Spin transfer torque structure for MRAM devices having a spin current injection capping layer

• US 9,728,712 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Integrated Silicon Solution Incorporated (Uphill Investment Co.)
• Original Assignee: Spin Transfer Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Kardasz, Bartlomiej Adam, Pinarbasi, Mustafa Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Gumedzoe, Peniel M
• Assistant Examiner(s): JOHNSON, CHRISTOPHER A
• Application Number:
  US14/866,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20160315249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/161 details concerning the memory cell structure, e.g. the layers of the ferromagnetic memory cell
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/10 Magnetoresistive devices

Abstract

A magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM) device is disclosed. The device described herein has a spin current injection capping layer between the free layer of a magnetic tunnel junction and the orthogonal polarizer layer. The spin current injection capping layer maximizes the spin torque through very efficient spin current injection from the polarizer. The spin current injection capping layer can be comprised of a layer of MgO and a layer of a ferromagnetic material.

Claims

1. A magnetic device, comprising:

a magnetic tunnel junction having a magnetic reference layer and a magnetic free layer, the magnetic reference layer and the magnetic free layer separated by a non-magnetic tunneling barrier layer, the magnetic reference layer having a magnetic vector having a fixed magnetic direction, the magnetic free layer having a magnetic vector with a variable magnetic direction;

a magnetic polarizer layer having magnetic vector with a direction that is perpendicular to the magnetic direction of the magnetic reference layer and the magnetic free layer, wherein the magnetic polarizer aligns polarity of electrons of electric current passing therethrough in the magnetic direction of the magnetic polarizer, thereby creating a spin current; and

a spin current injection capping layer disposed between the magnetic tunnel junction and the magnetic polarizer, the spin current injection capping layer comprising a non-magnetic insulator on the magnetic free layer and a magnetic conductor on the non-magnetic insulator, the spin current injection capping layer injecting spin polarized current into the magnetic tunnel junction through tunneling.

2. The magnetic device of claim 1, further comprising an insertion layer, the insertion layer being disposed in between the magnetic free layer and the non-magnetic tunneling barrier layer.

3. The magnetic device of claim 2, wherein the insertion layer comprises an Fe film having a thickness of 0.2 nm to 0.5 nm.

4. The magnetic device of claim 1, further comprising a synthetic antiferromagnetic (SAF) layer, the SAF layer comprised of the magnetic reference layer, a non-magnetic exchange coupling layer and a magnetic pinned layer, the magnetic reference layer disposed over the non-magnetic exchange coupling layer, the non-magnetic exchange coupling layer disposed over the magnetic pinned layer, wherein the magnetic reference layer is shared with the magnetic tunnel junction.

5. The magnetic device of claim 4, wherein the exchange coupling layer comprises Ru having a thickness from 0.4 to 1.5 nm.

6. The magnetic device of claim 4 wherein the magnetic pinned layer comprises CoFe having a thickness of 1 to 10 nm.

7. The magnetic device of claim 1 wherein the reference layer has a fixed magnetic direction in its plane and the free layer has a variable magnetic direction, wherein the variable magnetic direction can be either parallel or antiparallel to the magnetic direction of the reference layer.

8. The magnetic device of claim 1 further comprising a tantalum hard mask disposed above the spin current injection capping layer.

9. The magnetic device of claim 8 wherein the tantalum hard mask has a thickness of 20 nm to 100 nm.

10. The magnetic device of claim 1 wherein the magnetic reference layer is comprised of CoFeB having a thickness of 1 to 10 nm.

11. The magnetic device of claim 1 wherein the non-magnetic tunneling barrier layer is comprised of MgO having a thickness of 0.5 nm to 1.5 nm.

12. The magnetic device of claim 1 wherein the magnetic free layer is comprised of CoFeB having a thickness of 0.8 to 5.0 nm.

