Headway Technologies, Incorporated

Magic Technologies, Inc.

Applied Spintronics, Inc.

Read Rite Corporation

Xi'an Jiaotong University

Applied Spintronics Technology, Inc.

Imec Vzw

Tai Min

Po-Kang Wang

Yimin Guo

Po Kang Wang

Cheng Tzong Horng

Lijie Guan

Pokang Wang

Moris Musa Dovek

Yuhui Tang

Xizeng Shi

Ru-Ying Tong

Suping Song

Min Li

Jibin Geng

Lei Wang

Xue Zhou

Yiming Huai

Cherng-Chyi Han

Witold Kula

Rongfu Xiao

Hua-Ching Tong

Robert Beach

David Eugene Heim

Chih-Huang Lai

Guangli Liu

Xi Zeng Shi

Otto Vogeli

Mao-Min Chen

Chyu-Jiuh Torng

Hui-Chuan Wang

Zhupei Shi

Otto Voegeli

Yong Shen

Lin Zhang

Lien-Chang Wang

Jiun-Ting Lee

Jian-Gang Zhu

Billy W Crue, Jr

Wai-Ming Johnson Kan

Chyu Jiuh Torng

Son Le

Xuesong Zhou

Moris Musa Dover

Wengie Chen

Po-Kang Wan

Runzi Hao

Qiang Chen

Disclosed is a three-dimensional magnetic device based on a spin Hall effect which includes an internal electrode, at least one magnetic junction and at least one external electrode. The internal electrode, the at least one magnetic junction and the at least one external electrode have columnar structures. Each of the at least one magnetic junction comprises a magnetic free layer, a magnetic reference layer and a non-magnetic spacing layer between magnetic free layer and magnetic reference layer. The magnetic free layer is in contact with internal electrode, and the magnetic reference layer in each of the at least one magnetic junction is in contact with a corresponding one of the at least one external electrode. The three-dimensional magnetic device may be stacked in a normal direction of the bottom surface of the internal electrode. Magnetization reversal of three-dimensional magnetic device may be realized by a combination of a spin-orbit torque and a spin transfer torque. The magnetic device has advantages of reduced heating, improved reliability and stability, high storage density while ensuring thermal stability.

Three-dimensional magnetic device and magnetic memory

A magnetic structure includes a magnetic tunnel junction based on a synthetic antiferromagnetic free layer which is regulated by an electric field, and a spin-orbit layer located below the magnetic tunnel junction. The transformation from the antiferromagnetic coupling to the ferromagnetic coupling of the free layer based on a synthetic antiferromagnetic multilayer structure is controlled by an electric field. A spin-orbit torque magnetic random access memory, which includes the magnetic structure, is able to realize stable data writing under the combined interaction of electric field and current, and has advantages of simple structure for scaling, ultralow power consumption, ultrahigh speed of switching, radiation resistance and non-volatility.

Magnetic structure based on synthetic antiferromagnetic free layer and derivative SOT-MRAM

A magnetic tunnel junction device includes a pinned magnetic layer, a free magnetic layer embodied as a synthetic antiferromagnetic device, and a nonmagnetic barrier layer sandwiched between the pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer. The free magnetic layer includes a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer and a nonmagnetic spacing layer sandwiched between them; and can transform from the antiferromagnetic state to the ferromagnetic state regulated by electric field. Under the coaction of the electric field and the current, the ferromagnetic layer close to the barrier layer of the magnetic tunnel junction is switched to write in data. Also, a magnetic random access memory based on a synthetic antiferromagnetic free layer can write in data under the coaction of the electric field and the current, and has advantages such as simple structure, low power consumption, rapid speed, radiation resistant, and non-volatility.

Magnetic tunnel junction device and magnetic random access memory

The disclosed technology generally relates to magnetic devices, and more particularly to spin torque devices. In one aspect, a spin torque majority gate device includes a free ferromagnetic layer, a spin mixing layer formed above the free ferromagnetic layer, a non-magnetic tunnelling layer formed above the spin mixing layer, and a plurality of input elements formed above the non-magnetic tunnelling layer, where each input element has a fixed ferromagnetic layer.

Spin torque majority gate device

A perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) head is fabricated with main pole and a trailing edge shield antiferromagnetically coupled across a write gap by either having the write gap layer formed as a synthetic antiferromagnetic tri-layer (SAF) or formed as a monolithic layer of antiferromagnetic material. The coupling improves the write performance of the writer by enhancing the perpendicular component of the write field and its gradient. Methods of fabricating the writer are provided.

