT Key Laboratory of Spintronics, School of Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China

    Yan Huang, Kaihua Cao, Kun Zhang, Jinkai Wang, Kewen Shi, Zuolei Hao, Wenlong Cai, Ao Du, Jialiang Yin, Qing Yang, Chao Zhao & Weisheng Zhao

  2. Beihang-Goertek Joint Microelectronics Institute, Qingdao Research Institute, Beihang University, Qingdao, 266101, China

    Kaihua Cao, Kun Zhang, Jialiang Yin & Weisheng Zhao

  3. Institute of Microelectronics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Yan Huang, Jialiang Yin, Junfeng Li, Jianfeng Gao & Chao Zhao

Authors
  1. Yan Huang
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  2. Kaihua Cao
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  3. Kun Zhang
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  10. Qing Yang
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  11. Junfeng Li
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Kun Zhang or Weisheng Zhao.

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Supporting information

Appendixes A–C. The supporting information is available online at info.scichina.com and link.springer.com. The supporting materials are published as submitted, without typesetting or editing. The responsibility for scientific accuracy and content remains entirely with the authors.

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11432_2021_3562_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Implementation of 16 Boolean Logic Operations Based on One Basic Cell of Spin-Transfer-Torque Magnetic Random Access Memory

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Huang, Y., Cao, K., Zhang, K. et al. Implementation of 16 Boolean logic operations based on one basic cell of spin-transfer-torque magnetic random access memory. Sci. China Inf. Sci. 66, 162402 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11432-021-3562-8

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