Qualcomm Incorporated

Other

Peiyuan Wang

Seung Hyuk Kang

Chando Park

Jimmy Jianan Kan

Wenqing Wu

Senthil Kumar Govindaswamy

Raghu Sagar Madala

Jung Pill Kim

Jeremy Darren Dunworth

Kendrick Hoy Leong Yuen

David Joseph Winston Hansquine

Daniel Keyes Butterfield

Kendrick H Yuen

Robert P Gilmore

Sungryul Kim

Zhenyu Sun

A perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction may include a free layer, a reference layer, and a barrier layer. The barrier layer may be arranged between the free layer and the reference layer. The barrier layer may include a first interface and a second interface. The first interface may face the free layer, and a second interface may face the reference layer. The first interface may not physically correlate with the second interface.

Engineered barrier layer interface for high speed spin-transfer torque magnetic random access memory

Exemplary features pertain to secure communications using Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) devices. Segments of a message to be encrypted are sequentially applied to a PUF device as a series of challenges to obtain a series of responses for generating a sequence of encryption keys, whereby a previous segment of the message is used to obtain a key for encrypting a subsequent segment of the message. The encrypted message is sent to a separate (receiving) device that employs a logical copy of the PUF device for decrypting the message. The logical copy of the PUF may be a lookup table or the like that maps all permissible challenges to corresponding responses for the PUF and may be generated in advance and stored in memory of the receiving device. The data to be encrypted may be further encoded to more fully exercise the PUF to enhance security. Decryption operations are also described.

Message-based key generation using physical unclonable function (PUF)

A magnetic random access memory (MRAM) array including several bit cells is described. Each of the bit cells may include a perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction (pMTJ) including a reference layer, a barrier layer supporting the reference layer, and a free layer supporting the barrier layer. A spin-hall conductive material layer may support the free layer. A driver may be operable to set a state of at least one of the bit cells using an increased spin-transfer torque (STT) current and a spin-hall effect from the spin-hall conductive material layer. The increased STT current may be driven through the spin-hall conductive material layer and the pMTJ so that a spin current is generated from the reference layer and the spin-hall conductive material layer.

High-speed, low power spin-orbit torque (SOT) assisted spin-transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) bit cell array

Embodiments described herein are related to contactless data communication. Related systems and methods for contactless data communication are disclosed herein. For example, a magnetic field-based contactless transmitter is disclosed that includes a substrate, a pair of dipole coils disposed on the substrate, and a drive circuit electrically coupled to the pair of dipole coils. To transmit data to a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) receiver disposed on a second substrate, the drive circuit is configured to drive the pair of dipole coils so as to generate a magnetic field in-plane to the MTJ receiver. Data can be transmitted from the magnetic field-based contactless transmitter to the MTJ receiver using the magnetic field.

Contactless data communication using in-plane magnetic fields, and related systems and methods

In a particular aspect, an apparatus includes a magnetic random access memory (MRAM) cell including a pair of cross coupled inverters including a first inverter and a second inverter. The first inverter includes a first transistor coupled to a first node and a second transistor coupled to the first node. The second inverter includes a third transistor coupled to a second node and a fourth transistor coupled to the second node. The MRAM cell includes a first magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element coupled to the second transistor and a second MTJ element coupled to the fourth transistor. The apparatus further includes a voltage initialization circuit coupled to the MRAM cell. The voltage initialization circuit is configured to substantially equalize voltages of the first node and the second node in response to an initialization signal.

Physically unclonable function based on comparison of MTJ resistances

An apparatus includes a perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) including a free layer. The apparatus includes a spin orbit torque metal layer coupled to the perpendicular MTJ and configured to change a magnetization state of the free layer responsive to flow of a current along the spin orbit torque metal layer. The apparatus includes a random number generator configured to generate a random number at least partially based on a state of the perpendicular MTJ.

System and method to generate a random number

The present disclosure includes switched capacitor transmitter circuits and methods. In one embodiment, the present disclosure includes a plurality of switched capacitor transmitter circuits coupled to inputs of an inductive network. The inductive network combines voltages from the switched capacitor transmitter circuits to produce a combined voltage on an output. In another embodiment, a digital data signal is thermometer encoded and a negative thermo-encoded signal is bit order reversed to control capacitors in a switched capacitor transmitter circuit.

Switched capacitor transmitter circuits and methods

The present disclosure includes switched capacitor transmitter circuits and methods. In one embodiment, a digital data signal is thermometer encoded and a negative thermo-encoded signal is bit order reversed to control capacitors in a switched capacitor transmitter circuit. In another embodiment, the present disclosure includes a plurality of switched capacitor transmitter circuits coupled to inputs of an inductive network. The inductive network combines voltages from the switched capacitor transmitter circuits to produce a combined voltage on an output.

A method and apparatus for generating random binary sequences from a physical entropy source having a state A and a state B by detecting whether the physical entropy source is in the state A or in the state B, attempting to shift the state of the physical entropy source to the opposite state in a probabilistic manner with less than 100% certainty, and producing one of four outputs based on the detected state and the state of the physical entropy source before the attempted shift. The outputs are placed in first and second queues and extracted in pairs from each queue. Random binary bits are output based on the sequences extracted from each queue.

Method and apparatus for generating random numbers using a physical entropy source

A magnetic tunneling junction non-volatile register with feedback for robust read and write operations. In an embodiment, two MTJ devices are configured to store a logical 0 or a logical 1, and are coupled to drive an output node to a voltage indicative of the stored logical 0 or a logical 1. The output of a D flip-flop is fed to the two MTJ devices so that the state of the D flip-flop may be stored in the two MTJ devices during a store operation. During a read operation, the D flip-flop outputs the state of the two MTJ devices. Read disturbances are mitigated with the use of an edge detector coupled to the output node, so that a LOW voltage is provided to the D flip-flop if a rising voltage at the output node is detected.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Peiyuan Wang