With CMOS scaling reaching its limits, extensive research is being performed to discover novel electronic devices to either replace or complement CMOS devices. Electronic devices with unique functionalities not typically found in conventional CMOS devices are especially attractive to implement unconventional computing systems to meet the demand of data-centric computing. Towards this goal, researchers have exploited rich intrinsic physics of spintronics devices to demonstrate functionalities such as stochasticity, oscillatory behavior, memristive properties etc. Such spin-based devices have potential not just to replace traditional random access memory technologies but also to implement computing systems such as probabilistic computing, neuromorphic computing, in-memory computing etc. With expected commercialization of spin-based MRAM technology in near future, novel spintronics devices will play an important role in the Beyond-CMOS era for memory and computing applications along with other emerging technologies such as FeFETs, PCRAM, RRAM etc. In this research topic, we will focus on theoretical and/or experimental investigation of such novel spintronics materials, devices, and systems.
Modern computers use von-Neumann architecture with physically separate logic unit (Si-based CMOS) and memory unit (eg. SRAM, DRAM, SSDs). In recent time, scaling of conventional logic and memory devices has become challenging due to cost, reliability and limited performance gains for advanced technology nodes. Furthermore, von-Neumann architecture is inherently inefficient to handle data-centric computing. Hence, novel spin-based electronic devices are being extensively pursued which can either complement or replace conventional logic and memory devices. To make such spintronics devices attractive for commercialization will require either:
1. Improvement in terms of densities, speed, energy consumption etc. via material research (e.g. high spin hall angle materials) or novel device concepts (eg. voltage controlled spin devices)
2. Utilization of unique properties of spintronics devices (eg. oscillatory behavior or stochasticity) to implement unconventional computing systems to break von-Neumann bottleneck.
In this research topic, we are interested in manuscripts with focus on:
1. Experimental/theoretical work on material/material system to improve performance of existing spintronics devices.
2. Spintronics devices with novel operating mechanism to control or read magnetism.
3. Demonstration/proposal of spintronics devices (logic or memory) with unique characteristics and potential to be used in unconventional computing systems such as neuromorphic computing, probabilistic computing etc.
4. Simulations of computing systems capable of efficiently solving problems such as image recognition, optimization etc. utilizing intrinsic properties of emerging spintronics devices.
5. Novel approaches to create physics-based model of spintronics devices for large-scale circuit and system simulations.
Keywords:
CMOS devices, spintronics materials, Beyond-CMOS, spintronics devices, unconventional computing systems, Spintronics, Logic devices, Memory devices, Unconventional Computing, Magnetic devices, Spin-torque
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
With CMOS scaling reaching its limits, extensive research is being performed to discover novel electronic devices to either replace or complement CMOS devices. Electronic devices with unique functionalities not typically found in conventional CMOS devices are especially attractive to implement unconventional computing systems to meet the demand of data-centric computing. Towards this goal, researchers have exploited rich intrinsic physics of spintronics devices to demonstrate functionalities such as stochasticity, oscillatory behavior, memristive properties etc. Such spin-based devices have potential not just to replace traditional random access memory technologies but also to implement computing systems such as probabilistic computing, neuromorphic computing, in-memory computing etc. With expected commercialization of spin-based MRAM technology in near future, novel spintronics devices will play an important role in the Beyond-CMOS era for memory and computing applications along with other emerging technologies such as FeFETs, PCRAM, RRAM etc. In this research topic, we will focus on theoretical and/or experimental investigation of such novel spintronics materials, devices, and systems.
Modern computers use von-Neumann architecture with physically separate logic unit (Si-based CMOS) and memory unit (eg. SRAM, DRAM, SSDs). In recent time, scaling of conventional logic and memory devices has become challenging due to cost, reliability and limited performance gains for advanced technology nodes. Furthermore, von-Neumann architecture is inherently inefficient to handle data-centric computing. Hence, novel spin-based electronic devices are being extensively pursued which can either complement or replace conventional logic and memory devices. To make such spintronics devices attractive for commercialization will require either:
1. Improvement in terms of densities, speed, energy consumption etc. via material research (e.g. high spin hall angle materials) or novel device concepts (eg. voltage controlled spin devices)
2. Utilization of unique properties of spintronics devices (eg. oscillatory behavior or stochasticity) to implement unconventional computing systems to break von-Neumann bottleneck.
In this research topic, we are interested in manuscripts with focus on:
1. Experimental/theoretical work on material/material system to improve performance of existing spintronics devices.
2. Spintronics devices with novel operating mechanism to control or read magnetism.
3. Demonstration/proposal of spintronics devices (logic or memory) with unique characteristics and potential to be used in unconventional computing systems such as neuromorphic computing, probabilistic computing etc.
4. Simulations of computing systems capable of efficiently solving problems such as image recognition, optimization etc. utilizing intrinsic properties of emerging spintronics devices.
5. Novel approaches to create physics-based model of spintronics devices for large-scale circuit and system simulations.
Keywords:
CMOS devices, spintronics materials, Beyond-CMOS, spintronics devices, unconventional computing systems, Spintronics, Logic devices, Memory devices, Unconventional Computing, Magnetic devices, Spin-torque
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.