Spin-Hall effect MRAM based cache memory: A feasibility study

One of the key objectives of STT-MRAM research has been on minimizing switching current while maintaining the required nonvolatility. To address this challenge, non-traditional MRAMs based on novel switching mechanisms have been proposed. In particular, spin-Hall effect (SHE) which utilizes large spin currents generated in the direction transverse to the charge current have been recently drawing attention [1]. Despite early promises such as lower switching current by means of efficient spin generation (i.e. I_spin/I_charge>100%) and longer device lifetime owing to the decoupled read and write paths, there is still a lack of a comprehensive study for benchmarking SHE-MRAM against other memory technologies. In this work, we explore the trade-off points across different levels of design abstraction (i.e. device, circuit, and architecture) to evaluate the feasibility of SHE-MRAM for large on-die cache memory.