loading page

Introduction to Spin Wave Computing
  • +4
  • Abdulqader Mahmoud ,
  • Florin Ciubotaru ,
  • Frederic Vanderveken ,
  • Andrii V. Chumak ,
  • Said Hamdioui ,
  • Christoph Adelmann ,
  • Sorin Cotofana
Abdulqader Mahmoud
Delft University of Technology

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Florin Ciubotaru
Author Profile
Frederic Vanderveken
Author Profile
Andrii V. Chumak
Author Profile
Said Hamdioui
Author Profile
Christoph Adelmann
Author Profile
Sorin Cotofana
Author Profile

Abstract

This paper provides a tutorial overview over recent vigorous efforts to develop computing systems based on spin waves instead of charges and voltages. Spin-wave computing can be considered as a subfield of spintronics, which uses magnetic excitations for computation and memory applications. The tutorial combines backgrounds in spin-wave and device physics as well as circuit engineering to create synergies between the physics and electrical engineering communities to advance the field towards practical spin-wave circuits. After an introduction to magnetic interactions and spin-wave physics, all relevant basic aspects of spin-wave computing and individual spin-wave devices are reviewed. The focus is on spin-wave majority gates as they are the most prominently pursued device concept. Subsequently, we discuss the current status and the challenges to combine spin-wave gates and obtain circuits and ultimately computing systems, considering essential aspects such as gate interconnection, logic level restoration, input-output consistency, and fan-out achievement. We argue that spin-wave circuits need to be embedded in conventional CMOS circuits to obtain complete functional hybrid computing systems. The state of the art of benchmarking such hybrid spin-wave--CMOS systems is reviewed and the current challenges to realize such systems are discussed. The benchmark indicates that hybrid spin-wave--CMOS systems promise ultralow-power operation and may ultimately outperform conventional CMOS circuits in terms of the power-delay-area product. Current challenges to achieve this goal include low-power signal restoration in spin-wave circuits as well as efficient spin-wave transducers.
28 Oct 2020Published in Journal of Applied Physics volume 128 issue 16. 10.1063/5.0019328