Jia Qi, Benally Onri J, Zink Brandon, Zhang Delin, Lv Yang, Liang Shuang, Lyu Deyuan, Chen Yu-Chia, Yang Yifei, Huang Yu Han, Wang Jian-Ping
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States.
Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States.
Nano Lett. 2025 Jun 11;25(23):9181-9188. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c06306. Epub 2025 May 28.
Superparamagnetic tunnel junctions (sMTJs) are emerging as promising components for stochastic units in neuromorphic computing owing to their tunable random switching behavior. Conventional MTJ control methods, such as spin-transfer torque (STT) and spin-orbit torque (SOT), often require substantial power. Here, we introduce the voltage-controlled exchange coupling (VCEC) mechanism, enabling the switching between antiparallel and parallel states in sMTJs with an ultralow power consumption of only 40 nW, approximately 2 orders of magnitude lower than conventional STT-based sMTJs. This mechanism yields a sigmoid-shaped output response, making it ideally suited to neuromorphic computing applications. Furthermore, we validate the feasibility of integrating VCEC with SOT current control, offering an additional dimension for magnetic state manipulation. This work marks the first practical demonstration of the VCEC effect in sMTJs, highlighting its potential as a low-power control solution for probabilistic bits in advanced computing systems.
超顺磁隧道结(sMTJ)因其可调谐的随机开关行为,正成为神经形态计算中随机单元的有前途的组件。传统的MTJ控制方法,如自旋转移矩(STT)和自旋轨道矩(SOT),通常需要大量功率。在此,我们引入了电压控制交换耦合(VCEC)机制,能够使sMTJ在反平行和平行状态之间切换,功耗仅为40 nW,超低功耗,比传统基于STT的sMTJ低约2个数量级。这种机制产生S形输出响应,使其非常适合神经形态计算应用。此外,我们验证了将VCEC与SOT电流控制集成的可行性,为磁态操纵提供了一个额外维度。这项工作标志着VCEC效应在sMTJ中的首次实际演示,突出了其作为先进计算系统中概率比特的低功耗控制解决方案的潜力。