International Business Machines Corporation

Crocus-technology Sa

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Infineon Technologies North America Corp.

University of Alabama

Infineon Technologies Ag

Daniel Christopher Worledge

Guohan Hu

Philip Louis Trouilloud

Anthony J Annunziata

David William Abraham

Jonathan Zanhong Sun

John Kenneth DeBrosse

Janusz Jozef Nowak

Michael C Gaidis

Lucian Prejbeanu

Luqiao Liu

Joerg Dietrich Schmid

Todd Edward Takken

Michele M Franceschini

Blake G Fitch

Stephen L Brown

Joel D Chudow

John De Brosse

William Joseph Gallagher

Younghyun Kim

Jeong-Heon Park

John K Debrosse

Marcin J Gajek

Pouya Hashemi

Eugene John O'Sullivan

Rolf Allenspach

William Hill Butler

See-Hun Yang

Kotb Jabeur

Jeffrey A Stuecheli

Hillery C Hunter

Matthew R Wordeman

William Eric Hall

Ulrich Karl Klostermann

Stuart P Parkin

Vladislav Korenivski

Niladri N Mojumder

Francesco A Vetrò

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) storage element that includes a reference layer, a tunnel barrier and a free layer on an opposite side of the tunnel barrier layer from the reference layer. The reference layer has a fixed magnetization direction. The free layer includes a first region, a second region and a third region. The third region is formed from a third material that is configured to magnetically couple the first region and the second region. The first region is formed from a first material having a first predetermined magnetic moment, and the second region is formed from a second material having a second predetermined magnetic moment. The first predetermined magnetic moment is lower that the second predetermined magnetic moment.

Magnetic exchange coupled MTJ free layer having low switching current and high data retention

A modified double magnetic tunnel junction (mDMTJ) structure is provided which includes a narrow base and the use of a spin diffusion layer (i.e., non-magnetic, spin-conducting metallic layer) which gives a low resistance-area product (RA) for the tunnel barrier layer that forms an interface with the spin diffusion layer.

Low RA narrow base modified double magnetic tunnel junction structure

A spin-orbit torque magnetoresistive random-access memory device formed by forming an array of transistors, where a column of the array includes a source line contacting the source contact of each transistor of the column, forming a spin-orbit-torque (SOT) line contacting the drain contacts of the transistors of the row, and forming an array of unit cells, each unit cell including a spin-orbit-torque (SOT) magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) cell stack disposed above and in electrical contact with the SOT line, where the SOT-MRAM cell stack includes a free layer, a tunnel junction layer, and a reference layer, a diode structure above and in electrical contact with the SOT-MRAM cell stack, an upper electrode disposed above and in electrical contact with the diode structure.

Spin-orbit-torque magnetoresistive random-access memory array

A memory device that includes a first magnetic insulating tunnel barrier reference layer present on a first non-magnetic metal electrode, and a free magnetic metal layer present on the first magnetic insulating tunnel barrier reference layer. A second magnetic insulating tunnel barrier reference layer may be present on the free magnetic metal layer, and a second non-magnetic metal electrode may be present on the second magnetic insulating tunnel barrier. The first and second magnetic insulating tunnel barrier reference layers are arranged so that their magnetizations are aligned to be anti-parallel.

Double spin filter tunnel junction

A multilayered magnetic free layer structure is provided that includes a first magnetic free layer and a second magnetic free layer separated by a non-magnetic layer in which the first magnetic free layer is composed of an ordered magnetic alloy. The ordered magnetic alloy provides a first magnetic free layer that has low moment, but is strongly magnetic. The use of such an ordered magnetic alloy first magnetic free layer in a multilayered magnetic free layer structure substantially reduces the switching current needed to reorient the magnetization of the two magnetic free layers.

