Wave-based majority gate device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10439616-B2
Application number	US-201715849372-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2017
Priority date	Dec 21, 2016
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

The disclosed technology generally relates to computation devices, and more particularly to majority gate devices configured for computation based on spin waves. In one aspect, a majority gate device comprises cells that are configurable as spin wave generators or spin wave detectors. The majority gate device comprises an odd number of spin wave generators, and at least one spin wave detector. The majority gate device additionally comprises a waveguide adapted for guiding spin waves generated by the spin wave generators. The spin wave generators and the at least one spin wave detector are positioned in an inline configuration along the waveguide such that, in operation, interference of the spin waves generated by the spin wave generators can be detected by the at least one spin wave detector. The interference of the spin waves corresponds to a majority operation of the spin waves generated by the spin wave generators.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A majority gate device, comprising:
a waveguide and a plurality of cells, wherein each of the cells is arranged in an in-line configuration, and wherein each of the cells is a magneto-electric cell configurable as a spin wave generator or a spin wave detector;
three or more of an odd number of the cells configured as spin wave generators, wherein the waveguide is configured to guide spin waves generated by the spin wave generators; and
at least one of the cells configured as a spin wave detector,
wherein the spin wave generators and the at least one spin wave detector are positioned such that, in operation, the at least one spin wave detector is configured to detect an interference of the spin waves generated by the spin wave generators, wherein the interference of the spin waves corresponds to a majority operation of the spin waves generated by the spin wave generators.

2. The majority gate device according to claim 1 , wherein at least some of the cells are magnetic tunnel junctions.

3. The majority gate device according to claim 1 , wherein one of the cells configured as a spin wave detector is formed at an end region of the waveguide.

4. The majority gate device according to claim 1 , wherein at least two cells are configured as spin wave detectors.

5. The majority gate device according to claim 4 , wherein two of the cells configured as spin wave detectors are formed at end regions of the waveguide and interposed by the cells configured as spin wave generators.

6. A circuit comprising a plurality of parallel majority gate devices according to claim 1 .

7. The circuit according to claim 6 , comprising a plurality of cells organized in rows and columns, wherein at least some of the cells are interconnected by waveguides, and wherein at least some of interconnected cells form majority gate devices extending in a row direction and/or a column direction.

8. A clocking system configured for clocking the cells of the majority gate device according to claim 1 , wherein the clocking system comprises:
at least one first component adapted for clocking the cells of the majority gate device,
wherein some of the cells of the majority gate device according to claim 1 are clocked to generate spin waves such that they interfere in the majority gate device after propagating through the waveguide,
wherein one or more of others of the cells of the majority gate device according to claim 1 are clocked to receive the interference of the spin waves, and
wherein the clocking system is configured to control execution of logic functions using the at least one first component.

9. The clocking system according to claim 8 , wherein the clocking system comprises at least one second component adapted for clocking the cells such that a signal propagates between different cells, and/or such that a signal is inverted, and wherein the clocking system is configured to control execution of logic functions by using the at least one first component and the at least one second component.

10. A processing device comprising a majority gate device according to claim 1 , the processing device further comprising a clocking system, the clocking system comprising:
at least one first component adapted for clocking the cells of the majority gate device,
wherein some of the cells of the majority gate device according to claim 1 are clocked to generate spin waves such that they interfere in the majority gate device after propagating through the waveguide,
wherein one or more of others of the cells of the majority gate device according to claim 1 are clocked to receive the interference of the spin waves, and
wherein the clocking system is configured to control execution of logic functions using the at least one first component.

11. The processing device according to claim 10 , wherein the processing device is configured as a node in an internet of things.

12. The majority gate device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cells are arranged in a straight line.

Assignees

• Imec Vzw
• Univ Leuven Kath

Inventors

• Zografos Odysseas
• Soree Bart
• Ciubotaru Florin
• Adelmann Hanns Christoph

Classifications

• H03K19/168

  using thin-film devices · CPC title

• H03K19/23 Primary

  Majority or minority circuits, i.e. giving output having the state of the majority or the minority of the inputs · CPC title

• G01R33/18

  Measuring magnetostrictive properties · CPC title

• G06F1/04

  Generating or distributing clock signals or signals derived directly therefrom · CPC title

• G01R33/1284

  Spin resolved measurements; Influencing spins during measurements, e.g. in spintronics devices · CPC title