Title: Computing with Nanoscale Magnets

　　Speaker: Prof. Xiaobo Sharon Hu (University of Notre Dame, USA)

　　Time: 15:00, Jun. 17, 2010

　　Venue: Academic Salon, Institute of Semiconductors, CAS

　　Abstract: In conventional electronic systems, information processing is performed by leveraging the movement of electronic charge under the influence of electric field. However, the inherent power dissipation associated with the flow of charge can lead to unacceptable heat generation, especially as these systems are scaled down to the nanometer scale. Other state variables are being actively explored. One of the most promising candidates for an alternative state variable for logic is the magnetic moment, which currently is used mainly for data storage. For nanomagnetic logic (NML) circuits, wires, gates, and inverters, operating at room temperature, have all been experimentally demonstrated. In this talk, the basic concepts of exploiting nanomagnets for logic evaluation will be introduced. A number of key advancements, such as clocking line design and fabrication, magnet shape engineering, defect tolerance, interfacing with CMOS circuits and architecture studies, will be presented. The talk will end with discussions on schemes to further reducing power in NML circuits and other challenges to be overcome in order for NML circuits to be deployed in real applications.

　　About speaker：

　　Xiaobo Sharon Hu is a professor in the department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA. She also holds a joint appointment in the department of Electrical Engineering at the same university. She received her Ph.D. degree from Purdue University. Her research interests include real-time embedded systems, low-power system design, VLSI and nano-scaling computing. She has published more than 160 papers in these areas, and received the Best Paper Award from the ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference in 2001 and from the IEEE Symposium on Nanoscale Architectures in 2009. Another paper of hers was named one of "The Most Influential Papers of 10 Years Design, Automation, and Test in Europe Conference (DATE)". She received the CAREER award from U.S. National Science Foundation. She is currently Associate Editor for ACM Transactions on Embedded Computing. She also served as Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on VLSI and ACM Transactions on Design Automation of Electronic Systems, and as guest editors for several different journals/magazines such as the IEEE Computer Magazine and IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics.