Securing integrated circuits against counterfeiting through logic locking presents the fundamental challenge of protecting a locking key from physical, Boolean satisfiability (SAT)-based, and structural threats. Prior research has mainly focused on enhancing logic locking to thwart SAT-based and structural attacks but overlooked the necessity of robust physical security. Our work introduces a novel approach: a logic locking scheme utilizing the nonvolatile properties of nanomagnet logic (NML) to provide comprehensive protection. Polymorphic NML minority gates along with conventional locking techniques fortify the locking key against SAT-based and structural threats, while a protective shield, inducing strain in the nanomagnets, offers physical security via a self-destruct mechanism. Although the NML system improves physical security and preserves security against SAT-based and structural attacks, it suffers from drawbacks related to limited reliability and speed, which result in a notable security overhead cost. Consequently, we propose a hybrid CMOS/NML logic locking approach in which NML islands are integrated into a predominantly CMOS-based system. This hybrid solution continues to deliver security against physical, SAT-based, and the known structural attacks while minimizing the associated overhead. We evaluate the security of such hybrid systems against conventional and physically enhanced SAT attacks. The hybrid logic systems are found to retain the security against conventional SAT-based attacks. We further find that these hybrid logic systems are also robust to physically enhanced SAT attacks in which the attacker has access to all internal electrical signals. These hybrid logic systems are thus shown to provide security against all known physical attacks as well as SAT-based attacks, with minimal efficiency tradeoffs resulting from the use of emerging technologies.

Naïve Bayesian inference enables classification or prediction of an event given observations of potentially contradictory evidences, and is particularly intriguing in power-limited contexts where a neural network would be inappropriate. It has been demonstrated that Müller C-Elements (CEs), when applied within the stochastic computing paradigm, natively calculate Bayes’ theorem, which can be used to perform naïve Bayesian inference, enabling energy-efficient data fusion. However, this concept has never previously been demonstrated experimentally. We therefore report the first fabricated stochastic Bayesian inference engine implemented with CEs. Our measurements of four distinct CE structures experimentally demonstrate tradeoffs among accuracy, efficiency, robustness, and speed. Our chip achieves better power-delay product (PDP) than other proposed stochastic Bayesian engines with CEs, and is the first such chip to be fabricated.

The successful logic locking of integrated circuits requires that the system be secure against both algorithmic and physical attacks. In order to provide resilience against imaging techniques that can detect electrical behavior, we recently proposed an approach for physically and algorithmically secure logic locking with strain-protected nanomagnet logic (NML). While this NML system exhibits physical and algorithmic security, the fabrication imprecision, noise-related errors, and slow speed of NML incur a significant security overhead cost. In this paper, we therefore propose a hybrid CMOS/NML logic locking solution in which NML islands provide security within a system primarily composed of CMOS, thereby providing physical and algorithmic security with minimal overhead. In addition to describing this proposed system, we also develop a framework for device/system co-design techniques that consider trade-offs regarding the efficiency and security.

Neuromorphic computing promises revolutionary improvements over conventional systems for applications that process unstructured information. To fully realize this potential, neuromorphic systems should exploit the biomimetic behavior of emerging nanodevices. In particular, exceptional opportunities are provided by the non-volatility and analog capabilities of spintronic devices. While spintronic devices that emulate neurons have been previously proposed, they require complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology to function. In turn, this significantly increases the power consumption, fabrication complexity, and device area of a single neuron. This work reviews three previously proposed CMOS-free spintronic neurons designed to resolve this issue.

Prevention of integrated circuit counterfeiting through logic locking faces the fundamental challenge of securing an obfuscation key against both physical and algorithmic threats. Previous work has focused on strengthening the logic encryption to protect the key against algorithmic attacks, but failed to provide adequate physical security. In this work, we propose a logic locking scheme that leverages the non-volatility of the nanomagnet logic (NML) family to achieve both physical and algorithmic security. Polymorphic NML minority gates protect the obfuscation key against algorithmic attacks, while a strain-inducing shield surrounding the nanomagnets provides physical security via a self-destruction mechanism.

