Voltage-insensitive stochastic magnetic tunnel junctions with double free layers

Abstract

Stochastic magnetic tunnel junction (s-MTJ) is a promising component of probabilistic bit (p-bit), which plays a pivotal role in probabilistic computers. For a standard cell structure of the p-bit, s-MTJ is desired to be insensitive to voltage across the junction over several hundred millivolts. In conventional s-MTJs with a reference layer having a fixed magnetization direction, however, the stochastic output significantly varies with the voltage due to spin-transfer torque (STT) acting on the stochastic free layer. In this work, we study a s-MTJ with a “double-free-layer” design theoretically proposed earlier, in which the fixed reference layer of the conventional structure is replaced by another stochastic free layer, effectively mitigating the influence of STT on the stochastic output. We show that the key device property characterized by the ratio of relaxation times between the high- and low-resistance states is one to two orders of magnitude less sensitive to bias voltage variations compared to conventional s-MTJs when the top and bottom free layers are designed to possess the same effective thickness. This work opens a pathway for reliable, nanosecond-operation, high-output, and scalable spintronics-based p-bits.