Hybrid spintronics and straintronics: A magnetic technology for ultra low energy computing and signal processing

The authors show that the magnetization of a magnetostrictive/piezoelectric multiferroic single-domain shape-anisotropic nanomagnet can be switched with very small voltages that generate strain in the magnetostrictive layer. This can be the basis of ultralow power computing and signal processing. With appropriate material choice, the energy dissipated per switching event can be reduced to $\sim$45 $kT$ at room temperature for a switching delay of $\sim$100 ns and $\sim$70 $kT$ for a switching delay of $\sim$10 ns, if the energy barrier separating the two stable magnetization directions is $\sim$32 $kT$. Such devices can be powered by harvesting energy exclusively from the environment without the need for a battery.