Memory element and memory device

• US 10,374,146 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2017
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Higo, Yutaka, Hosomi, Masanori, Ohmori, Hiroyuki, Bessho, Kazuhiro, Yamane, Kazutaka, Uchida, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Byrne, Harry W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reidlinger, R Lance
• Application Number:
  US15/646,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20180006211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/16 using elements in which the storage effect is based on magnetic spin effect
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/161 details concerning the memory cell structure, e.g. the layers of the ferromagnetic memory cell
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 61/22 of the field-effect transistor [FET] type
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/10 Magnetoresistive devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/80 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/85 Magnetic active materials

Abstract

There is disclosed a memory element including a memory layer that has a magnetization perpendicular to a film face; a magnetization-fixed layer that has a magnetization that is perpendicular to the film face; and an insulating layer that is provided between the memory layer and the magnetization-fixed layer, wherein an electron that is spin-polarized is injected in a lamination direction of a layered structure, and thereby the magnetization direction of the memory layer varies and a recording of information is performed, a magnitude of an effective diamagnetic field which the memory layer receives is smaller than a saturated magnetization amount of the memory layer, and in regard to the insulating layer and the other side layer with which the memory layer comes into contact at a side opposite to the insulating layer, at least an interface that comes into contact with the memory layer is formed of an oxide film.

Claims

1. A memory element comprising:

a memory portion that has a magnetization perpendicular to a film face, wherein the magnetization is configured to change;

a magnetization-fixed portion that has a magnetization perpendicular to the film face and is a reference for the information stored in the memory portion; and

an insulating portion that is provided over the magnetization-fixed portion and is between the memory portion and the magnetization-fixed portion, the insulating portion including a first oxide film,

wherein the memory portion includes a first face and a second face opposite the first face, the first face comes into contact with the first oxide film, and the second face comes into contact with a second oxide film,

wherein the memory portion comprises a Co—

Fe—

B composition, and wherein 0%<

Co≤

70%, 30%≤

Fe<

100%, and 0%<

B≤

5%, and wherein an amount of Co is different from Fe, and

wherein a magnitude of an effective diamagnetic field which the memory portion receives is smaller than a saturated magnetization amount of the memory portion.

2. The memory element according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first oxide film and the second oxide film is an MgO film.

3. The memory element according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the memory portion is from 0.5 nm to 30 nm.

4. The memory element according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the insulating portion is from 0.75 nm to 1.5 nm.

5. The memory element according to claim 1, wherein the memory portion includes a plurality of ferromagnetic layers and a non-magnetic layer, and the non-magnetic layer is between the ferromagnetic layers.

6. The memory element according to claim 5, wherein the non-magnetic layer comprising Mo.

7. The memory element according to claim 1, further comprising:

a cap layer over the second oxide film and formed by a laminated structure of a plurality of materials.

8. The memory element according to claim 1, wherein an area of the memory portion is between 10,000 nm² and 625 π

nm².

9. A memory device comprising;

a memory element that retains information through a magnetization state of a magnetic material; and

two lines that intersect each other,

wherein the memory element comprises;

a memory portion that has a magnetization perpendicular to a film face, wherein the magnetization is configured to change;

a magnetization-fixed portion that has a magnetization perpendicular to the film face and is a reference for the information stored in the memory portion; and

an insulating portion that is provided over the magnetization-fixed portion and is between the memory portion and the magnetization-fixed portion, the insulating portion including a first oxide film, and

wherein the memory portion includes a first face and a second face opposite the first face, the first face comes into contact with the first oxide film, and the second face comes into contact with a second oxide film,

wherein the memory portion comprises a Co—

Fe—

B composition, and wherein 0%<

Co≤

70%, 30%≤

Fe<

100%, and 0%<

B≤

5%, and wherein an amount of Co is different from Fe, and

wherein a magnitude of an effective diamagnetic field which the memory portion receives is smaller than a saturated magnetization amount of the memory portion.