Double MgO-Based Perpendicular Magnetic Tunnel Junction for Artificial Neuron

Dong Won Kim; Woo Seok Yi; Jin Young Choi; Kei Ashiba; Jong Ung Baek; Han Sol Jun; Jae Joon Kim; Jea Gun Park

doi:10.3389/fnins.2020.00309

Double MgO-Based Perpendicular Magnetic Tunnel Junction for Artificial Neuron

Front Neurosci. 2020 Apr 30:14:309. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00309. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Dong Won Kim¹, Woo Seok Yi², Jin Young Choi³, Kei Ashiba⁴, Jong Ung Baek¹, Han Sol Jun¹, Jae Joon Kim², Jea Gun Park^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nanoscale Semiconductor Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea.
² Department of Creative IT Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, South Korea.
³ MRAM Center, Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea.
⁴ Wafer Engineering Department, SUMCO Corporation, Imari, Japan.

Abstract

A perpendicular spin transfer torque (p-STT)-based neuron was developed for a spiking neural network (SNN). It demonstrated the integration behavior of a typical neuron in an SNN; in particular, the integration behavior corresponding to magnetic resistance change gradually increased with the input spike number. This behavior occurred when the spin electron directions between double Co₂Fe₆B₂ free and pinned layers in the p-STT-based neuron were switched from parallel to antiparallel states. In addition, a neuron circuit for integrate-and-fire operation was proposed. Finally, pattern-recognition simulation was performed for a single-layer SNN.

Keywords: MRAM; artificial neuron; neuromorphic; spiking neural network; spiking neuron.