Reliability of Magnetoelastic Switching of Nonideal Nanomagnets with Defects: A Case Study for the Viability of Straintronic Logic and Memory

The emerging field of $s{{0}{0ex}}t{{0}{0ex}}r{{0}{0ex}}a{{0}{0ex}}i{{0}{0ex}}n{{0}{0ex}}t{{0}{0ex}}r{{0}{0ex}}o{{0}{0ex}}n{{0}{0ex}}i{{0}{0ex}}c{{0}{0ex}}s$ may be able to sustain Moore's Law by replacing transistors with switches in which electrically generated strain flips the state of a nanomagnet---an extremely energy-efficient platform for Boolean logic and memory. Can it really work, though? Considering realistic nanomagnets with localized or extended structural defects, the authors find that those flaws increase the switching-error probability by orders of magnitude, making logic applications inconceivable. Even memory applications, more forgiving of errors, are dubious. This calls into question the viability of straintronics for Boolean computing.