Magnetic tunnel junction as a real-time entropy source: Field-Programmable Gate Array based random bit generation without post-processing

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Authors: Troy Criss, Ahmed Sidi El Valli, Naomi Li, A. Haas, Andrew D. Kent
Cited by: 3
References: 20

Abstract

We demonstrate a method to generate application-ready truly random bits from a magnetic tunnel junction driven by a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). We implement a real-time feedback loop that stabilizes the switching probability near 50% and apply an XOR operation, both on the FPGA, to suppress short-term correlations, together mitigating long-term drift and bias in the bitstream. This combined approach passes the NIST Statistical Test Suite for random bit generation at 5 Mb/s without post-processing, providing a practical hardware solution for fast and reliable true random number generation. Beyond cryptographic applications, these capabilities open opportunities for stochastic hardware accelerators, probabilistic computing, and large-scale modeling where real-time access to unbiased randomness is essential.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) and Hardware Security Chaos-based Image/Signal Encryption Low-power high-performance VLSI design

Publication details

Journal / source
Journal of Applied Physics
Publisher
AIP Publishing
Volume
139
Issue
1
Publication date
6 January 2026
Language
EN