A voltage-controlled three-terminal magnon transistor is provided, including a ferroelectric layer, a magnetic layer, a generation terminal, a control terminal, a detection terminal, and a bottom electrode. After a current is inputted into the generation terminal, a magnon is generated in the magnetic layer. The detection terminal is made of a heavy metal material, which can convert the magnon in the magnetic layer into a charge flow. When a voltage pulse applied between the control terminal and the bottom electrode exceeds a critical value, non-volatile polarization and non-volatile strain states of the ferroelectric layer change, which in turn affects a transmission capability of the magnon in the magnetic layer based on a magnetoelectric coupling effect between the ferroelectric layer and the magnetic layer. In addition, a voltage signal of the detection terminal exhibits a regular loop change behavior with a change of the voltage pulse.

A method for generating a skyrmion, comprising: depositing a vertical metallic nanopillar electrode on a first side of a helimagnetic thin film, the helimagnetic thin film having a contact on a second side to provide a current drain; injecting a current through the vertical metallic nanopillar electrode to generate a rotating field; and applying a static upward magnetic field perpendicular to the helimagnetic thin film to maintain an FM phase background.

Disclosed is a transistor including a topological insulator. The transistor includes: a substrate; a topological insulator provided on the substrate; a drain electrode provided on the topological insulator; a source electrode separated from the drain electrode, provided on the topological insulator, and including a ferromagnetic substance; a tunnel junction layer provided on the source electrode; and a gate electrode provided on the tunnel junction layer. A spin direction of the topological insulator is fixed by a current flowing to a surface thereof, and a spin direction of the source electrode is changed to a predetermined direction by a voltage applied to the gate electrode.

An economical and environmentally friendly method for improving the characteristics of photolithographically patterned multilayers or single-layer thin films to be used as the bottom electrode of tunnel junctions involving applying an argon plasma treatment after the liftoff step, followed by an optional deposition to improve the adhesion of the photoresist during the subsequent photolithography step necessary for completing the cross junction-shaped tunnel junction. The invention results in a bottom electrode with tapered edges and a smooth surface that significantly increases the yield and stability of tunnel junction.

A method for measuring the intensity of an external magnetic field by using a magnetic memory point including a storage layer having a magnetisation switchable between two magnetisation directions substantially perpendicular to the plane of the layer; a reference layer having a fixed magnetisation perpendicular to the plane of the layer; and a tunnel barrier layer separating the storage layer and the reference layer; the method including successively applying a plurality of currents or voltages of different amplitudes to the memory point until switching of the magnetisation direction of the storage layer takes place to determine a minimum switching current value of the magnetisation direction of the storage layer or a minimum switching voltage value of the magnetisation direction of the storage layer, and determining the intensity of the external magnetic field to be measured from the minimum switching current value or the minimum switching voltage value.

The present disclosure generally relates to a deep neural network (DNN) device utilizing spin orbital-spin orbital (SO-SO) devices. The SO-SO devices each includes two SOT layers, a first spin orbit torque (SOT1) layer, a second spin orbit torque (SOT2) layer, and a ferromagnetic layer disposed between the SOT1 and SOT2 layer. Each SO-SO device further comprises three terminals, one per each SOT layer, for in plane current flow to or from the respective SOT layer, and one for perpendicular current flow through multiple layers, or the overall stack, of the SO-SO device. The SO-SO device thus efficiently provides spin-to-charge and charge-to-spin mechanisms in the same device, and can be flexibility configured to perform various functions of a neural node of a DNN. These functions include storing programmed weights, multiplying inputs and weights and summing such multiplication results, and performing an activation function to determine a neural node output.

The present disclosure generally relates to a deep neural network (DNN) device utilizing spin orbital-spin orbital (SO-SO) devices. The SO-SO devices each includes two SOT layers, a first spin orbit torque (SOT1) layer, a second spin orbit torque (SOT2) layer, and a ferromagnetic layer disposed between the SOT1 and SOT2 layer. Each SO-SO device further comprises three terminals, one per each SOT layer, for in plane current flow to or from the respective SOT layer, and one for perpendicular current flow through multiple layers, or the overall stack, of the SO-SO device. The SO-SO device thus efficiently provides spin-to-charge and charge-to-spin mechanisms in the same device, and can be flexibility configured to perform various functions of a neural node of a DNN. These functions include storing programmed weights, multiplying inputs and weights and summing such multiplication results, and performing an activation function to determine a neural node output.

A hardmask (HM), for protecting a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), may be formed with two portions of HM material: a taper HM portion and a vertical HM portion, separated by one or more dielectric layers. For example, a first etch process may shape the taper HM portion and the vertical HM portion such that a taller HM remains as compared with only using one HM portion. As a result, the MTJ is protected during a second etch process, which results in increased removal efficiency and lower sidewall redeposition. As a result, the taller HM reduces leakage current and increases yields. For example, the MTJ is sufficiently protected during etching such that the MTJ is less likely to experience conductive bridging and thus less likely to suffer from electrical shorts.

A hardmask (HM), for protecting a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), may be formed with two portions of HM material: a taper HM portion and a vertical HM portion, separated by one or more dielectric layers. For example, a first etch process may shape the taper HM portion and the vertical HM portion such that a taller HM remains as compared with only using one HM portion. As a result, the MTJ is protected during a second etch process, which results in increased removal efficiency and lower sidewall redeposition. As a result, the taller HM reduces leakage current and increases yields. For example, the MTJ is sufficiently protected during etching such that the MTJ is less likely to experience conductive bridging and thus less likely to suffer from electrical shorts.

A spin-orbit-torque (SOT) memory cell includes a first electrode embedded in dielectric material layers overlying a substrate; a magnetic-tunnel-junction-containing (MTJ-containing) pillar structure contacting a top surface of the first electrode and including a pinned layer and a free layer that overlies the pinned layer; a spin current metal line including a center portion that contacts the MTJ-containing pillar structure; and a selector element electrically connected to a first end of the spin current metal line.