Spin polarised magnetic device

• US 8,279,666 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2010
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation), Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique, Institut Polytechnique De Grenoble
• Original Assignee: Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique, Institut Polytechnique De Grenoble, Le Commissariat A L'Energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives
• Inventors: Dieny, Bernard, Papusoi, Cristian, Ebels, Ursula, Houssameddine, Dimitri, Buda-Prejbeanu, Liliana, Sousa, Ricardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thong Q
• Application Number:
  US12/787,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20110007560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 365/171, 365/157, 365/97, 365/158, 365/48, 365/50, 365/66
• US Class Current: 365/171
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 25/00 Nanomagnetism, e.g. magnetoimpedance, anisotropic magnetoresistance, giant magnetoresistance or tunneling magnetoresistance
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/093 using multilayer structures, e.g. giant magnetoresistance sensors thin magnetic films H01F10/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/1284 Spin resolved measurements; Influencing spins during measurements, e.g. in spintronics devices G01R33/093 takes precedence; semiconductor devices using spin polarized carriers H01L29/66984
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/161 details concerning the memory cell structure, e.g. the layers of the ferromagnetic memory cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 10/3254 the spacer being semiconducting or insulating, e.g. for spin tunnel junction [STJ]
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 10/3286 Spin-exchange coupled multilayers having at least one layer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy
• 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 50/85 Magnetic active materials

Abstract

A magnetic device includes a magnetic reference layer with a fixed magnetization direction located either in the plane of the layer or perpendicular to the plane of the layer, a magnetic storage layer with a variable magnetization direction, a non-magnetic spacer separating the reference layer and the storage layer and a magnetic spin polarizing layer with a magnetization perpendicular to that of the reference layer, and located out of the plane of the spin polarizing layer if the magnetization of the reference layer is directed in the plane of the reference layer or in the plane of the spin polarizing layer if the magnetization of the reference layer is directed perpendicular to the plane of the reference layer. The spin transfer coefficient between the reference layer and the storage layer is higher than the spin transfer coefficient between the spin polarizing layer and the storage layer.

Claims

1. A magnetic device comprising:

a magnetic reference layer with a fixed magnetisation direction located either in the plane of the reference layer or perpendicular to the plane of the reference layer;

a magnetic storage layer with a variable magnetisation direction;

a non-magnetic spacer separating said reference layer and said storage layer;

a magnetic spin polarising layer with a direction perpendicular to that of said reference layer and located out of the plane of the spin polarising layer if the magnetisation of the reference layer is directed in the plane of the reference layer or in the plane of the spin polarising layer if the magnetisation of the reference layer is directed perpendicular to the plane of the reference layer;

means for passing a current of electrons through and perpendicular to the layers;

wherein said variable magnetisation direction has two positions of equilibrium substantially following the axis defined by said fixed magnetisation direction of said reference layer, the spin transfer coefficient between said reference layer and said storage layer being higher than the spin transfer coefficient between said spin polarising layer and said storage layer in such a way that, when in the presence of a current of electrons

the spin transfer between said spin polarising layer and said storage layer moves the magnetisation direction of said storage layer away from a first position of equilibrium parallel or anti-parallel to the magnetisation direction of said reference layer, and,

the spin transfer between said reference layer and said storage layer causes, according to the direction of the current of electrons

either the switching of the magnetisation direction of said storage layer towards a second position of equilibrium corresponding to a magnetisation direction of said storage layer opposite to the magnetisation direction of said storage layer in said first position of equilibrium if the direction of the current of electrons is in a first direction;

or the reversal of the magnetisation direction of said storage layer towards its magnetisation direction in said first position of equilibrium if the direction of the current of electrons is in the direction opposite to the first direction.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said storage layer has a uni-axial anisotropy with an easy axis of magnetisation substantially parallel to the magnetisation direction of said reference layer.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said storage layer has an extended shape such as an elliptical shape.

4. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a second spacer separating said storage layer and said spin polarising layer.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the electrical resistance of the stack formed from said reference layer, said first spacer and said storage layer is higher than the electrical resistance of the stack formed from said second spacer and said spin polarising layer.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein the product of the resistance multiplied by the surface area of said first spacer is higher than the product of the resistance multiplied by the surface area of said second spacer.

