Hybrid spintronic/straintronics: A super energy efficient computing scheme based on interacting multiferroic nanomagnets

We have theoretically shown that multiferroic nanomagnets (consisting of a piezoelectric and a magnetostrictive layer) could be used to perform computing while dissipating ~ few 100 kT/bit at clock rates of ~1GHz [1,2,3]. They can act as memory elements [2], binary logic gates [3, 4] and associative memory for four state logic [5, 6]. The latter enables signal processing functions such as ultrafast image reconstruction and pattern recognition [7]. This talk will provide an overview of our research in modeling stress induced nanoscale magnetization dynamics, its application to ultra low energy hybrid spintronic/straintronics memory and information processing, and discuss preliminary experimental work in fabrication and experimental demonstration of these devices.