Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Grandis, Inc.

Renesas Technology Corp.

The University of Alabama

International Business Machines Corporation

Dmytro Apalkov

Vladimir Nikitin

Alexey Vasilyevitch Khvalkovskiy

Roman Chepulskyy

Mohamad Towfik Krounbi

Xueti Tang

Steven M Watts

David Patrick Druist

Sebastian Schafer

Eugene Youjun Chen

Zheng Duan

Jaewoo Jeong

Robert Beach

Gen Feng

Ikhtiar

Alexander A G Driskill-Smith

Adrian E Ong

Matthew Joseph Carey

Dustin William Erickson

William Hill Butler

Keith Chan

Kiseok Moon

Shuxia Wang

Volodymyr Voznyuk

Yiming Huai

Zhanjie Li

Borna Josip Obradovic

Titash Rakshit

Yunfei Ding

Jang-Eun Lee

Mahesh Govind Samant

Ryan M Hatcher

Woo Chang Lim

Ki Woong Kim

Se Chung Oh

Don Lee

Yari Ferrante

Panagiotis Charilaos Filippou

Chirag Garg

Kaveh Milaninia

Jang Eun Lee

Kyoung Sun Kim

Donkoun Lee

Sungchul Lee

Kamaram Munira

Chang-Man Park

Hong-Sik Jung

Alexey Vasilyevich Khvalkovskiy

Ilya Krivorotov

Chengcen Sha

Ikhtiar Ikhtiar

- Ikhtiar

A spin-orbit torque magnetic random-access memory (SOT-MRAM) device includes a substrate, a spin orbit torque line above the substrate, a composite-metal-oxide seed layer above the spin orbit torque line, and a magnetic tunnel junction above the composite-metal-oxide seed layer. The magnetic tunnel junction includes a free layer above the composite-metal-oxide seed layer, a main tunneling barrier layer above the free layer, and a pinned layer above the main tunneling barrier layer.

Spin-orbit torque magnetic random-access memory (SOT-MRAM) device

A magnetoresistive tunnel-junction (MTJ) memory element includes a magnetic reference layer (RL), a magnetic free layer (FL), a tunneling barrier layer, which extends between the magnetic RL and the magnetic FL, and a diffusion-blocking layer (DBL), which extends on the magnetic FL. The includes at least one material selected from a group consisting of bismuth (Bi), antimony (Sb), osmium (Os), rhenium (Re), tin (Sn), rhodium (Rh), indium (In), and cadmium (Cd). An oxide capping layer is also provided on the DBL. The oxide layer may include at least one of strontium (Sr), scandium (Sc), beryllium (Be), calcium (Ca), yttrium (Y), zirconium (Zr), and hafnium (Hf).

Magnetoresistive memory elements for spin-transfer torque (STT) and spin-orbit torque (SOT) random access memories

A magnetic structure, a magnetic device incorporating the magnetic structure and a method for providing the magnetic structure are described. The magnetic structure includes a magnetic layer, a templating structure and a resistive insertion layer. The magnetic layer includes a Heusler compound and has a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy exceeding an out-of-plane demagnetization energy. The templating structure has a crystal structure configured to template at least one of the Heusler compound and the resistive insertion layer. The magnetic layer is on the templating structure. The resistive insertion layer is configured to reduce magnetic damping for the Heusler compound and allow for templating of the Heusler compound.

Insertion layers for perpendicularly magnetized Heusler layers with reduced magnetic damping

A magnetic device and method for programming the magnetic device are described. The magnetic device includes a plurality of magnetic junctions and at least one spin-orbit interaction (SO) active layer having a plurality of sidesand an axis. The SO active layer(s) carry a current in direction(s) substantiallyperpendicular to the plurality of sidesalong the axis. Each of the magnetic junction(s) is adjacent to the sides and substantially surrounds a portion of the SO active layer. Each magnetic junction includes a free layer, a reference layer and a nonmagnetic spacer layer between the pinned and free layers. The SO active layer(s) exert a SO torque on the free layer due to the current passing through the SO active layer(s). The free layer is switchable between stable magnetic states. The free layer may be written using the current and, in some aspects, another current driven through the magnetic junction.

Vertical spin orbit torque devices

A magnetic device is described. The magnetic device includes a magnetic junction, a spin-orbit interaction (SO) line and a dipole-coupled layer. The magnetic junction includes a free layer. The SO line is adjacent to the free layer, carries a current in-plane and exerts a SO torque on the free layer due to the current passing through the SO line. The free layer being switchable between stable magnetic states using the SO torque. The SO line is between the free layer and the dipole-coupled layer. The dipole-coupled layer is magnetically coupled to the free layer. At least one of the free layer and the dipole-coupled layer has a damping of greater than 0.02.

Dipole-coupled spin-orbit torque structure

A system including a racetrack memory layer is described. The racetrack memory layer includes a plurality of bit locations and a plurality of domain wall traps. The bit locations are interleaved with the domain wall traps. Each of the bit locations has a first domain wall speed. Each of the domain wall traps has a second domain wall speed. The first domain wall speed is greater than the second domain wall speed. The first domain wall speed and the second domain wall speed are due to at least one of a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction variation in the racetrack memory layer, a synthetic antiferromagnetic effect variation in the racetrack memory layer, and a separation distance for the plurality of domain wall traps corresponding to an intrinsic travel distance. The separation distance is less than one hundred nanometers.

