Spin torque switching of perpendicular Ta∣CoFeB∣MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated spin torque switching in perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions using Ta∣CoFeB∣MgO free layers and a synthetic antiferromagnet reference layer.
Abstract: Spin torque switching is investigated in perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions using Ta∣CoFeB∣MgO free layers and a synthetic antiferromagnet reference layer. We show that the Ta∣CoFeB interface makes a key contribution to the perpendicular anisotropy. The quasistatic phase diagram for switching under applied field and voltage is reported. Low switching voltages, Vc 50 ns=290 mV are obtained, in the range required for spin torque magnetic random access memory. Switching down to 1 ns is reported, with a rise in switching speed from increased overdrive that is eight times greater than for comparable in-plane devices, consistent with expectations from a single-domain model.
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TL;DR: Electric-field-assisted reversible switching in CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions with interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is reported, where the coercivity, the magnetic configuration and the tunnelling magnetoresistance can be manipulated by voltage pulses associated with much smaller current densities.
Abstract: The advent of spin transfer torque effect accommodates site-specific switching of magnetic nanostructures by current alone without magnetic field. However, the critical current density required for usual spin torque switching remains stubbornly high around 10(6)-10(7) A cm(-2). It would be fundamentally transformative if an electric field through a voltage could assist or accomplish the switching of ferromagnets. Here we report electric-field-assisted reversible switching in CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions with interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, where the coercivity, the magnetic configuration and the tunnelling magnetoresistance can be manipulated by voltage pulses associated with much smaller current densities. These results represent a crucial step towards ultralow energy switching in magnetic tunnel junctions, and open a new avenue for exploring other voltage-controlled spintronic devices.
956 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe vector measurements of the current-induced effective field in Ta|CoFeB|MgO heterostructures and show that the effective field exhibits a significant dependence on the Ta and CoFeB layer thicknesses.
Abstract: Current-induced effective magnetic fields can provide efficient ways of electrically manipulating the magnetization of ultrathin magnetic heterostructures. Two effects, known as the Rashba spin orbit field and the spin Hall spin torque, have been reported to be responsible for the generation of the effective field. However, a quantitative understanding of the effective field, including its direction with respect to the current flow, is lacking. Here we describe vector measurements of the current-induced effective field in Ta|CoFeB|MgO heterostructrures. The effective field exhibits a significant dependence on the Ta and CoFeB layer thicknesses. In particular, a 1 nm thickness variation of the Ta layer can change the magnitude of the effective field by nearly two orders of magnitude. Moreover, its sign changes when the Ta layer thickness is reduced, indicating that there are two competing effects contributing to it. Our results illustrate that the presence of atomically thin metals can profoundly change the landscape for controlling magnetic moments in magnetic heterostructures electrically.
736 citations
TL;DR: Solid-state memory devices with all-electrical read and write operations might lead to faster, cheaper information storage.
Abstract: Solid-state memory devices with all-electrical read and write operations might lead to faster, cheaper information storage.
728 citations
TL;DR: This article reviews spintronics based memories, in particular, magnetic random access memory (MRAM) in a systematic manner and discusses some of the future technologies that might help the industry to move beyond the conventional MRAM technology.
726 citations
Patent•
14 Feb 2011TL;DR: A magnetoresistive element according to an embodiment includes: a first ferromagnetic layer having an axis of easy magnetization in a direction perpendicular to a film plane; a second nonmagnetic layer placed between the first and the second magnetoresists; and a second interfacial magnetic layer between the second and the nonmagians as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: A magnetoresistive element according to an embodiment includes: a first ferromagnetic layer having an axis of easy magnetization in a direction perpendicular to a film plane; a second ferromagnetic layer having an axis of easy magnetization in a direction perpendicular to a film plane; a nonmagnetic layer placed between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer; a first interfacial magnetic layer placed between the first ferromagnetic layer and the nonmagnetic layer; and a second interfacial magnetic layer placed between the second ferromagnetic layer and the nonmagnetic layer The first interfacial magnetic layer includes a first interfacial magnetic film, a second interfacial magnetic film placed between the first interfacial magnetic film and the nonmagnetic layer and having a different composition from that of the first interfacial magnetic film, and a first nonmagnetic film placed between the first interfacial magnetic film and the second interfacial magnetic film
600 citations
References
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IBM1
TL;DR: In this paper, a new mechanism was proposed for exciting the magnetic state of a ferromagnet, where a transfer of vectorial spin accompanied an electric current flowing perpendicular to two parallel magnetic films connected by a normal metallic spacer.
5,824 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the mean magnetizations of the two ferromagnetic film are parrallel or antiparallel and conductance measurement is related to the spin polarizations of conduction electrons.
