STORAGE CELL, STORAGE DEVICE, AND MAGNETIC HEAD

• US 20150255134A1
• Filed: 08/22/2013
• Published: 09/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Uchida, Hiroyuki, Hosomi, Masanori, Ohmori, Hiroyuki, Bessho, Kazuhiro, Higo, Yutaka, Asayama, Tetsuya, Yamane, Kazutaka
• Granted Patent: US 9,196,336 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3906 Details related to the use of magnetic thin film layers or to their effects
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3909 Arrangements using a magnetic tunnel junction
• 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

Provided is a storage cell that makes it possible to enhance magnetic characteristics of magnetization pinned layer, a storage device and a magnetic head that include the storage cell. The storage cell includes a layer structure including a base layer, a storage layer in which a direction of magnetization is varied in correspondence with information, a magnetization pinned layer that is formed above the base layer and has magnetization that is perpendicular to a film surface and serves as a reference of information stored in the storage layer, and an intermediate layer that is provided between the storage layer and the magnetization pinned layer and is made of a nonmagnetic body. The base layer has a laminated structure of ruthenium and a nonmagnetic body having a face-centered cubic lattice, and the ruthenium is formed at a location adjacent to the magnetization pinned layer.

Claims

1. A storage cell comprising

a layer structure including

a base layer,

a storage layer in which a direction of magnetization is varied in correspondence with information,

a magnetization pinned layer that is formed above the base layer and has magnetization that is perpendicular to a film surface and serves as a reference of information stored in the storage layer, and

an intermediate layer that is provided between the storage layer and the magnetization pinned layer and is made of a nonmagnetic body,

wherein the base layer has a laminated structure of ruthenium and a nonmagnetic body having a face-centered cubic lattice, and the ruthenium is formed at a location adjacent to the magnetization pinned layer.

2. The storage cell according to claim 1,

wherein feeding a current in a laminating direction of the layer structure allows the direction of magnetization in the storage layer to be varied, to allow information to be recorded in the storage layer.

3. The storage cell according to claim 1,

wherein the magnetization pinned layer includes a plurality of magnetic layers and has a laminated ferri-pinned structure in which the magnetic layers are laminated with a nonmagnetic layer in between.

4. The storage cell according to claim 1,

wherein a nonmagnetic material of the base layer has a thickness of 1 nm to 30 nm both inclusive.

5. The storage cell according to claim 1,

wherein a nonmagnetic material of the base layer is any one of aluminum, copper palladium, silver, iridium, platinum, and gold.

6. The storage cell according to claim 1,

wherein two or more in number of the laminated structure of the ruthenium and the nonmagnetic body having the face-centered cubic lattice are interposed.

7. The storage cell according to claim 1,

wherein the magnetization pinned layer includes one of a cobalt-platinum lamination, a cobalt-palladium lamination, and a cobalt-nickel lamination.

8. The storage cell according to claim 1,

wherein the magnetization pinned layer includes any one of a Co—

Pt alloy, a Co—

Pd alloy, a Co—

Ni alloy, and a Co—

Fe—

B alloy.

9. The storage cell according to claim 1,

wherein a material of the nonmagnetic body that constitutes the intermediate layer is MgO.

10. The storage cell according to claim 9,

wherein a ferromagnetic material that constitutes the storage layer is a Co—

Fe—

B alloy.

11. A storage device comprising:

a storage cell that is configured to maintain information by a magnetization status of a magnetic body; and

two kinds of wirings that intersects each other,

the storage cell including

a layer structure including

a base layer,

a storage layer in which a direction of magnetization is varied in correspondence with information,

a magnetization pinned layer that is formed above the base layer and has magnetization that is perpendicular to a film surface and serves as a reference of information stored in the storage layer, and

an intermediate layer that is provided between the storage layer and the magnetization pinned layer and is made of a nonmagnetic body,

wherein the base layer has a laminated structure of ruthenium and a nonmagnetic body having a face-centered cubic lattice, and the ruthenium is formed at a location adjacent to the magnetization pinned layer.

12. The storage device according to claim 11,

wherein the storage cell is configured that feeding a current in a laminating direction of the layer structure allows the direction of magnetization in the storage layer to be varied, to allow information to be recorded in the storage layer,

the storage cell is disposed between the two kinds of wirings, and

the storage cell is configured to allow the current in the laminating direction to flow in the storage cell through the two kinds of wirings.

13. A magnetic head comprising a storage cell,

the storage cell including

a layer structure including

a base layer,

a storage layer in which a direction of magnetization is varied in correspondence with information,

a magnetization pinned layer that is formed above the base layer and has magnetization that is perpendicular to a film surface and serves as a reference of information stored in the storage layer, and

an intermediate layer that is provided between the storage layer and the magnetization pinned layer and is made of a nonmagnetic body,

wherein the base layer has a laminated structure of ruthenium and a nonmagnetic body having a face-centered cubic lattice, and the ruthenium is formed at a location adjacent to the magnetization pinned layer.