13. The magnetic device of claim 1 wherein the magnetic polarizer layer comprises a first magnetic layer which has a magnetic vector with a magnetic direction that is perpendicular to its plane, thereby forming a perpendicular layer, a non-magnetic exchange coupling layer disposed over the first magnetic layer, the magnetic polarizer layer further comprising a second magnetic layer disposed over the non-magnetic exchange coupling layer, wherein the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer are anti-ferromagnetically coupled.

14. The magnetic device of claim 13 wherein the first magnetic layer is comprised of Co having a thickness of 0.1 to 2 nm.

15. The magnetic device of claim 13 wherein the non-magnetic exchange coupling layer is comprised of Ru having a thickness of 0.4 to 1.5 nm.

16. The magnetic device of claim 13 wherein the second magnetic layer is comprised of Co having a thickness of 0.1 to 2.0 nm and a layer of Pt having a thickness of 0.1 to 2.0 nm.

17. The magnetic device of claim 1 wherein the non-magnetic insulator comprised of MgO having a thickness of 0.3 to 1.5 nm.

18. The magnetic device of claim 1 wherein the magnetic conductor of the spin current injection capping layer is comprised of high spin polarization material.

19. The magnetic device of claim 18 wherein the high spin polarization material comprises Co (cobalt), Fe (iron), CoFe (cobalt iron), or CoFeB (cobalt iron boron) having a thickness of 0.5 nm to 1 nm.

20. The magnetic device of claim 1, further comprising a polarizer seed and magnetic coupling layer disposed between the spin current injection capping layer and the magnetic polarizer layer.

21. The magnetic device of claim 20 wherein the polarizer seed and magnetic coupling layer comprises a layer of Ta having a thickness of 0.2 nm to 0.7 nm and a layer of Co having a thickness of 0.1 nm to 2 nm.

22. A magnetic device, comprising

a synthetic antiferromagnetic structure in a first plane, the synthetic antiferromagnetic structure including a magnetic reference layer, the magnetic reference layer having a magnetization vector that is parallel to the first plane,

a non-magnetic tunnel barrier layer in a second plane and disposed over the magnetic reference layer;

a free magnetic layer in a third plane disposed over the non-magnetic tunnel barrier layer, the free magnetic layer having a magnetization vector that is parallel to the third plane and having a magnetization direction that can precess from a first magnetization direction to a second magnetization direction, the free magnetic layer, the non-magnetic tunnel barrier layer and the magnetic reference layer forming a magnetic tunnel junction;

a spin current injection capping layer in a fourth plane, the spin current injection capping layer disposed over the free magnetic layer, the spin current injection capping layer comprising a non-magnetic insulator layer over the free magnetic layer and a magnetic conductor layer over the non-magnetic insulator layer; and

a magnetic polarizer layer that polarizes electrons passing therethrough to create spin polarized current, the magnetic polarizer layer having at least one magnetic vector, the at least one magnetic vector being orthogonal to the magnetization vector of the magnetic reference layer and the magnetization vector of the free magnetic layer;

wherein the spin current injection capping layer is between the magnetic polarizer layer and the free magnetic layer and wherein the spin current injection capping layer injects the spin polarized current into the magnetic tunnel junction through tunneling.

23. The magnetic device of claim 22 wherein the free magnetic layer comprises of a layer of CoFeB with a thickness of 0.8 nm to 5 nm.

24. The magnetic device of claim 22 wherein the non-magnetic insulator layer of the spin current injection capping layer comprises a layer of MgO having a thickness of 0.3 nm to 1.5 nm.

25. The magnetic device of claim 22 wherein the magnetic conductor layer of the spin current injection capping layer is comprised of high spin polarization material.

26. The magnetic device of claim 25 wherein the high spin polarization material comprises Co (cobalt), Fe (iron), CoFe (cobalt iron), or CoFeB (cobalt iron boron) having a thickness of 0.5 nm to 1 nm.

27. The magnetic device of claim 22, further comprising an insertion layer, the insertion layer being disposed in between the free magnetic layer and the non-magnetic tunnel barrier layer.

28. The magnetic device of claim 27, wherein the insertion layer comprises an Fe film having a thickness of 0.2 nm to 0.5 nm.