Logic Operations Based on Magnetic-Vortex-State Networks

• Published in: ACS nano Vol. 6; no. 5; pp. 3712 - 3717
• Main Authors: Jung, Hyunsung, Choi, Youn-Seok, Lee, Ki-Suk, Han, Dong-Soo, Yu, Young-Sang, Im, Mi-Young, Fischer, Peter, Kim, Sang-Koog
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 22.05.2012
• Subjects: Disks; Electrodes; Fluid flow; Joining; Logic; Nanostructure; Networks; Polarization; Vortices; magnetic-vortex network; XOR; vortex gyration; signal transfer; logic operation
• ISSN: 1936-0851; 1936-086X
• DOI: 10.1021/nn3000143

Logic operations based on coupled magnetic vortices were experimentally demonstrated. We utilized a simple chain structure consisting of three physically separated but dipolar-coupled vortex-state Permalloy disks as well as two electrodes for application of the logical inputs. We directly monitored the vortex gyrations in the middle disk, as the logical output, by time-resolved full-field soft X-ray microscopy measurements. By manipulating the relative polarization configurations of both end disks, two different logic operations are programmable: the XOR operation for the parallel polarization and the OR operation for the antiparallel polarization. This work paves the way for new-type programmable logic gates based on the coupled vortex-gyration dynamics achievable in vortex-state networks. The advantages are as follows: a low-power input signal by means of resonant vortex excitation, low-energy dissipation during signal transportation by selection of low-damping materials, and a simple patterned-array structure.