Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique

Crocus-Technology Sa

Commissariat a L'energie Atomique

Other

Commissariat a L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives

Crocus Technology Inc.

O-Mass as

Antaios

Jean-Pierre Nozieres

Virgile Javerliac

Gilles Louis Gaudin

Neal Berger

Bernard Dieny

Ioan Lucian Prejbeanu

Ricardo Sousa

Olivier Redon

Yann Conraux

Witold Kula

Ioan Mihai Miron

Christophe Layer

Ioan-Lucian Prejbeanu

Marc Drouard

Olivier Boulle

Kenneth Donald Mackay

Emmanuelle Algre

Ahmad Bsiesy

Laurent Ranno

Pierre Paoli

Sebastien Ferrand

Jean-Christophe Toussaint

Yannick Maral

J&oslash;rn Raastad

Safeer Chenattukuz Hiyil

O Girard

E Saporito

L Chiesi

Joern Raastad

Gilles Gaudin

Kenneth Mackay

A magnetic memory (MRAM) cell, comprising: a first layer formed from a substantially electrically conductive material; and a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stack formed over the first layer, wherein the MTJ stack comprises: a ferromagnetic reference layer having an in-plane reference magnetization; a tunnel barrier layer; and a ferromagnetic storage layer between the tunnel barrier layer and the first layer, the storage layer having an in-plane storage magnetization; wherein the MTJ stack comprises an arrangement for providing an in-plane uniaxial anisotropy in the storage layer; wherein said in-plane uniaxial anisotropy makes an angle with the direction of the write current that is between 5&#xb0; and 90&#xb0;, and wherein said in-plane uniaxial anisotropy has an energy between 40 and 200 kBT and wherein coercivity is larger than 200 Oe.

Magnetic memory cell having deterministic switching and high data retention

A memory slot including a pad formed of a stack of regions made of thin layers, including a first region made of a nonmagnetic conducting material; a second region made of a magnetic material exhibiting a magnetization in a direction perpendicular to the principal plane of the pad; a third region made of a nonmagnetic conducting material of different characteristics to those of the first region; the pad resting on a conducting track adapted to cause the flow of a programming current of chosen sense, in which the pad has an asymmetric shape with respect to any plane perpendicular to the plane of the layers and parallel to the central axis of the track, and with respect to its barycenter.

Magnetic memory cell with asymmetrical geometry programmable by application of current in the absence of a magnetic field

A memory device includes a plurality of magnetic random access memory (MRAM) cells, a field line, and a field line controller configured to generate a write sequence that traverses the field line. The write sequence is for writing a multi-bit word to the plurality of MRAM cells. The multi-bit word includes a first subset of bits having a first polarity and a second subset of bits having a second polarity. The write sequence writes concurrently to at least a subset of the plurality of MRAM cells corresponding to the first subset of bits having the first polarity, then subsequently writes concurrently to a remaining subset of the plurality of MRAM cells corresponding to the second subset of bits having the second polarity.

Apparatus, system, and method for writing multiple magnetic random access memory cells with a single field line

A magnetic memory device of MRAM type with a thermally-assisted writing procedure, the magnetic memory device being formed from a plurality of memory cells, each memory cell comprising a magnetic tunnel junction, the magnetic tunnel junction comprising a magnetic storage layer in which data can be written in a writing process; a reference layer, having a magnetization being always substantially in the same direction at any time of the writing process; an insulating layer between the reference layer and the storage layer; wherein the magnetic tunnel junction further comprises a writing layer made of a ferrimagnetic 3d-4f amorphous alloy, and comprising a net magnetization containing a first magnetization contribution originating from the sub-lattice of 3d transition elements and a second magnetization contribution originating from the sub-lattice of 4f rare-earth elements. The magnetic memory device has a low power consumption.

Magnetic memory with a thermally assisted writing procedure

A memory unit with one field line; at least two thermally-assisted switching magnetic tunnel junction-based magnetic random access memory cells, each cell comprising a magnetic tunnel junction having an insulating layer disposed between a magnetic storage layer and a magnetic reference layer; wherein a selection transistor is connected to the magnetic tunnel junction; the one field line is used for passing a field current for switching a magnetization of the storage layer of the magnetic tunnel junctions of the cells. A magnetic memory device can be formed by assembling an array of the memory units, wherein at least two adjacent magnetic tunnel junctions of the cells can be addressed simultaneously by the field line. The memory unit and magnetic memory device have a reduced surface area. Magnetic memory devices with an increased density of memory units can be fabricated resulting in lower die fabrication cost and lower power consumption.

