Lee’s Summit, Missouri Patent of the Year – 2024/2025

The University of Missouri has been awarded the 2024/2025 Patent of the Year for their groundbreaking invention in semiconductor technology. Their invention, detailed in U.S. Patent No. 11996129, titled ‘Semiconductor circuits and devices based on low-energy consumption semiconductor structures exhibiting multi-valued magnetoelectric spin hall effect’, introduces a novel approach to energy-efficient, multi-state logic circuits.

The patented technology leverages a multi-layer structure combining ferromagnetic, magnetostrictive, and piezoelectric materials with a spin Hall metal layer. This configuration enables the creation of semiconductor devices that exhibit more than two stable magnetic states, allowing for multi-valued logic operations without the need for traditional binary switches. The integration of these materials facilitates precise control over magnetization directions, reducing energy consumption and simplifying circuit complexity compared to conventional binary logic systems.

One of the key advantages of this innovation is its potential to significantly lower energy usage – by over 100 times compared to end-of-roadmap CMOS logic structures. This efficiency gain is particularly impactful in applications requiring high-performance processing, such as artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and complex decision-making systems. By enabling native multi-valued logic, the technology also addresses the limitations of binary logic in representing complex data structures, paving the way for more compact and efficient computing architectures.

The University of Missouri’s achievement underscores the growing importance of interdisciplinary research in advancing semiconductor technologies. This patent not only highlights their leadership in material science but also sets the stage for the next generation of energy-efficient computing solutions.