The 3-bit gray counter based on magnetic-tunnel-junction elements

Abstract

A magnetic-tunnel-junction (MTJ) element has been widely studied for data storage applications. An MTJ element can also be used to compute Boolean functions and store the output result. A magnetologic device based on this MTJ element can constitute sequential logic functions as well as combinational logic. Counter is one of the most frequently used sequential logic blocks in digital logic systems. In this paper, a novel architecture of a 3-bit gray counter based on magnetologic elements is presented. It is shown that ten MTJ elements with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) circuits for sense amplifier and writing-current driver can make a 3-bit gray counter. HSPICE simulation results are presented to verify the functionality of the proposed circuits. © 2007 IEEE.