High-speed tunable generation of random number distributions using actuated perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions

IF 3.5 2区物理与天体物理 Q2 PHYSICS, APPLIED

Applied Physics Letters Pub Date : 2025-05-28 DOI:10.1063/5.0259366

Ahmed Sidi El Valli, Michael Tsao, J. Darby Smith, Shashank Misra, Andrew D. Kent

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (pMTJs) actuated by nanosecond pulses are emerging as promising devices for true random number generation (TRNG) due to their intrinsic stochastic behavior and high throughput. In this work, we demonstrate the tunability and quality of random number distributions generated by pMTJs operating at a frequency of 104 MHz. First, changing the pulse amplitude is used to systematically vary the probability bias. The variance of the resulting bitstreams closely matches the expected binomial distribution, demonstrating consistency with an underlying sequence of Bernoulli trials. Second, the quality of uniform distributions of 8-bit random numbers generated with a probability bias of 0.5 is considered. A reduced chi-square analysis of these data shows that only two XOR operations are sufficient to achieve this distribution with p-values greater than 0.05. Finally, we show that there is a correlation between long-term probability bias variations and pMTJ resistance. These findings suggest that variations in the characteristics of the pMTJ underlie the observed variation of probability bias. Our results highlight the potential of stochastically actuated pMTJs for high-speed, tunable TRNG applications, showing the importance of the stability of pMTJ device characteristics in achieving reliable, long-term performance.

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利用驱动垂直磁隧道结高速可调产生随机数分布

由纳秒脉冲驱动的垂直磁隧道结（pMTJs）由于其固有的随机特性和高通量而成为真随机数产生（TRNG）的有前途的器件。在这项工作中，我们证明了在104 MHz频率下工作的pMTJs产生的随机数分布的可调性和质量。首先，通过改变脉冲幅度来系统地改变概率偏差。产生的比特流的方差与预期的二项分布密切匹配，显示出与伯努利试验的潜在序列的一致性。其次，考虑了概率偏差为0.5的8位随机数均匀分布的质量。对这些数据的简化卡方分析表明，只有两次异或操作足以实现p值大于0.05的这种分布。最后，我们证明了长期概率偏差变化与pMTJ电阻之间存在相关性。这些发现表明，pMTJ特征的变化是观察到的概率偏差变化的基础。我们的研究结果强调了随机驱动pMTJ在高速、可调谐TRNG应用中的潜力，显示了pMTJ器件特性稳定性对实现可靠、长期性能的重要性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Applied Physics Letters 物理-物理：应用

CiteScore

6.40

自引率

10.00%

发文量

1821

审稿时长

1.6 months

期刊介绍： Applied Physics Letters (APL) features concise, up-to-date reports on significant new findings in applied physics. Emphasizing rapid dissemination of key data and new physical insights, APL offers prompt publication of new experimental and theoretical papers reporting applications of physics phenomena to all branches of science, engineering, and modern technology. In addition to regular articles, the journal also publishes invited Fast Track, Perspectives, and in-depth Editorials which report on cutting-edge areas in applied physics. APL Perspectives are forward-looking invited letters which highlight recent developments or discoveries. Emphasis is placed on very recent developments, potentially disruptive technologies, open questions and possible solutions. They also include a mini-roadmap detailing where the community should direct efforts in order for the phenomena to be viable for application and the challenges associated with meeting that performance threshold. Perspectives are characterized by personal viewpoints and opinions of recognized experts in the field. Fast Track articles are invited original research articles that report results that are particularly novel and important or provide a significant advancement in an emerging field. Because of the urgency and scientific importance of the work, the peer review process is accelerated. If, during the review process, it becomes apparent that the paper does not meet the Fast Track criterion, it is returned to a normal track.