In-Memory AI Inference with Multi-state Weight based on Vertical Domain Control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025322870-A1
Application number	US-202519247436-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 24, 2025
Priority date	Feb 10, 2021
Publication date	Oct 16, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure is generally related to a deep neural network (DNN) device comprising a plurality of spin-orbit torque (SOT) cells. The DNN device comprises an array comprising n rows and m columns of nodes, each row of nodes coupled to one of n first conductive lines, each column of nodes coupled to one of m second conductive lines, each node of the n rows and m columns of nodes comprising a plurality of SOT cells, each SOT cell comprising: a SOT layer, a ferromagnetic layer comprising two or more magnetic domains, and a plurality of etch control layers. The etch control layers have different etching rates and are used to create domain walls between the two or more magnetic domains. The DNN device further comprises a controller configured to store at least one corresponding of a neural network in each of the two or more magnetic domains.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A deep neural network (DNN) device, the DNN device comprising:
an array comprising n rows and m columns of nodes, each row of nodes coupled to one of n first conductive lines, each column of nodes coupled to one of m second conductive lines, each node of the n rows and m columns of nodes comprising a spin-orbit torque (SOT) cell, the SOT cell comprising:
a SOT layer;
a ferromagnetic (FM) layer having a first surface disposed in contact with the SOT layer, the FM layer comprising two or more magnetic domains;
two or more first etch control layers disposed in contact with a second surface and a third surface of each of the two or more magnetic domains; and
one or more second etch control layers disposed between each of the two or more magnetic domains, the one or more second etch control layers being disposed in contact with the second and third surfaces of the two or more magnetic domains, wherein the one or more second etch control layers have a slower etching rate than the two or more first etch control layers; and
a controller configured to store at least one corresponding weight of an n x m array of weights of a neural network using the two or more magnetic domains.

2 . The DNN device of claim 1 , wherein the two or more first etch control layers comprise SiO 2 .

3 . The DNN device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more second etch control layers comprise SiN.

4 . The DNN device of claim 1 , wherein a write current is applied to the SOT layer to set a magnetic state of each of the two or more magnetic domains.

5 . The DNN device of claim 4 , wherein the magnetic states of the two or more magnetic domains are read via the inverse spin Hall effect.

6 . The DNN device of claim 1 , wherein each of the two or more magnetic domains has a first width disposed adjacent to the two or more first etch control layers and a second width disposed adjacent to the one or more second etch control layers, the second width being smaller than the first width.

7 . The DNN device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more second etch control layers create domain walls between adjacent magnetic domains of the two or more magnetic domains.

8 . A deep neural network (DNN) device, the DNN device comprising:
an array a plurality of spin-orbit torque (SOT) cells, each SOT cell comprising:
a SOT layer;
a ferromagnetic (FM) layer having a first surface disposed in contact with the SOT layer, the FM layer comprising two or more magnetic domains;
two or more first etch control layers disposed in contact with a second surface and a third surface of each of the two or more magnetic domains, the two or more first etch control layers being disposed adjacent to a top and bottom of the two or more magnetic domains; and
one or more second etch control layers disposed in contact with the second and third surface of the two or more magnetic domains, the one or more second etch control layers being disposed adjacent to a center of each of the two or more magnetic domains, wherein the one or more second etch control layers have a faster etching rate than the two or more first etch control layers; and
a controller configured to store a weight of a neural network using the two or more magnetic domains.

9 . The DNN device of claim 8 , further comprising two or more third etch control layers disposed in contact with the second and third surfaces of the two or more magnetic domains, the two or more third etch control layers having a slower etching rate than the one or more second etch control layers.

10 . The DNN device of claim 9 , wherein the two or more first etch control layers comprise HfO, the one or more second etch control layers comprise SiO 2 , and the two or more third etch control layers comprise HfSiO 2 .

11 . The DNN device of claim 8 , wherein a width of the top and the bottom of each of the two or more magnetic domains is less than a width of the center of each of the two or more magnetic domains.

12 . The DNN device of claim 8 , wherein a write current is applied to the SOT layer to set a magnetic state of each of the two or more magnetic domains.

13 . The DNN device of claim 12 , wherein the magnetic states of the two or more magnetic domains are read via the inverse spin Hall effect and the Anomalous Hall effect.

14 . The DNN device of claim 8 , wherein the two or more first etch control layers create domain walls between adjacent magnetic domains of the two or more magnetic domains.

15 . A spin-orbit torque (SOT) cell comprising:
a SOT layer; a ferromagnetic (FM) layer having a first surface disposed in contact with the SOT layer, the FM layer comprising two or more magnetic domains; two or more first etch control layers disposed in contact with a second surface and a third surface of each of the two or more magnetic domains, the two or more first etch control layers being disposed adjacent to a top and bottom of the two or more magnetic domains; and
one or more second etch control layers disposed in contact with the second and third surface of the two or more magnetic domains, the one or more second etch control layers being disposed adjacent to a center of each of the two or more magnetic domains, wherein the one or more second etch control layers have a higher Si concentration than the two or more first etch control layers.

16 . The SOT cell of claim 15 , wherein the one or more second etch control layers have a slower etching rate than the two or more first etch control layers.

17 . The SOT cell of claim 15 , wherein the two or more first etch control layers comprise HfO, the one or more second etch control layers comprise SiO 2 .

18 . The SOT cell of claim 15 , further comprising two or more third etch control layers disposed in contact with the second and third surfaces of the two or more magnetic domains, the two or more third etch control layers having a slower etching rate than the one or more second etch control layers, wherein the two or more third etch control layers comprise HfSiO 2 .

19 . The SOT cell of claim 15 , wherein a width of the top and the bottom of each of the two or more magnetic domains is less than a width of the center of each of the two or more magnetic domains, and herein the two or more first etch control layers create domain walls between magnetic domains of the two or more magnetic domains.

20 . The SOT cell of claim 15 , wherein a write current is applied to the SOT layer to set a magnetic state of each of the two or more magnetic domains, and wherein the magnetic states of the two or more magnetic domains are read via the inverse spin Hall effect and the Anomalous Hall effect.

Assignees

• Western Digital Tech Inc

Inventors

• Le Quang
• Liu Xiaoyong
• Xu Lei
• Osman Hassan
• Le Son T
• Takano Hisashi

Classifications

• H10B61/20

  comprising components having three or more electrodes, e.g. transistors · CPC title

• G11C11/5607 Primary

  using magnetic storage elements · CPC title

• G11C11/54

  using elements simulating biological cells, e.g. neuron · CPC title

• G11C11/161

  details concerning the memory cell structure, e.g. the layers of the ferromagnetic memory cell · CPC title

• G06N3/04 Primary

  Architecture, e.g. interconnection topology · CPC title