Stochastic spin-orbit-torque synapse and its application in uncertainty quantification

Abstract

Stochasticity plays a significant role in the low-power operation of a biological neural network. In an artificial neural network (ANN), stochasticity also contributes to critical functions such as the uncertainty quantification (UQ) for estimating the probability for the correctness of prediction. This UQ is vital for cutting-edge applications, including medical diagnostics, autopilots, and large language models. Thanks to high computing velocity and low dissipation, a spin-orbit-torque (SOT) device exhibits significant potential for implementing the UQ. However, up until now, the application of UQ for stochastic SOT devices remains unexplored. In this study, based on SOT-induced stochastic magnetic domain wall (DW) motion with varying velocity, we fabricated an SOT synapse that could emulate stochastic weight update following the Spike-Timing-Dependent-Plasticity (STDP) rule. Furthermore, we set up a stochastic Spiking-Neural-Network (SNN), which, when compared to its deterministic counterpart, demonstrates a clear advantage in quantifying uncertainty for diagnosing the type of breast tumor (benign or malignant).