Magnetic skyrmion artificial synapse for neuromorphic computing

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Abstract

Since the discovery of magnetic skyrmions achieved one decade ago, there have been significant efforts to bring the virtual particles into fully functional devices, inspired by their fascinating physical and topological properties suitable for future low-power electronics. Here, we experimentally demonstrate one of such devices, skyrmion-based artificial synaptic device designed for neuromorphic computing. We present that controlled current-induced creation, motion, detection and deletion of skyrmions in ferrimagnetic multilayers can be harnessed to imitate the behaviors of biological synapses. Moreover, we demonstrate that such skyrmion-based synapses can be used to perform neuromorphic pattern-recognition computing using handwritten recognition data set, reaching to the accuracy of ~89 percents, comparable to the software-based training accuracy of ~93 percents. Our findings experimentally illustrate the basic concepts of skyrmion-based electronic devices while opening the door to topological magnetic texture-based neuromorphic computing.

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Real-space observation of a two-dimensional skyrmion crystal.

X. Yu, Y Onose, N Kanazawa … (2010)

Crystal order is not restricted to the periodic atomic array, but can also be found in electronic systems such as the Wigner crystal or in the form of orbital order, stripe order and magnetic order. In the case of magnetic order, spins align parallel to each other in ferromagnets and antiparallel in antiferromagnets. In other, less conventional, cases, spins can sometimes form highly nontrivial structures called spin textures. Among them is the unusual, topologically stable skyrmion spin texture, in which the spins point in all the directions wrapping a sphere. The skyrmion configuration in a magnetic solid is anticipated to produce unconventional spin-electronic phenomena such as the topological Hall effect. The crystallization of skyrmions as driven by thermal fluctuations has recently been confirmed in a narrow region of the temperature/magnetic field (T-B) phase diagram in neutron scattering studies of the three-dimensional helical magnets MnSi (ref. 17) and Fe(1-x)Co(x)Si (ref. 22). Here we report real-space imaging of a two-dimensional skyrmion lattice in a thin film of Fe(0.5)Co(0.5)Si using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. With a magnetic field of 50-70 mT applied normal to the film, we observe skyrmions in the form of a hexagonal arrangement of swirling spin textures, with a lattice spacing of 90 nm. The related T-B phase diagram is found to be in good agreement with Monte Carlo simulations. In this two-dimensional case, the skyrmion crystal seems very stable and appears over a wide range of the phase diagram, including near zero temperature. Such a controlled nanometre-scale spin topology in a thin film may be useful in observing unconventional magneto-transport effects.

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Observation of room-temperature magnetic skyrmions and their current-driven dynamics in ultrathin metallic ferromagnets

Seonghoon Woo, Kai Litzius, Benjamin Krüger … (2016)

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected spin textures that exhibit fascinating physical behaviours and large potential in highly energy-efficient spintronic device applications. The main obstacles so far are that skyrmions have been observed in only a few exotic materials and at low temperatures, and fast current-driven motion of individual skyrmions has not yet been achieved. Here, we report the observation of stable magnetic skyrmions at room temperature in ultrathin transition metal ferromagnets with magnetic transmission soft X-ray microscopy. We demonstrate the ability to generate stable skyrmion lattices and drive trains of individual skyrmions by short current pulses along a magnetic racetrack at speeds exceeding 100 m s(-1) as required for applications. Our findings provide experimental evidence of recent predictions and open the door to room-temperature skyrmion spintronics in robust thin-film heterostructures.