Initialization-free ultralow-power programmable spin-orbit torque logic devices enabled by chirally asymmetric switching

Abstract

Spin logic is of great interest for the development of high-performance, non-Von Neumann artificial intelligence chips. Of particular advantage is the programmable spin-orbit torque logic that can achieve the complete set of the 16 Boolean logic operations within a single device in an initialization-free, low-power, and scalable manner, which is, however, a challenge despite remarkable efforts over more than two decades. Here, utilizing chirally asymmetric switching, we demonstrate an initialization-free, low-power, programmable spin-orbit torque logic device that is capable of the complete set of 16 Boolean logic operations within a single device with only three inputs and ultralow power of < 1 fJ/bit. We also propose the first initialization-free, all-electrical spin-based cascading computing devices, including a half adder, a three-level full adder, a two-level full adder, and a Transfer/NOT selector. These compact and scalable computing devices are enabled by the chirally asymmetric spin-orbit torque switching of a Ta/FeCoB bilayer with a significant perpendicular Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction field. These results pave an intriguing way for the development of next-generation high-performance large-scale in-memory computing chips based on chirally asymmetric spin-orbit torque switching.