Analog-to-digital converter based on spin–orbit torque magnetic tunnel junctions
Abstract
Analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) serve as a crucial interface between the physical and digital worlds, playing an essential role across a wide range of applications. However, achieving an ADC that simultaneously offers high speed, high resolution, and low power consumption remains a significant challenge. Recent advances in spintronics, particularly in spin–orbit torque magnetic tunnel junctions (SOT-MTJs), have shown significant promise for the development of true random number generators (TRNGs). In this study, we propose and demonstrate an ADC architecture based on SOT-MTJ-driven TRNGs with tunable resolution. We experimentally verify the stochastic switching behavior of SOT-MTJs and utilize this property to implement a resolution-adjustable ADC. Circuit-level simulations implemented on a Field-Programmable Gate Array platform confirm the feasibility of the proposed design. Our results further broaden the application of SOT-MTJs, which may play an important role in external signal processing and artificial intelligence hardware acceleration in the future.
Article Details
Journal Info
Applied Physics Letters
American Institute of Physics
Authors (9)
X. H. Li
Y. Q. Xu
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences 1 , Beijing 100190,
R. Zhang
C. H. Wan
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences 1 , Beijing 100190,
S. L. Xiong
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences 1 , Beijing 100190,
D. H. Kong
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences 1 , Beijing 100190,
J. H. Xia
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences 1 , Beijing 100190,
G. Q. Yu
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences 1 , Beijing 100190,
X. F. Han
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences 1 , Beijing 100190,