3,365 citations
TL;DR: Inter interfacial perpendicular anisotropy between the ferromagnetic electrodes and the tunnel barrier of the MTJ is used by employing the material combination of CoFeB-MgO, a system widely adopted to produce a giant tunnel magnetoresistance ratio in MTJs with in-plane an isotropy.
Abstract: Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with ferromagnetic electrodes possessing a perpendicular magnetic easy axis are of great interest as they have a potential for realizing next-generation high-density non-volatile memory and logic chips with high thermal stability and low critical current for current-induced magnetization switching. To attain perpendicular anisotropy, a number of material systems have been explored as electrodes, which include rare-earth/transition-metal alloys, L1(0)-ordered (Co, Fe)-Pt alloys and Co/(Pd, Pt) multilayers. However, none of them so far satisfy high thermal stability at reduced dimension, low-current current-induced magnetization switching and high tunnel magnetoresistance ratio all at the same time. Here, we use interfacial perpendicular anisotropy between the ferromagnetic electrodes and the tunnel barrier of the MTJ by employing the material combination of CoFeB-MgO, a system widely adopted to produce a giant tunnel magnetoresistance ratio in MTJs with in-plane anisotropy. This approach requires no material other than those used in conventional in-plane-anisotropy MTJs. The perpendicular MTJs consisting of Ta/CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB/Ta show a high tunnel magnetoresistance ratio, over 120%, high thermal stability at dimension as low as 40 nm diameter and a low switching current of 49 microA.
3,169 citations
IBM1
TL;DR: In this article, a theory is given for three closely related effects involving a nonmagnetic electron-tunneling barrier separating two ferromagnetic conductors, and the theory predicts that the valve effect is weak and that the coupling is antiferromagnetic (Jl0).
Abstract: A theory is given for three closely related effects involving a nonmagnetic electron-tunneling barrier separating two ferromagnetic conductors. The first is Julliere's magnetic valve effect, in which the tunnel conductance depends on the angle \ensuremath{\theta} between the moments of the two ferromagnets. One finds that discontinuous change of the potential at the electrode-barrier interface diminishes the spin-polarization factor governing this effect and is capable of changing its sign. The second is an effective interfacial exchange coupling -J cos\ensuremath{\theta} between the ferromagnets. One finds that the magnitude and sign of J depend on the height of the barrier and the Stoner splitting in the ferromagnets. The third is a new, irreversible exchange term in the coupled dynamics of the ferromagnets. For one sign of external voltage V, this term describes relaxation of the Landau-Lifshitz type. For the opposite sign of V, it describes a pumping action which can cause spontaneous growth of magnetic oscillations. All of these effects were investigated consistently by analyzing the transmission of charge and spin currents flowing through a rectangular barrier separating free-electron metals. In application to Fe-C-Fe junctions, the theory predicts that the valve effect is weak and that the coupling is antiferromagnetic (Jl0). Relations connecting the three effects suggest experiments involving small spatial dimensions.
1,455 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a comprehensive survey of experimental studies on the magnetic anisotropy in metallic multilayers containing Fe, Co or Ni is presented and commented on, with the help of some dedicated experimental studies.
Abstract: Ferromagnetic materials exhibit intrinsic `easy' and `hard' directions of the magnetization. This magnetic anisotropy is, from both a technological and fundamental viewpoint one of the most important properties of magnetic materials. The magnetic anisotropy in metallic magnetic multilayers forms the subject of this review article. As individual layers in a multilayer stack become thinner, the role of interfaces and surfaces may dominate that of the bulk: this is the case in many magnetic multilayers, where a perpendicular interface contribution to the magnetic anisotropy is capable of rotating the easy magnetization direction from in the film plane to perpendicular to the film plane. In this review, we show that the (in-plane) volume and (perpendicular) interface contribution to the magnetic anisotropy have been separated into terms related to mechanical stresses, crystallographic structure and the planar shape of the films. In addition, the effect of roughness, often inherent to the deposition techniques used, has been addressed theoretically. Several techniques to prepare multilayers and to characterize their growth as well as methods to determine the magnetic anisotropy are discussed. A comprehensive survey of experimental studies on the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in metallic multilayers containing Fe, Co or Ni is presented and commented on. Two major subjects of this review are the extrinsic effects of strain, roughness and interdiffusion and the intrinsic effect of the crystallographic orientation on the magnetic anisotropy. Both effects are investigated with the help of some dedicated experimental studies. The results of the orientational dependence studies are compared with ab initio calculations. Finally, the perpendicular surface anisotropy and the in-plane step anisotropy are discussed.
1,099 citations