Reference layer for perpendicular magnetic anisotropy magnetic tunnel junction

• US 9,583,696 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gottwald, Matthias Georg, Park, Chando, Zhu, Xiaochun, Lee, Kangho, Kang, Seung Hyuk
• Primary Examiner(s): ALROBAIE, KHAMDAN N
• Application Number:
  US14/460,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20150263266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/161 details concerning the memory cell structure, e.g. the layers of the ferromagnetic memory cell
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/1673 Reading or sensing circuits or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/10 Magnetoresistive devices

Abstract

An apparatus includes a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy magnetic tunnel junction (pMTJ) device. The pMTJ device includes a storage layer and a reference layer. The reference layer includes a portion configured to produce a ferrimagnetic effect. The portion includes a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer. The second layer is configured to antiferromagnetically (AF) couple the first layer and the third layer during operation of the pMTJ device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy magnetic tunnel junction (pMTJ) device including;

a storage layer contacting a tunneling layer; and

a reference layer including an equal number of magnetic layers and coupling layers, wherein a first coupling layer of the coupling layers is in contact with the tunneling layer, and wherein the magnetic layers and the coupling layers form a cobalt/iridium (Co/Ir) multilayer structure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tunneling layer is configured to enable a tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) effect at the pMTJ device during operation of the pMTJ device, and wherein the magnetic layers and the coupling layers comprise a first magnetic layer, a second coupling layer, a second magnetic layer, and a third coupling layer.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second coupling layer is configured to antiferromagnetically (AF) couple the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer during operation of the pMTJ device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a portion of the reference layer is configured to produce a ferrimagnetic effect, wherein the reference layer is associated with a stray dipolar magnetic field during operation of the pMTJ device, and wherein the reference layer is configured to locally reduce the stray dipolar magnetic field via the ferrimagnetic effect during operation of the pMTJ device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the magnetic layers comprise a first cobalt (Co) containing magnetic layer and a second Co containing magnetic layer, wherein the coupling layers comprise a first iridium (Ir) containing coupling layer and a second Ir containing coupling layer, wherein the first Ir containing coupling layer is between the first Co containing magnetic layer and the second Co containing magnetic layer, and wherein and the second Co containing magnetic layer is between the first Ir containing coupling layer and the second Ir containing coupling layer.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reference layer further includes a second Co/Ir multilayer structure.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a junction between one of the magnetic layers and one of the coupling layers is configured to enable a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) of the pMTJ device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the magnetic layers and the coupling layers are included in a portion of the reference layer, and wherein the portion includes a multilayer synthetic ferrimagnet (SFi).

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) device that comprises the pMTJ device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising an electronic device selected from a mobile device, a computer, a set top box, a music player, a video player, an entertainment unit, a navigation device, a communications device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a fixed location data unit, wherein the MRAM device is integrated within the electronic device.

11. A method comprising:

biasing a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy magnetic tunnel junction (pMTJ) device to generate a magnetic state at the pMTJ device; and

initiating a sense operation to determine the magnetic state using a reference layer of the pMTJ device, the reference layer comprising a portion that produces a ferrimagnetic effect and that includes a coupling layer adjacent to a tunneling layer in contact with a storage layer, the portion comprising magnetic layers and coupling layers, the magnetic layers comprising cobalt (Co) and the coupling layers comprising iridium (Ir).

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the tunneling layer enables a tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) effect at the pMTJ device during operation of the pMTJ device, and wherein the magnetic state corresponds to either a parallel magnetic state of the storage layer relative to the reference layer or to an anti-parallel magnetic state of the storage layer relative to the reference layer.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein a junction between one of the magnetic layers and one of the coupling layers generates a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) of the pMTJ device, and wherein the magnetic state indicates one of a first logical bit value or a second logical bit value.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein one of the coupling layers antiferromagnetically (AF) couples two of the magnetic layers, and wherein biasing the pMTJ device comprises applying a bias signal to an electrode of the pMTJ device to generate a switching current through the pMTJ device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the pMTJ device is integrated within a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) device, and wherein the pMTJ is sensed using a sense amplifier of the MRAM device.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the reference layer is associated with a stray dipolar magnetic field during operation of the pMTJ device, and wherein the portion is further configured to locally reduce the stray dipolar magnetic field via the ferrimagnetic effect during operation of the pMTJ device.

17. An apparatus comprising:

means for enabling a tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) effect at a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy magnetic tunnel junction (pMTJ) device;

means for generating a configurable magnetic state of the pMTJ device, the means for generating the configurable magnetic state in contact with the means for enabling; and

means for generating a reference magnetic state of the pMTJ device, the means for generating the reference magnetic state comprising;

means for antiferromagnetically (AF) coupling magnetic layers of the pMTJ device, the means for AF coupling contacting the means for enabling, and

means for generating a magnetic field at the pMTJ device, the means for generating the magnetic field including magnetic layers, and the means for AF coupling including coupling layers, the magnetic layers comprising cobalt (Co) and the coupling layers comprise iridium (Ir).

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for generating the configurable magnetic state comprises a storage layer of the pMTJ device.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for generating the reference magnetic state corresponds to a reference layer of the pMTJ device.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for generating the magnetic field and the means for AF coupling the magnetic layers form a multilayer synthetic ferrimagnet (SFi).

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a junction between one of the magnetic layers and one of the coupling layers is configured to generate a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) of the pMTJ device.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for generating the reference magnetic state comprises means for producing a ferrimagnetic effect, and wherein the means for producing the ferrimagnetic effect comprises a Co/Ir multilayer structure.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) device that comprises the pMTJ device.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising an electronic device selected from a mobile device, a computer, a set top box, a music player, a video player, an entertainment unit, a navigation device, a communications device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a fixed location data unit, wherein the MRAM device is integrated within the electronic device.

25. A computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by a processor, the computer-readable medium comprising a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy magnetic tunnel junction (pMTJ) device comprising:

a storage layer contacting a tunneling layer; and

a reference layer including an equal number of magnetic layers and coupling layers, wherein a first coupling layer of the coupling layers is in contact with the tunneling layer, and wherein the magnetic layers and the coupling layers form a first cobalt/iridium (Co/Ir) multilayer structure.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the tunneling layer is configured to enable a tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) effect at the pMTJ device during operation of the pMTJ device, wherein a portion of the reference layer includes one of the coupling layers antiferromagnetically (AF) coupled with two of the magnetic layers, wherein the portion is configured to produce a ferrimagnetic effect, and wherein the pMTJ device stores a particular bit value of the instructions.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, integrated within a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) device.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, integrated within a mobile device.