Exploring Boolean and Non-Boolean Computing Applications of Spin Torque Devices

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential of spin torque devices for both Boolean and non-Boolean computing, highlighting their advantages, design considerations, and applications in energy-efficient, high-density, and reconfigurable computing systems.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of spin torque device applications, including logic design, hybrid systems, and potential for analog and neuromorphic computing, with insights into their integration with CMOS.

Findings

Spin devices offer high area-density and non-volatility.

Spin-based threshold logic enables energy-efficient programmable logic.

Emerging spintronic phenomena can facilitate ultralow-voltage, analog computing.

Abstract

In this paper we discuss the potential of emerging spintorque devices for computing applications. Recent proposals for spinbased computing schemes may be differentiated as all-spin vs. hybrid, programmable vs. fixed, and, Boolean vs. non-Boolean. All spin logic-styles may offer high area-density due to small form-factor of nano-magnetic devices. However, circuit and system-level design techniques need to be explored that leverage the specific spin-device characteristics to achieve energy-efficiency, performance and reliability comparable to those of CMOS. The non-volatility of nanomagnets can be exploited in the design of energy and area-efficient programmable logic. In such logic-styles, spin-devices may play the dual-role of computing as well as memory-elements that provide field-programmability. Spin-based threshold logic design is presented as an example (dynamic resisitve threshold logic and magnetic threshold logic). Emerging spintronic phenomena may lead to ultralow- voltage, current-mode, spin-torque switches that can offer attractive computing capabilities, beyond digital switches. Such devices may be suitable for non-Boolean data-processing applications which involve analog processing. Integration of such spin-torque devices with charge-based devices like CMOS and resistive memory can lead to highly energy-efficient information processing hardware for applications like pattern-matching, neuromorphic-computing, image-processing and data-conversion. Towards the end, we discuss the possibility of applying emerging spin-torque switches in the design of energy-efficient global interconnects, for future chip multiprocessors.