Multilayered magnetic free layer structure containing an ordered magnetic alloy first magnetic free layer for spin-transfer torque (STT) MRAM

A method for forming a memory device that includes providing a free layer of an alloy of cobalt (Co), iron (Fe) and boron (B) overlying a reference layer; and forming metal layer comprising a boron (B) sink composition atop the free layer. Boron (B) may be diffused from the free layer to the metal layer comprising the boron sink composition. At least a portion of the metal layer including the boron (B) sink composition is removed. A metal oxide is formed atop the free layer. The free layer may be a crystalline cobalt and iron alloy. An interface between the metal oxide and free layer can provide perpendicular magnetic anisotropy character.

In-situ annealing and etch back steps to improve exchange stiffness in cobalt iron boride based perpendicular magnetic anisotropy free layers

A modified double magnetic tunnel junction structure is provided which includes an amorphous spin diffusion layer (i.e., an amorphous non-magnetic, spin-conducting metallic layer) sandwiched between a magnetic free layer and a first tunnel barrier layer; the first tunnel barrier layer contacts a first magnetic reference layer. A second tunnel barrier layer is located on the magnetic free layer and a second magnetic reference layer is located on the second tunnel barrier layer. Such a modified double magnetic tunnel junction structure exhibits efficient switching (at a low current) and speedy readout (high tunnel magnetoresistance).

Amorphous spin diffusion layer for modified double magnetic tunnel junction structure

A bottom pinned magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stack having improved switching performance is provided which can be used as a component/element of a spin-transfer torque magnetoresistive random access memory (STT MRAM) device. The improved switching performance which, in turn, can reduce write errors and improve write voltage distributions, is obtained by inserting at least one heavy metal-containing layer into the magnetic free layer and/or by forming a heavy metal-containing layer on a MTJ capping layer that is located above the magnetic free layer.

STT MRAM matertails with heavy metal insertion

A magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device includes a cylindrically-shaped pillar structure and a first ferromagnetic layer disposed on at least a portion of the pillar structure. The first ferromagnetic layer exhibits a magnetization that is changeable in the presence of at least one of an applied bias and heat. The MTJ device further includes a dielectric barrier disposed on at least a portion of the first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer disposed on at least a portion of the dielectric barrier. The second ferromagnetic layer exhibits a magnetization that is fixed. The MTJ device is configured such that the first and second ferromagnetic layers and the dielectric barrier concentrically surround the pillar structure.

Magnetic tunnel junction having all-around structure

A multilayered magnetic free layer structure is provided that includes a first magnetic free layer and a second magnetic free layer separated by a non-magnetic layer in which the second magnetic free layer is composed of a M/Msuperlattice structure or a M/Mmultilayer structure, wherein Mis a first magnetic metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt (Co), iron (Fe) and alloys thereof, and Mis a second magnetic metal selected from the group consisting of platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), nickel (Ni), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Jr), rhenium (Re) and alloys thereof.

Multilayered magnetic free layer structure for spin-transfer torque (STT) MRAM

Techniques relate to forming a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). A synthetic antiferromagnetic reference layer is adjacent to a tunnel barrier layer. The synthetic antiferromagnetic reference layer includes a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, and a reference spacer layer sandwiched between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer. A magnetic free layer is adjacent to the tunnel barrier layer so as to be opposite the synthetic antiferromagnetic reference layer. The synthetic antiferromagnetic reference layer has a thickness of at least one of 3 nanometers (nm), 4 nm, and 3-4 nm.

Thin reference layer for STT MRAM

A magneto-resistance random access memory (MRAM) cell includes a transistor, a wire and a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). The MTJ includes a fixed layer of fixed magnetic polarity electrically connected with the transistor, a free layer of variable magnetic polarity electrically connected with the wire and an insulator between the fixed and free layers. First current passed through the wire destabilizes the variable magnetic polarity of the free layer. Second current passed through the transistor in one of two directions during first current passage through the wire directs the variable magnetic polarity of the free layer toward a parallel or anti-parallel condition with respect to the fixed magnetic polarity of the fixed layer. A ceasing of the first current prior to a ceasing of the second current sets the variable magnetic polarity of the free layer in the parallel or anti-parallel condition.

Spin hall write select for magneto-resistive random access memory

Growing community of inventors

Cortlandt Manor, NY, United States of America

Daniel Christopher Worledge