Granted Patent B2

US 9,720,057 · App. 14/801,794 · Granted Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

Claims (67)

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of circuits including a first circuit and a second circuit, each of the plurality of circuits including a plurality of subarrays of magnetic tunnel junctions, wherein:

the magnetic tunnel junctions in each of the plurality of subarrays are arranged in a plurality of rows, the magnetic tunnel junctions in each of the plurality of rows are connected in series, and the plurality of rows are connected in parallel;

the plurality of subarrays are connected in series;

a field line configured to generate a first magnetic field for configuring an operating point of the first circuit based on a current flow through the field line, wherein impedance of a subset of the plurality of rows in each subarray of magnetic tunnel junctions included in the first circuit is configured based on the first magnetic field; and

a first conductive layer including a first section, a second section physically separated from the first section, and a third section physically separated from the first section and the second section, wherein:

the plurality of subarrays includes a first subarray and a second subarray adjacent to the first subarray;

the first subarray is disposed between the first section and the third section; and

the second subarray is disposed between the second section and the third section.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the field line is a first field line and the current flow is a first current flow, and further comprising a second field line configured to generate a second magnetic field for configuring the operating point of the first circuit based on a second current flow through the second field line.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein:

the subset is a first subset;

impedance of a second subset of the magnetic tunnel junctions in each of the plurality of rows of each subarray of magnetic tunnel junctions included in the first circuit is configured based on the second magnetic field; and

the second subset is distinct from the first subset.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first field line and the second field line are serpentine.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the third section is displaced from each of the first section and the second section in a first direction; and

the third section is substantially parallel to the first section and the second section.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the third section is displaced from the first section in a first direction;

the third section is displaced from the second section in a second direction substantially opposite to the first direction; and

the third section is substantially parallel to the first section and the second section.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the second section is displaced from the first section in a third direction substantially the same as the first direction.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:

the field line has a plurality of portions including a first portion and a second portion;

the current flow is a first current flow through the first portion of the field line; and

a direction of the first current flow through the first portion of the field line is substantially parallel to the first direction.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the direction of the first current flow through the first portion of the field line is substantially parallel to a direction of a second current flow through one or more of the plurality of rows of the first subarray, and to a direction of a third current flow through one or more of the plurality of rows of the second subarray.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the direction of the second current flow through the one or more of the plurality of rows of the first subarray is substantially parallel to the direction of the third current flow through the one or more of the plurality of rows of the second subarray.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein:

the field line is configured to generate a second magnetic field for configuring an operating point of the second circuit based on the first current flow through the second portion of the field line; and

a direction of the first current flow through the second portion of the field line is substantially opposite to the direction of the first current flow through the first portion of the field line.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the apparatus is configured to generate a differential signal, the differential signal being a difference between a first output signal of the first circuit and a second output signal of the second circuit, wherein a magnitude of the differential signal is increased relative to the first output signal and the second output signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the apparatus is configured to generate the differential signal for suppression of common mode noise.

14. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising a second conductive layer and a third conductive layer, wherein:

the magnetic tunnel junctions in one or more of the plurality of rows included in the first subarray are disposed between the second conductive layer and the third conductive layer;

a current flow through the magnetic tunnel junctions in the one or more of the plurality of rows included in the first subarray traverses the second conductive layer and the third conductive layer; and

the second conductive layer and the third conductive layer are oriented in a third direction substantially the same as the first direction.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of circuits including a first circuit and a second circuit, each of the plurality of circuits including a plurality of subarrays of magnetic tunnel junctions, wherein:

the magnetic tunnel junctions in each of the plurality of subarrays are arranged in a plurality of rows, the magnetic tunnel junctions in each of the plurality of rows are connected in series, and the plurality of rows are connected in parallel;

the plurality of subarrays are connected in series; and

a field line configured to generate a first magnetic field for configuring an operating point of the first circuit based on a current flow through the field line, wherein impedance of a subset of the plurality of rows in each subarray of magnetic tunnel junctions included in the first circuit is configured based on the first magnetic field; wherein:

a first number of the magnetic tunnel junctions in each of the plurality of rows are connected in series;

a second number of the plurality of subarrays are connected in series; and

a product of the first number and the second number is configured such that a voltage across each magnetic tunnel junction included in the array of magnetic tunnel junctions is in the range from about 0.25 volts to about 0.5 volts.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of circuits including a first circuit and a second circuit, each of the plurality of circuits including a plurality of subarrays of magnetic tunnel junctions, wherein:

the magnetic tunnel junctions in each of the plurality of subarrays are arranged in a plurality of rows, the magnetic tunnel junctions in each of the plurality of rows are connected in series, and the plurality of rows are connected in parallel;

the plurality of subarrays are connected in series; and

a field line configured to generate a first magnetic field for configuring an operating point of the first circuit based on a current flow through the field line, wherein impedance of a subset of the plurality of rows in each subarray of magnetic tunnel junctions included in the first circuit is configured based on the first magnetic field; wherein:

impedance of the array of magnetic tunnel junctions is in the range from about 50 kiloohms to about 100 kiloohms; and

a voltage across the array of magnetic tunnel junctions is in the range from about 50 volts to about 100 volts.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:

a first number of the magnetic tunnel junctions in each of the plurality of rows is in the range from about 5 to about 40;

a second number of the plurality of subarrays connected in series is in the range from about 5 to about 40; and

a product of the first number and the second number is in the range from about 200 to about 400.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein a third number of the plurality of rows connected in parallel in each of the plurality of subarrays is in the range from about 4 to about 8.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of circuits including a first circuit and a second circuit, each of the plurality of circuits including a plurality of subarrays of magnetic tunnel junctions, wherein:

the magnetic tunnel junctions in each of the plurality of subarrays are arranged in a plurality of rows, the magnetic tunnel junctions in each of the plurality of rows are connected in series, and the plurality of rows are connected in parallel;

the plurality of subarrays are connected in series; and

a field line configured to generate a first magnetic field for configuring an operating point of the first circuit based on a current flow through the field line, wherein impedance of a subset of the plurality of rows in each subarray of magnetic tunnel junctions included in the first circuit is configured based on the first magnetic field; wherein:

a first number of the magnetic tunnel junctions in each of the plurality of rows are connected in series;

a second number of the plurality of subarrays are connected in series;

a third number of the plurality of rows are connected in parallel in the corresponding one of the plurality of subarrays; and

a ratio of a product of the first number and the second number to the third number is in the range from about 45 to about 55.

Assignments (6)