7. The device according to claim 4, wherein said first spacer is a tunnel barrier and said second spacer is chosen from among the following elements:

a tunnel barrier;

a confined current paths barrier; and

a non-magnetic metallic layer.

8. The device according to claim 4, wherein said first spacer is a confined current paths barrier and said second spacer is chosen from among the following elements:

a confined current paths barrier; and

a non-magnetic metallic layer.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein said second spacer is a confined current paths barrier with additional metallic paths and/or magnetic paths with larger diameters than in the first spacer.

10. The device according to claim 4, wherein said first and second spacers are non-magnetic, metallic layers.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein said spin polarising layer is directly coupled with said storage layer.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein said reference layer has a fixed magnetisation direction located in the plane of the reference layer and said spin polarising layer has a magnetisation perpendicular to that of said reference layer and located out of the plane of the polarisation layer.

13. The device according to claim 12, said spin polarising layer is created according to one of the following layouts:

a multilayer comprising (Pt/Co), (Pd/Co) or (Pt/Co/Pt/Ni) repeats;

a multilayer formed by alternating ultra-thin layers of Co and Ni;

a multilayer formed by alternating magnetic transition metal/oxide;

an FePt or FePd ordered alloy;

a CoPt or CoPd alloy with Co concentrations of between 85 at. % and 50 at. %;

a CoCr alloy with a hexagonal structure with a c-axis perpendicular to the plane of the layers; and

a rare-earth/transition metal alloy.

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein said storage layer is created from one of the following materials:

an alloy with a Co, Fe, Ni base; and

a Heusler alloy.

15. The device according to claim 12, wherein said reference layer is created according to one of the following materials:

an alloy with a Co, Fe, Ni base; and

a semi-metallic material, in particular from the family of Heusler alloys.

16. The device according to claim 1, wherein said reference layer has a fixed magnetisation direction perpendicular to the plane of the reference layer and said spin polarising layer has a magnetisation direction perpendicular to that of said reference layer and located in the plane of the spin polarising layer.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein said spin polarising layer is created from one of the following materials:

an alloy with a Co, Fe, Ni base;

a Co multilayer containing thin Cu or Ni inserts; and

a semi-metallic material, en particular from the family of Heusler alloys.

18. The device according to claim 16, wherein said storage layer and/or said reference layer are created according to one of the following layouts or materials:

a multilayer comprising (Pt/Co), (Pd/Co) or (Pt/Co/Pt/Ni) repeats;

a multilayer formed by alternating layers of Co and Ni;

a multilayer formed by alternating a magnetic transition metal and an oxide;

an FePt or FePd ordered alloy;

a CoPt or CoPd alloy with Co concentrations of between 85 at. % and 50 at. %;

a CoCr alloy with a hexagonal structure with a c-axis perpendicular to the plane of the layers; and

a rare-earth/transition metal alloy.

19. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said reference, storage or spin polarising layers is a synthetic antiferromagnetic layer formed from two layers of fixed magnetisation directed outside of the plane and coupled in an anti-parallel direction with a layer capable of inducing an antiferromagnetic coupling between the ferromagnetic layers.

20. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said reference or spin polarising layers has a magnetisation anchored via interaction with an antiferromagnetic anchoring layer.

21. A method of writing/reading information in a device according to claim 1, wherein the writing of information consists of passing a current of electrons through the device, perpendicular to the plane of the layers, the switching of the magnetisation direction of said storage layer towards the second position of equilibrium being performed by injecting a current of electrons in a first direction and the switching of the magnetisation direction of said storage layer towards the first position of equilibrium being performed by injecting a current of electrons in a second direction opposite to said first direction of the current.

22. The method of writing/reading according to claim 21, wherein the reading of information consists of passing a current of electrons through the device, perpendicular to the plane of the layers and in measuring the resistance of said device, the intensity of the reading current being lower than the intensity of the writing current.

23. The device according to claim 14, wherein the alloy with a Co, Fe, Ni base contains at least one additive selected from the group consisting of B, Cr, Pt, Pd, Zr and Nb.

24. The device according to claim 15, wherein the alloy with a Co, Fe, Ni base contains at least one additive selected from the group consisting of B, Cr, Pt, Pd, Zr and Nb.

25. The device according to claim 17, wherein the alloy with a Co, Fe, Ni base contains at least one additive selected from the group consisting of B, Cr, Pt, Pd, Zr and Nb.