New skyrmion transistors power quantum and AI research

In an era of deepening energy crisis, the world stands on the precipice of a revolutionary revolution in spintronics technology, promising ultra-low power consumption combined with excellent performance. To illustrate that possibility, let’s consider that the power AlphaGo consumed during the famous game of Go in 2016 is comparable to his daily power usage of 100 households. By 2021, Tesla’s self-driving AI needed 10 times more power to learn.

In response to this growing demand, the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) has developed the world’s first transistor capable of controlling skyrmions. This breakthrough is expected to pave the way for the development of next-generation ultra-low-power devices and greatly contribute to quantum and AI research.Research results published in journals advanced materials.

Skyrmions arranged in a spiral spin structure have the unique feature of being able to be miniaturized to a few nanometers, allowing them to move with very low power. This property positions them as important factors in the evolution of spintronic applications.

The explosive growth of electronics in the 21st century dates back to the invention of the transistor in 1947 at Bell Laboratories in the United States. Transistors that act as current amplifiers and switches are extremely important in electronics. The discovery of skyrmions in 2009 sparked extensive research on skyrmion-based transistors, but these studies were hampered by the lack of a key technique to control skyrmion movement. .

This bottleneck was overcome by Kriss’ newly developed skyrmion transistor. The transistor utilizes a proprietary technique to electronically manage the movement of skyrmions generated in magnetic materials. This innovative solution allows precise control of skyrmion flow or cessation, similar to how conventional transistors regulate current.

A key point in managing the movement of magnetic skyrmions is the control of the magnetic anisotropy, which affects the energy of the skyrmions. Previous studies have attempted to control the magnetic anisotropy through the movement of oxygen within the device, but uniform control could not be achieved.

Overcoming this challenge, the KRISS Quantum Spin team developed a breakthrough method to uniformly control the magnetic anisotropy using hydrogen in an aluminum oxide insulator, which has been used worldwide in experimental implementations of skyrmion transistors. It’s the first time.

This milestone represents a further foundational technology for spintronic devices, following the Institute’s 2021 achievements on skyrmion creation, deletion and translocation. The advent of spintronic transistors has facilitated the development of spintronic-based devices, such as neuromorphic and logic devices, which offer significant power, stability, and speed advantages over traditional electronic devices.

Dr. Jang Yong-Hwan, Director of KRISS Quantum Technology Research Institute, said, “South Korean major companies are overcoming the limitations of current silicon semiconductors and focusing on next-generation semiconductors using spintronics. We are developing spintronics-related technologies. I plan to do so,” he said. Furthermore, we will incorporate them into next-generation semiconductor devices and quantum technologies. ”

KRISS Principal Investigator Dr. Sunmo Yang reflected on the importance of this achievement, stating, “Transistors ignited the digital revolution of the 20th century. Now, skyrmion transistors are catalyzing a similar transformation, leading to the development of spintronic technology.” We are ready to move forward,” he said. 21st century revolution. ”