TAS-MRAM based Non-volatile FPGA logic circuit

As one of the most promising spintronics applications, MRAM combines the advantages of high writing and reading speed, limitless endurance and non-volatility. The integration of MRAM in FPGA allows the logic circuit to rapidly configure the algorithm, the routing and logic functions, easily realize the dynamical reconfiguration and multi-context configuration. However, the conventional MRAM technology based on field induced magnetic switching (FIMS) writing approach consumes very high power and large circuit surface, and produces high disturbance between memory cells. These drawbacks prevent FIMS-MRAM´s further development in memory and logic circuit. Thermally assisted switching (TAS) based MRAM is then evaluated to address these issues and some design techniques for FPGA logic circuits based on TAS-MRAM technology are presented. By using STMicroelectronics CMOS 90 nm technology, some chip characteristic results have been calculated to demonstrate the expected performance of TAS-MRAM based FPGA logic circuits.