The development of beyond-CMOS technologies with alternative basis logic functions necessitates the introduction of novel design automation techniques. In particular, recently proposed computing systems based on memristors and bilayer avalanche spin-diodes both provide asymmetric functions as basis logic gates - the implication and inverted-input AND, respectively. This article therefore proposes a method by which Karnaugh maps can be directly applied to systems with asymmetric basis logic functions. A set of identities is defined for these memristor and spintronic logic functions, enabling the formal demonstration of the Karnaugh map method and an explanation of the proposed technique. This method thus, enables the direct minimization of spintronic and memristive logic circuits without translation to conventional Boolean algebra, facilitating the further development of these novel computing paradigms. Preliminary analyses demonstrate that this Karnaugh map minimization approach can provide a 28 percent reduction in step count as compared to previous manual optimization.

The pass transistor logic (PTL) family enables compact circuits to reduce area and power consumption, but inter-stage inverters are required for signal integrity and complementary signals. Similarly, dual-gate ambipolar field-effect transistors are exceptionally logically expressive and provide a single-transistor XNOR operation, but numerous inverters are required to provide complementary signals. In both cases, these inverters and complementary signals significantly degrade overall system efficiency. Ambipolar field-effect transistors are a natural match for PTL, and we therefore propose a new hybrid ambipolar-PTL logic family that exploits the compact logic of PTL and the ambipolar capabilities of ambipolar field-effect transistors. This logic family is a hybrid between PTL and static CMOS-like logic that is made efficient by the use of ambipolar transistors. Novel hybrid ambipolar-PTL circuits were designed and simulated in SPICE, demonstrating strong signal integrity along with the efficiency advantages of using the required inverters to simultaneously satisfy the requirements of PTL and ambipolar circuits. In comparison to the ambipolar field-effect transistors in the conventional static CMOS logic structure, the proposed ambipolar-PTL family can reduce propagation delay by 33%, energy consumption by 88%, energy-delay product by a factor of 10, and area-energy-delay product by a factor greater than 20.

Spintronic devices, especially those based on motion of a domain wall (DW) through a ferromagnetic track, have received a significant amount of interest in the field of neuromorphic computing because of their non-volatility and intrinsic current integration capabilities. Many spintronic neurons using this technology have already been proposed, but they also require external circuitry or additional device layers to implement other important neuronal behaviors. Therefore, they result in an increase in fabrication complexity and/or energy consumption. In this work, we discuss three neurons that implement these functions without the use of additional circuitry or material layers.

The domain wall-magnetic tunnel junction (DW-MTJ) is a spintronic device that enables efficient logic circuit design because of its low energy consumption, small size, and non-volatility. Furthermore, the DW-MTJ is one of the few spintronic devices for which a direct cascading mechanism is experimentally demonstrated without any extra buffers; this enables potential design and fabrication of a large-scale DW-MTJ logic system. However, DW-MTJ logic relies on the conversion between electrical signals and magnetic states which is sensitive to process imperfection. Therefore, it is important to analyze the robustness of such DW-MTJ devices to anticipate the system reliability before fabrication. Here we propose a new DW-MTJ model that integrates the impacts of process variation to enable the analysis and optimization of DW-MTJ logic. This will allow circuit and device design that enhances the robustness of DW-MTJ logic and advances the development of energy-efficient spintronic computing systems.

Emerging technologies provide potential solutions to overcome the limitations of modern CMOS technologies. Specifically, as power density limitations impede further CMOS scaling, emerging technologies including spintronics, memristors, ambipolar transistors, and other beyond-CMOS devices are promising replacements for conventional CMOS transistors due to features such as non-volatility, low energy consumption, high operation speed, or high logical expressiveness. Specifically, we have evaluated spintronic technologies such as domain wall-magnetic tunnel junctions (DW-MTJs) and magnetic skyrmions that are particularly exciting for highly-efficient non-volatile information processing. Additionally, we have explored unconventional electronic switching devices including ambipolar transistors and memristors as replacements to CMOS and for hybrid emerging technology-CMOS computing systems.

Current through ambipolar carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs) can be controlled by two independent gates, enabling highly expressive XOR-based logic circuits. To promote efficient circuit design, it is important to develop an easy-to-use SPICE-compatible model for these dualgate ambipolar CNTFETs. This paper therefore introduces a closed-form model that matches the experimentally demonstrated behavior. This model is then applied for the first simulation of cascaded dual-gate CNTFET logic circuits that exploit ambipolarity for compact logic.