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US 8,138,874 B1Granted
Nanomagnetic register
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsDavid Carlton, Nathan C. Emley, Jeffrey Bokor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A nanomagnetic flip-flop, or register. The nanomagnetic register receives a signal from an input signal nanomagnet on a first clock cycle, and provides the input to an output signal nanomagnet on a second clock cycle. The input signal nanomagnet and the output signal nanomagnet are arranged on a substrate. Each of the signal nanomagnets has an easy axis and a hard axis that are substantially in a signal plane. A register nanomagnet is arranged on the substrate between the input signal nanomagnet and the output signal nanomagnet. The register nanomagnet has an easy axis and a hard axis that are substantially in a register plane. The register plane is not coplanar with the signal plane.
Claims22
A structure, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a plurality of nanomagnets on the substrate, each of the plurality of nanomagnets comprising a first easy axis and a first hard axis, wherein the plurality of nanomagnets are arranged substantially linearly on the substrate along a line extending through one of the first easy axis of each of the plurality of nanomagnets and the first hard axis of each of the plurality of nanomagnets, and wherein the first easy axis and the first hard axis of each of the plurality of nanomagnets are substantially in a first plane;
- and
- a register nanomagnet on the substrate adjacent to one of the plurality of nanomagnets and having a second easy axis and a second hard axis, wherein the second easy axis is parallel to the first easy axis and the second hard axis is in a second plane that is not coplanar with the first plane.
1 more element
A structure, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a plurality of nanomagnets on the substrate, each of the plurality of nanomagnets comprising a magnetization direction, a first easy axis, and a first hard axis, wherein the plurality of nanomagnets are arranged on the substrate such that a change in the magnetization direction of one of the plurality of nanomagnets changes a magnetization direction of an immediately adjacent nanomagnet that is aligned along the respective hard axis of the immediately adjacent nanomagnet, and wherein the first easy axis and the first hard axis of each of the plurality of nanomagnets are substantially in a first plane;
- and
- a register nanomagnet on the substrate adjacent to one of the plurality of nanomagnets and having a second easy axis and a second hard axis, wherein the second easy axis is parallel to the first easy axis and the second hard axis is in a second plane that is not coplanar with the first plane.
1 more element
A method for storing a signal in a nanomagnet comprising:
- applying a first force at a first magnitude sufficient to force a magnetization direction of each of a plurality of nanomagnets arranged on a substrate along a hard axis associated with each respective nanomagnet;
- removing the first force;
- perturbing the magnetization direction of a first of the plurality of nanomagnets to change the magnetization direction of a first of the plurality of nanomagnets to move from the hard axis to an easy axis associated with the first of the plurality of nanomagnets, wherein the plurality of nanomagnets are arranged on the substrate such that a change in the magnetization direction of one of the plurality of nanomagnets changes a magnetization direction of an immediately adjacent nanomagnet that is aligned along the respective hard axis of the immediately adjacent nanomagnet;
- applying a second force at a second magnitude sufficient to force a magnetization direction of a register nanomagnet arranged on the substrate along a hard axis associated with the register nanomagnet without changing the magnetization direction of one of the plurality of nanomagnets immediately adjacent to the register nanomagnet;
- and
- removing the second force, wherein the magnetization direction of the one of the plurality of nanomagnets immediately adjacent to the register nanomagnet causes the magnetization direction of the register nanomagnet to move from the hard axis of the register nanomagnet to an easy axis of the register nanomagnet.
3 more elements
A structure comprising:
- an input signal nanomagnet having a first magnetization direction, a first easy axis, and a first hard axis, wherein the first easy axis and the first hard axis are in substantially a first plane;
- an output signal nanomagnet having a second magnetization direction, a second easy axis, and a second hard axis, wherein the second easy axis and the second hard axis are in substantially the first plane;
- and
- a register nanomagnet arranged between the input signal nanomagnet and the output signal nanomagnet having a third magnetization direction, a third easy axis, and a third hard axis, wherein the first easy axis, the second easy axis, and the third easy axis are parallel, and the third easy axis and the third hard axis are in a second plane that is not coplanar with the first plane.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.