Magnetic skyrmion-based artificial neuron device.

Neuromorphic computing, inspired by the biological nervous system, has attracted considerable attention. Intensive research has been conducted in this field for developing artificial synapses and neurons, attempting to mimic the behaviors of biological synapses and neurons, which are two basic elements of a human brain. Recently, magnetic skyrmions have been investigated as promising candidates in neuromorphic computing design owing to their topologically protected particle-like behaviors, nanoscale size and low driving current density. In one of our previous studies, a skyrmion-based artificial synapse was proposed, with which both short-term plasticity and long-term potentiation functions have been demonstrated. In this work, we further report on a skyrmion-based artificial neuron by exploiting the tunable current-driven skyrmion motion dynamics, mimicking the leaky-integrate-fire function of a biological neuron. With a simple single-device implementation, this proposed artificial neuron may enable us to build a dense and energy-efficient spiking neuromorphic computing system.

Magnetic skyrmion-based synaptic devices.

Magnetic skyrmions are promising candidates for next-generation information carriers, owing to their small size, topological stability, and ultralow depinning current density. A wide variety of skyrmionic device concepts and prototypes have recently been proposed, highlighting their potential applications. Furthermore, the intrinsic properties of skyrmions enable new functionalities that may be inaccessible to conventional electronic devices. Here, we report on a skyrmion-based artificial synapse device for neuromorphic systems. The synaptic weight of the proposed device can be strengthened/weakened by positive/negative stimuli, mimicking the potentiation/depression process of a biological synapse. Both short-term plasticity and long-term potentiation functionalities have been demonstrated with micromagnetic simulations. This proposal suggests new possibilities for synaptic devices in neuromorphic systems with adaptive learning function.

Voltage Controlled Magnetic Skyrmion Motion for Racetrack Memory.

Magnetic skyrmion, vortex-like swirling topologically stable spin configurations, is appealing as information carrier for future nanoelectronics, owing to the stability, small size and extremely low driving current density. One of the most promising applications of skyrmion is to build racetrack memory (RM). Compared to domain wall-based RM (DW-RM), skyrmion-based RM (Sky-RM) possesses quite a few benefits in terms of energy, density and speed etc. Until now, the fundamental behaviors, including nucleation/annihilation, motion and detection of skyrmion have been intensively investigated. However, one indispensable function, i.e., pinning/depinning of skyrmion still remains an open question and has to be addressed before applying skyrmion for RM. Furthermore, Current research mainly focuses on physical investigations, whereas the electrical design and evaluation are still lacking. In this work, we aim to promote the development of Sky-RM from fundamental physics to realistic electronics. First, we investigate the pinning/depinning characteristics of skyrmion in a nanotrack with the voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA) effect. Then, we propose a compact model and design framework of Sky-RM for electrical evaluation. This work completes the elementary memory functionality of Sky-RM and fills the technical gap between the physicists and electronic engineers, making a significant step forward for the development of Sky-RM.