Analog-to-digital converter based on spin–orbit torque magnetic tunnel junctions

Analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) serve as a crucial interface between the physical and digital worlds, playing an essential role across a wide range of applications. However, achieving an ADC that simultaneously offers high speed, high resolution, and low power consumption remains a significant challenge. Recent advances in spintronics, particularly in spin–orbit torque magnetic tunnel junctions (SOT-MTJs), have shown significant promise for the development of true random number generators (TRNGs). In this study, we propose and demonstrate an ADC architecture based on SOT-MTJ-driven TRNGs with tunable resolution. We experimentally verify the stochastic switching behavior of SOT-MTJs and utilize this property to implement a resolution-adjustable ADC. Circuit-level simulations implemented on a Field-Programmable Gate Array platform confirm the feasibility of the proposed design. Our results further broaden the application of SOT-MTJs, which may play an important role in external signal processing and artificial intelligence hardware acceleration in the future.