Random number generator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10365894-B2
Application number	US-201515575334-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2015
Priority date	Jun 17, 2015
Publication date	Jul 30, 2019
Grant date	Jul 30, 2019

Abstract

Described is an apparatus which comprises: a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) device with out-of-plane magnetizations for its free and fixed magnetic layers, and configured to have a magnetization offset away from a center and closer to a switching threshold of the MTJ device; and logic for generating random numbers according to a resistive state of the MTJ device.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a magnetic junction including fixed and free magnetic structures with out-of-plane magnetizations, wherein the magnetic junction is to have a magnetization offset away from a center and closer to a switching threshold of the magnetic junction such that the magnetic junction is to switch from a first resistive state to a second resistive state by thermal energy, wherein the magnetization offset is adjustable by a change in a number of layers of the fixed magnetic structure or by a change in a diameter of the fixed magnetic structure, and wherein the magnetization offset is non-zero;
logic having a first terminal coupled to the free magnetic structure via a first electrode, and a second terminal coupled to the fixed magnetic structure via a second electrode, wherein the logic is to generate random numbers according to the first or second resistive state of the magnetic junction; and
a bias circuit to bias the magnetic junction, wherein the bias circuit is to adjust the bias to change randomness of switching current sensed by the logic.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 comprises an excitation source which is to cause the free magnetic structure of the magnetic junction to switch from the first resistive state to the second resistive state.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the excitation source is coupled to the first terminal, and wherein the excitation source is operable to inject spin current to the free magnetic structure.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the second terminal is coupled to ground.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first resistive state is an anti-parallel state where directions of the out-of-plane magnetizations of the free and fixed magnetizations are anti-parallel to one another.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the second resistive state is a parallel state where directions of the out-of-plane magnetizations of the free and fixed magnetic structures are parallel to one another.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the excitation source is to initialize a resistive state of the magnetic junction to the first resistive state.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the logic includes a sensor to sense the first and second resistive states of the magnetic junction.

9. A method comprising:
setting a resistive state of a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) device to a first resistive state, the MTJ device with out-of-plane magnetizations for its free and fixed magnetic layers and configured to have a magnetization offset away from a center and closer to a switching threshold of the MTJ device, wherein the magnetization offset is adjustable by a change in a number of layers of the fixed magnetic structure or by a change in a diameter of the fixed magnetic structure, and wherein the magnetization offset is non-zero;
exciting the MTJ device to cause it to change a resistive state of the MTJ from the first resistive state to a second resistive state;
generating, in response to exciting, a random number when the resistive state of the MTJ device changes from the second resistive state to the first resistive state by thermal energy;
biasing to bias the MTJ to change randomness of switching current sensed by the logic.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein exciting the MTJ device comprises causing the free magnetic layer of the MTJ device to switch from the first resistive state to the second resistive state.

11. The method of claim 9 comprises sensing the resistive state of the MTJ device for generating the random number.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first resistive state is an anti-parallel state where directions of the out-of-plane magnetizations of the free and fixed magnetizations are anti-parallel to one another, and wherein the second resistive state is a parallel state where directions of the out-of-plane magnetizations of the free and fixed magnetizations are parallel to one another.

13. The method of claim 9 comprises initializing the resistive state of the MTJ device to the first resistive state.

14. A system comprising:
a memory;
a processor coupled to the memory, the processor including a random number generator having an apparatus which includes:
a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) device with out-of-plane magnetizations for its free and fixed magnetic layers, and configured to have a magnetization offset away from a center and closer to a switching threshold of the MTJ device such that a resistive state of the MTJ is to switch from a first resistive state to a second resistive state by thermal relaxation, wherein the magnetization offset is adjustable by a change in a number of layers of the fixed magnetic structure or by a change in a diameter of the fixed magnetic structure, and wherein the magnetization offset is non-zero;
logic to generate random numbers according to the resistive state of the MTJ device;
a bias circuit to bias the magnetic junction, wherein the bias circuit is to adjust the bias to change randomness of switching current sensed by the logic; and

a wireless interface to allow the processor to communicate with another device.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Kuo Charles C
• Brockman Justin S
• Alzate Vinasco Juan G
• Oguz Kaan
• O'Brien Kevin P
• Doyle Brian S
• Doczy Mark L
• Suri Satyarth
• Chau Robert S
• Majhi Prashant
• Pillarisetty Ravi
• Karpov Elijah V

Classifications

• H01L43/08

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06F7/588 Primary

  Random number generators, i.e. based on natural stochastic processes · CPC title

• H01L43/02

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10N50/80

  Constructional details · CPC title

• H10N50/10

  Magnetoresistive devices · CPC title