Electric field-induced magnetization switching in interface-coupled multiferroic heterostructures: A highly-dense, non-volatile, and ultra-low-energy computing paradigm

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that interface-coupled multiferroic heterostructures enable ultra-low-energy, non-volatile, and high-density magnetization switching driven by electric fields, suitable for energy-efficient computing beyond Moore's law.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach using interface-coupled multiferroic heterostructures for error-resilient, ultra-fast, and energy-efficient magnetization switching at room temperature.

Findings

Error-resilient switching in sub-nanoseconds

Energy consumption of approximately 1 attojoule

Operation without external power sources

Abstract

Electric-field induced magnetization switching in multiferroic magnetoelectric devices is promising for beyond Moore's law computing. We show here that interface-coupled multiferroic heterostructures, i.e., a ferroelectric layer coupled with a ferromagnetic layer, are particularly suitable for highly-dense, non-volatile, and ultra-low-energy computing. By solving stochastic Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation of magnetization dynamics in the presence of room-temperature thermal fluctuations, we demonstrate that error-resilient switching of magnetization is possible in sub-nanosecond delay while expending a minuscule amount of energy of $\sim$1 attojoule. Such devices can be operated by drawing energy from the environment without the need for an external battery.