Non-volatile run-time field-programmable gate arrays structures using thermally assisted switching magnetic random access memories

This study describes the integration of thermally assisted switching magnetic random access memories (TAS-MRAMs) in field-programmable gate array (FPGA) design. The non-volatility is achieved through the use of magnetic tunnelling junctions (MTJs) in an MRAM cell. A TAS scheme is used to write data in the MTJ device, which helps to reduce power consumption during a write operation in comparison with the conventional writing scheme used in MTJ devices. Furthermore, the non-volatility allows reducing both power consumption and configuration time required at each power-up of the circuit in comparison with classical static random access memory-based FPGAs. An innovative architecture furthermore provides run-time reconfigurable (RTR) support at minimum area overhead. A RTR FPGA element using TAS-MRAM allows dynamic reconfiguration mechanisms, while featuring simple design architecture.