Neuromorphic Computing with the Ferromagnetic/Antiferromagnetic SOT Systems: The Role of Emerging Antiferromagnetic Phase

Field-free switching is pivotal for ushering in the era of high-density memory expansion. Field-free spin-orbit torque (SOT) switching is achieved by the W/Pt/Co/NiO/Pt device through perpendicular exchange bias under a minimal current density. A SOT-based memristor and current-induced gradual switching behavior are realized to construct spin-based artificial synapses and sigmoidal neurons for neuromorphic computing. An artificial neural network (ANN) is implemented to recognize MNIST handwritten digits and characters, achieving impressive accuracy rates of91~95%, depending on the robustness of the NiO antiferromagnetic ordering. Our finding opens promising pathways for advancing field-free spintronic devices and revolutionizing the landscape of neuromorphic computing.