Publication Date:
2021-01-22
Description:
18 pages, 7 figures
Description:
This paper introduces the concept of spin-orbit-torque-MRAM (SOT-MRAM) based
physical unclonable function (PUF). The secret of the PUF is stored into a
random state of a matrix of perpendicular SOT-MRAMs. Here, we show
experimentally and with micromagnetic simulations that this random state is
driven by the intrinsic nonlinear dynamics of the free layer of the memory
excited by the SOT. In detail, a large enough current drives the magnetization
along an in-plane direction. Once the current is removed, the in-plane magnetic
state becomes unstable evolving towards one of the two perpendicular stable
configurations randomly. In addition, an hybrid CMOS/spintronics model is used
to evaluate the electrical characteristics of a PUF realized with an array of
16x16 SOT-MRAM cells. Beyond robustness against voltage and temperature
variations, hardware authentication based on this PUF scheme has additional
advantages over other PUF technologies such as non-volatility (no power
consumption in standby mode), reconfigurability (the secret can be rewritten),
and scalability. We believe that this work is a step forward the design of
spintronic devices for application in security.
Description:
Published
Description:
033904
Description:
7TM.Sviluppo e Trasferimento Tecnologico
Description:
JCR Journal
Keywords:
physics.app-ph; physics.app-ph; Physics - Mesoscopic Systems and Quantum Hall Effect
;
03.01. General
Repository Name:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Type:
article
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