Summary
UCLA researchers in the Department of Electrical Engineering have developed a method for voltage-controlled switching of the magnetization direction in MeRAM circuits.
Background
New random-access memory technologies have been emerging as computer data storage must keep up with the increasing amount of data being generated and processed. One emerging memory technology is magneto-electric random-access memory (MeRAM) which uses voltage to manipulate and switch magnetization directions. This capacitive voltage-controlled device is also referred to as a magnetoelectric junction (MEJ) device. Controlling the switching direction in MEJ devices is a key requirement for the realization of practical MeRAM products. Mechanisms that use different voltage amplitudes have been proposed to control this switching direction.
Innovation
UCLA researchers have developed a method for controlling the switching direction in MEJ devices, which fulfills a critical requirement for the practical use of MeRAM circuits. This method uses canted magnetization states and variously timed voltage pulses to achieve controllable switching in opposite directions. The voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA)-induced switching between two canted states occurs without the influence of spin-polarized currents. Moreover, thermally-activated switching down to 10 nanoseconds with the assistance of a small (few 10 Oe) bias field is demonstrated. The configuration presented can help realize fully voltage-controlled magnetoelectric memory and logic devices.
Applications
▶ Microprocessors
▶ Microcontrollers
▶ Computer memory
▶ Disk Storage
▶ Memory cache for electronics applications
Advantages
▶ Consumes little power
▶ No influence of spin-polarized currents
▶ Small bias fields used