Race-track memory with improved domain wall motion control

A memory system includes a memory track including a plurality of magnetic domains having alternating magnetic polarities and positioned along a path, and a plurality of domain walls separating adjacent ones of the plurality of magnetic domains, each one of the domain walls being configured to store data.

Race-track memory with improved writing scheme

A magnetic junction, a memory using the magnetic junction and method for providing the magnetic junction are described. The magnetic junction includes first and second reference layers, a main barrier layer, a free layer, an engineered secondary barrier layer and a second reference layer. The free layer is switchable between stable magnetic states when a write current is passed through the magnetic junction. The main barrier layer is between the first reference layer and the free layer. The secondary barrier layer is between the free layer and the second reference layer. The engineered secondary barrier layer has a resistance and a plurality of regions having a reduced resistance less than the resistance. The free and reference layers each has a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy and an out-of-plane demagnetization energy less than the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy.

Method and system for engineering the secondary barrier layer in dual magnetic junctions

A memory device and method for providing the memory device are described. The memory device includes word lines, a first plurality of bit lines, a second plurality of bit lines and selectorless memory cells. Each selectorless memory cell is coupled with a word line, a first bit line of the first plurality of bit lines and a second bit line of the second plurality of bit lines. The selectorless memory cell includes first and second magnetic junctions. The first and second magnetic junctions are each programmable using a spin-orbit interaction torque. The word line is coupled between the first and second magnetic junctions. The first and second bit lines are coupled with the first and second magnetic junctions, respectively. The selectorless memory cell is selected for a write operation based on voltages in the word line, the first bit line and the second bit line.

Selectorless 3D stackable memory

A method of reading information stored in a magnetic memory. In a magnetic memory comprising a magnetic tunnel junction including a first reference layer and a free layer, and a spin orbit active (SO) line adjacent to the first reference layer of the magnetic tunnel junction, first and second currents are passed through the SO line so as to achieve two different directions of a magnetic moment of the first reference layer. Two electrical characteristics of the magnetic tunnel junction are determined, the two electrical characteristics corresponding to the two different directions of the magnetic moment of the first reference layer. These two electrical characteristics are then compared to determine the value of the stored information.

Method and apparatus for performing self-referenced read in a magnetoresistive random access memory

A magnetic junction and method for providing the magnetic junction are described. The magnetic junction includes a reference layer, a nonmagnetic spacer layer and a hybrid free layer. The hybrid free layer is switchable between stable magnetic states using a current passed through the magnetic junction. The nonmagnetic spacer layer is between the free layer and the reference layer. The hybrid free layer includes a soft magnetic layer, a hard magnetic layer and an oxide coupling layer between the hard magnetic layer and the soft magnetic layer. The soft magnetic layer has a soft layer magnetic thermal stability coefficient of not more than thirty. The hard magnetic layer has a hard layer magnetic thermal stability coefficient of at least twice the soft layer magnetic thermal stability coefficient.

Method and system for providing a magnetic junction having a low damping hybrid free layer

A magnetic device and method for programming the magnetic device are described. The magnetic device includes a plurality of magnetic junctions and at least one spin-orbit interaction (SO) active layer having a plurality of sides. The SO active layer(s) carry a current in direction(s) substantially perpendicular to the plurality of sides. Each of the magnetic junction(s) is adjacent to the sides and substantially surrounds a portion of the SO active layer. Each magnetic junction includes a free layer, a reference layer and a nonmagnetic spacer layer between the pinned and free layers. The SO active layer(s) exert a SO torque on the free layer due to the current passing through the SO active layer(s). The free layer is switchable between stable magnetic states. The free layer may be written using the current and, in some aspects, another current driven through the magnetic junction.

A magnetic junction, a memory using the magnetic junction and method for providing the magnetic junction are described. The magnetic junction includes first and second reference layers, a main barrier layer having a first thickness, a free layer, an engineered secondary barrier layer and a second reference layer. The free layer is switchable between stable magnetic states when a write current is passed through the magnetic junction. The main barrier layer is between the first reference layer and the free layer. The secondary barrier layer is between the free layer and the second reference layer. The engineered secondary barrier layer has a resistance, a second thickness less than the first thickness and a plurality of regions having a reduced resistance less than the resistance. The free and reference layers each has a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy and an out-of-plane demagnetization energy less than the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy.

A magnetic memory cell includes: a first spin-orbit interaction active layer; a first magnetic free layer on the first spin-orbit interaction active layer, the first magnetic free layer having a changeable magnetization; a first nonmagnetic spacer layer on the first magnetic free layer; a reference layer having a fixed magnetization on the first nonmagnetic spacer layer; a second nonmagnetic spacer layer on the reference layer; a second magnetic free layer on the second nonmagnetic spacer layer, the second magnetic free layer having a changeable magnetization; and a second spin-orbit interaction active layer on the second magnetic free layer.

Cross-point architecture for spin-transfer torque magnetoresistive random access memory with spin orbit writing

A method for measuring a temperature of magnetic junction switchable using spin transfer. The magnetic junction includes at least one magnetic layer. The method includes measuring a temperature variation of at least one magnetic characteristic for the magnetic layer(s) versus temperature. The method also includes measuring a bias variation in the magnetic characteristic versus an electrical bias for the magnetic junction. This measurement is performed such that spin transfer torque-induced variation(s) in the magnetic characteristic(s) are accounted for. The temperature versus the electrical bias for the magnetic junction is determined based on the temperature variation and the bias variation.

Method and system for determining temperature using a magnetic junction

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Dmytro Apalkov