Method of forming a writer with an AFM write gap

A STT-RAM MTJ is disclosed with a MgO tunnel barrier formed by natural oxidation and containing an oxygen surfactant layer to form a more uniform MgO layer and lower breakdown distribution percent. A CoFeB/NCC/CoFeB composite free layer with a middle nanocurrent channel layer minimizes Jcwhile enabling thermal stability, write voltage, read voltage, and Hc values that satisfy 64 Mb design requirements. The NCC layer has RM grains in an insulator matrix where R is Co, Fe, or Ni, and M is a metal such as Si or Al. NCC thickness is maintained around the minimum RM grain size to avoid RM granules not having sufficient diameter to bridge the distance between upper and lower CoFeB layers. A second NCC layer and third CoFeB layer may be included in the free layer or a second NCC layer may be inserted below the Ru capping layer.

Structure and method to fabricate high performance MTJ devices for spin-transfer torque (STT)-RAM application

A magnetic write head is fabricated with its main pole attached to and magnetically coupled to a tapered yoke. The tapered yoke can be a top yoke (on the trailing side of the pole), a bottom yoke (on the leading side of the pole) or a combination of top and bottom configurations. The tapered portion of the yoke is at the distal end of the yoke and it is an extension of an otherwise uniformly thick yoke. It is found that the taper enables the yoke to be close to the ABS for better response times and a high data rate, while simultaneously being distant, producing less field disturbance by the shields and corresponding improvement of BER, and ATE/WATE. A taper of 45&#xb0; is optimal for its production of uniform magnetization of the pole and optimal response times.

High data rate writer design

A magnetic recording head is fabricated with a pole tip shielded laterally on its sides by a pair of symmetrically disposed side shields formed of porous heterogeneous material that contains non-magnetic inclusions. The non-magnetic inclusions, when properly incorporated within the magnetic matrix of the shields, promote the formation of flux loops within the shields that have portions that are parallel to the ABS and do not display locally disorganized and dynamic regions of flux during the creation of magnetic transitions within the recording medium by the magnetic pole. These flux loop portions, combine with the magnetic flux emerging from the main pole to create a net writing field that significantly reduces adjacent track erasures (ATE) and wide area erasures (WATE).

Shield designs with internal magnetization control for ATE improvement

Writer with an AFM write gap

An MRAM array of MTJ memory cells is provided wherein each such cell is a layered MTJ structure located at an intersection of a word and bit line and has a small circular horizontal cross-section of 1.0 microns or less in diameter and wherein the ferromagnetic free layer of each such cell has a magnetic anisotropy produced by a magnetic coupling with a thin antiferromagnetic layer that is formed on the free layer. The array of MTJ memory cells so provided is far less sensitive to shape irregularities and edge defects of individual cells than arrays of the prior art.

Array of magnetic tunneling junction film structures with process determined in-plane magnetic anisotropy

A CPP MTJ MRAM unit cell utilizes transfer of spin angular momentum as a mechanism for changing the magnetic moment direction of a free layer. The strength of the switching field, Hof the cell is controlled by the magnetic anisotropy of the cell which, in turn, is controlled by a combination of the shape anisotropy and the stress and magnetostriction of the cell free layer. The coefficient of magnetostriction of the free layer can be adjusted by methods such as adding Nb or Hf to alloys of Ni, Fe, Co and B or by forming the free layer as a lamination of layers having different values of their coefficients of magnetostriction. Thus, by tuning the coefficient of magnetostriction of the cell free layer it is possible to produce a switching field of sufficient magnitude to render the cell thermally stable while maintaining a desirable switching current.

MRAM with means of controlling magnetic anisotropy

A PMR writer is disclosed with an all wrap around design wherein the leading shield, side shields, and composite trailing shield are comprised of an anisotropic (&#x2212;Ku) magnetic layer, and where the leading shield and side shields adjoin a gap layer. The composite shield has a first layer made of an isotropic magnetic material adjoining the write gap, and the anisotropic (&#x2212;Ku) layer adjoins the first trailing shield layer on a side opposite the write gap. The main pole may have a tapered leading side and a tapered trailing side with the anisotropic (&#x2212;Ku) leading shield and trailing shield layers extending a greater distance from the ABS than the ends of the tapered main pole sides. Adjacent track erasure is minimized while on-track write field and field gradient are improved.

Superior performance head design with minimized ATE and WATE

A perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) head is fabricated with a main pole and a trailing edge shield having surfaces and interior portions that may include synthetic antiferromagnetic multi-layered superlattices (SAFS) formed on and/or within them respectively. The SAFS, which are multilayers formed as periodic multiples of antiferromagnetically coupled tri-layers, provide a mechanism for enhancing the component of the writing field that is vertical to the magnetic medium by exchange coupling to the magnetization of the pole and shield and constraining the directions of their magnetizations to lie within the film plane of the SAFS.

Writer design with enhanced writability

A high speed magnetic data writer containing a stitched pole tip that works in conjunction with the main pole is disclosed, together with a process for their manufacture. The material composition of each of these two sub-structures is slightly different; one sub-structure is optimized for high magnetic damping while the other sub-structure is optimized for high saturation magnetization.

High data rate magnetic writer design

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Tai Min