Design of Circuits and Systems for Nonvolatile Nanomagnetic Logic
Final Report Abstract
Even though computation in the ferromagnetic domain is mainly unidentified in the domain of IC design, the presented results may provide a promising technology platform for future 3D integrated circuits and systems especially when implemented in a co-processor, systolic or reconfigurable architecture. In order to point towards system level implementations, we developed computationally efficient compact-models, calibrated against our current NML technology. The models were implemented on three levels of abstraction, (1) MATLAB/SIMULINK to address the Arrhenius-type switching, (2) Verilog-A to provide the link to a de-facto industry standard implementation and (3) VHDL for digital implementation with reduced complexity of the underlying switching probability. Even more, our partners in Torino implemented a front-end called MagCAD to ease the circuit layout for NML circuits. With that, we were able to provide a platform to benchmark digital NML circuits to their CMOS counterpart. CMOS and electronic beyond-CMOS devices are heavily researched. With 3D integrated pNML devices and circuits, we were able to show, that our devices in the present state are competitive. Especially highly pipelined and systolic architectures have proven to be efficient for pNML implementations. Furthermore, we do not see a severe showstopper in this stage of technology readiness level (TRL3-TRL4), as we were able to demonstrate 3D logic operation, signal propagation by domain walls, the option for bipolar on-chip clocking with homogeneous field-clock and benefits compared to conventional CMOS in low-power and monolithic 3D integration. However, everyone familiar with ultimate-scale-integration is sceptic of paradigmchanges in digital computation, simply because MOS technology as electronic switch is such thoroughly understood. However, we think that other, non-Boolean concepts of computation are also extremely abundant. Magnetic devices are more than attractive for such implementations, as they combine very interesting characteristics like robustness against radiation, bi-stability, scaling potential, room-temperature operation combined with very rich high-frequency dynamics. Hence, it is worth to study those and exploit them for real-world applications in future.
Publications
- Compact modeling of perpendicular nanomagnetic logic based on threshold gates. Journal of Applied Physics, 115 (17): 17D104, 2014
S. Breitkreutz, I. Eichwald, J. Kiermaier, G. Csaba, D. Schmitt-Landsiedel, and M. Becherer
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4857555) - Controlled Domain Wall Pinning in Nanowires with Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy by Localized Fringing Fields. Journal of Applied Physics, 115: 17D506, 2014
S. Breitkreutz, I. Eichwald, J. Kiermaier, G. Hiblot, G. Csaba, W. Porod, D. Schmitt-Landsiedel, and M. Becherer
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4864737) - Majority logic gate for 3D magnetic computing. Nanotechnology, 25 (33): 335202, 2014
I. Eichwald, S. Breitkreutz, G. Žiemys, G. Csaba, W. Porod, and M. Becherer
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/25/33/335202) - Signal crossing in perpendicular nanomagnetic logic. Journal of Applied Physics, 115 (17): 17E510, 2014
I. Eichwald, S. Breitkreutz, J. Kiermaier, G. Csaba, D. Schmitt-Landsiedel, and M. Becherer
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4863810) - Time-dependent domain wall nucleation probability in field-coupled nanomagnets with perpendicular anisotropy. Journal of Applied Physics, 117: 17B503/1–4, 2015
S. Breitkreutz, A. Fischer, S. Kaffah, S. Weigl, I. Eichwald, G. Žiemys, D. Schmitt-Landsiedel, and M. Becherer
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sse.2015.08.004) - Towards nonvolatile magnetic crossbar arrays: a 3D-integrated field-coupled domain wall gate with perpendicular anisotropy. Journal of Applied Physics, 117: 17D507, 2015
S. Breitkreutz, I. Eichwald, G. Ziemys , G Hiblot, G Csaba, D Schmitt- Landsiedel, and M Becherer
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sse.2015.08.004) - A monolithic 3D integrated nanomagnetic co-processing unit. Solid-State Electronics, 115, Part B: 74–80, 2016. ISSN 0038-1101
M. Becherer, S. Breitkreutz-v. Gamm, I. Eichwald, G. Ziemys, J. Kiermaier, G. Csaba, and D. Schmitt-Landsiedel
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sse.2015.08.004) - Characterization of the magnetization reversal of perpendicular nanomagnetic logic clocked in the ns-range. AIP Advances, 6 (5): 056404, 2016. ISSN 21583226
G. Žiemys., C. Trummer, S. Breitkreutz-v. Gamm, I. Eichwald, D. Schmitt- Landsiedel, and M. Becherer
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4944336) - Domain wall depinning from notches using combined in- and out-of-plane magnetic fields. AIP Advances, 6 (5), 2016. ISSN 21583226
J.J.W. Goertz, G. Ziemys, I. Eichwald, M. Becherer, H.J.M. Swagten, and S. Breitkreutz-V. Gamm
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4944698) - Experiment-based thermal micromagnetic simulations of the magnetization reversal for ns-range clocked nanomagnetic logic. AIP Advances, 7 (5): 056625, 2017
G. Žiemys, S. Breitkreutz von Gamm, G. Csaba, D Schmitt-Landsiedel, and M. Becherer
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4974021)