Shared line magnetic random access memory cells

This magnetic memory with a thermally-assisted write, every storage cell of which consists of at least one magnetic tunnel junction, said tunnel junction comprising at least: one magnetic reference layer, the magnetization of which is always oriented in the same direction at the time of the read of the storage cell; one so-called 'free' magnetic storage layer, the magnetization direction of which is variable; one insulating layer sandwiched between the reference layer and the storage layer. The magnetization direction of the reference layer is polarized in a direction that is substantially always the same at the time of a read due to magnetostatic interaction with another fixed-magnetization layer called the 'polarizing layer'.

Magnetic tunnel junction magnetic memory

A content-addressable random access memory having magnetic tunnel junction-based memory cells and methods for making and using same. The magnetic tunnel junction has first and second magnetic layers and can act as a data store and a data sense. Within each cell, registered data is written by setting a magnetic orientation of the first magnetic layer in the magnetic tunnel junction via current pulses in one or more current lines. Input data for comparison with the registered data can be similarly set through the magnetic orientation of the second magnetic layer via the current lines. The data sense is performed by measuring cell resistance, which depends upon the relative magnetic orientation of the magnetic layers. Since data storage, data input, and data sense are integrated into one cell, the memory combines higher densities with non-volatility. The memory can support high speed, reduced power consumption, and data masking.

System and method for providing content-addressable magnetoresistive random access memory cells

This invention relates to a recording medium comprising:

Recording device with a porous heat barrier

A system and method for writing to a magnetic memory written in a thermally assisted manner, each memory point formed by a magnetic tunnel junction, and having a substantially circular cross-section of the memory which is parallel to the plane of the layers forming the tunnel junction. The tunnel junction includes at least a trapped layer with a fixed magnetisation direction, a free layer with a variable magnetisation direction with an insulating layer arranged there between. The free layer is formed from at least one soft magnetic layer and a trapped layer, with the two layers being magnetically coupled by contact. During read operations and at rest, the operating temperature of the memory is lower than the blocking temperature of the free and trapped layers, respectively.

Magnetic memory with a magnetic tunnel junction written in a thermally assisted manner, and method for writing the same

The invention concerns a magnetic memory, whereof each memory point consists of a magnetic tunnel junction (), comprising: a magnetic layer, called trapped layer (), whereof the magnetization is rigid; a magnetic layer, called free layer (), whereof the magnetization may be inverse; and insulating layer (), interposed between the free layer () and the trapped layer () and respectively in contact with said two layers. The free layer () is made with an amorphous or nanocrytallized alloy based on rare earth or a transition metal, the magnetic order of said alloy being of the ferromagnetic type, said free layer having a substantially planar magnetization.

Magnetic memory with spin-polarized current writing, using amorphous ferromagnetic alloys, writing method for same

The invention relates to a magnetic memory with write inhibit selection and the writing method for same. Each memory element of the invention comprises a magnetic tunnel junction () consisting of: a magnetic layer, known as the trapped layer (), having hard magnetisation; a magnetic layer, known as the free layer (), the magnetisation of which may be reversed; and an insulating layer () which is disposed between the free layer () and the trapped layer () and which is in contact with both of said layers. The free layer () is made from an amorphous or nanocrystalline alloy based on rare earth and a transition metal, the magnetic order of said alloy being of the ferrimagnetic type. The selected operating temperature of the inventive memory is close to the compensation temperature of the alloy.

Magnetic memory with write inhibit selection and the writing method for same

A magneto-optical read head for detecting magnetic transitions representing data stored in a magnetic recording medium as a sense layer having an optical property that is magnetic field-dependent, two magnetic shield layers respectively disposed on opposite sides of the sense layer and allowing magnetic flux from substantially only one of the magnetic transitions to interact with the sense layer at a time, with one of the magnetic shield layers being transparent at a wavelength allowing light at that wavelength to enter into and exit from the sense layer.

Dual shield vertical magneto-optical read head

A matrix array of recording heads, wherein each head is independent from another both in terms of its magnetic circuit and excitation conductors. Each individual head has a planar magnetic circuit and an helical coil wrapped around the lower part of the magnetic circuit. The matrix array is collectively fabricated using full thin film technology on non-magnetic substrates. Preferably, the heads are aligned in an oblique lattice with the write gaps aligned along rows and offset by a constant value along columns. Each individual head is connected to the control electronics through interconnects to the backside of the wafer, allowing independent control of the write parameters. The die forming the device is shaped on its edges and top surface to optimize head/medium positioning and minimize wear.

Fully integrated matrix magnetic recording head with independent control

Growing community of inventors

Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse, France

Jean-Pierre Nozieres