Magnetic device and magnetic random access memory

• US 11,239,413 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2019
• Issued: 02/01/2022
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Lin, Shy-Jay, Song, Mingyuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Sandvik, Benjamin P
• Application Number:
  US16/426,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20200136022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 61/22 of the field-effect transistor [FET] type
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/01 Manufacture or treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/10 Magnetoresistive devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/85 Magnetic active materials
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 52/00 Hall-effect devices integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10N59/00
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 52/01 Manufacture or treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 52/80 Constructional details

Abstract

A spin-orbit-torque (SOT) magnetic device includes a bottom metal layer, a first magnetic layer, as a magnetic free layer, disposed over the bottom metal layer, a spacer layer disposed over the first magnetic layer, and a second magnetic layer disposed over the spacer layer. The first magnetic layer includes a lower magnetic layer, a middle layer made of non-magnetic layer and an upper magnetic layer.

Claims

1. A spin-orbit-torque (SOT) magnetic device, comprising:

a bottom metal layer including a upper layer and a lower layer made of IrMn;

a first magnetic layer, as a magnetic free layer, disposed over the bottom metal layer;

a spacer layer disposed over the first magnetic layer;

a second magnetic layer disposed over the spacer layer; and

an intermediate metal layer disposed between the spacer layer and the second magnetic layer,

wherein the first magnetic layer includes a lower magnetic layer, a middle layer made of non-magnetic layer, a first interfacial layer disposed between the lower magnetic layer and the middle layer, an upper magnetic layer and a second interfacial layer disposed between the middle layer and the upper magnetic layer,

at least one of the first and second interfacial layers is made of FeB,

the intermediate metal layer is a magnesium layer containing Mg more than 99%, and

a direction of magnetic field of the lower magnetic layer is perpendicular to a film stack direction and a direction of magnetic field of the upper magnetic layer is parallel to the film stack direction.

2. The SOT magnetic device of claim 1, wherein the lower magnetic layer includes an alloy of iron, cobalt and boron.

3. The SOT magnetic device of claim 2, wherein:

the upper magnetic layer includes at least one of an alloy of iron, cobalt and boron and an alloy of nickel and iron.

4. The SOT magnetic device of claim 3, wherein a thickness of the lower magnetic layer is in a range from 0.6 nm to 1.2 nm.

5. The SOT magnetic device of claim 3, wherein:

the upper magnetic layer includes the alloy of iron, cobalt and boron, and

a thickness of the alloy of iron, cobalt and boron is in a range from 1.0 nm to 3.0 nm.

6. The SOT magnetic device of claim 3, wherein:

the upper magnetic layer includes the alloy of nickel and iron, and

a thickness of the alloy of nickel and iron is in a range from 0.4 nm to 3.0 nm.

7. The SOT magnetic device of claim 3, wherein the lower magnetic layer is Fe_xCo_yB_1-x-y, where 0.50≤

x≤

0.70 and 0.10≤

y≤

0.30.

8. The SOT magnetic device of claim 1, wherein the middle non-magnetic layer includes one or more layers of W, Mo, Pt and Ru, and alloy thereof.

9. The SOT magnetic device of claim 8, wherein a thickness of the middle non-magnetic layer in a range from 0.2 nm to 0.5 nm.

10. The SOT magnetic device of claim 1, wherein the upper layer of the bottom metal layer is made of α

-tungsten.

11. The SOT magnetic device of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the intermediate metal layer is in a range from 0.1 nm to 0.6 nm.

12. A spin-orbit-torque (SOT) magnetic device, comprising:

a bottom metal layer;

a first magnetic layer, as a free magnetic layer, disposed over the bottom metal layer;

a spacer layer disposed over the first magnetic layer; and

a second magnetic layer disposed over the spacer layer,

wherein the first magnetic layer includes a lower magnetic layer, a middle layer made of non-magnetic layer, an upper magnetic layer, a first interfacial layer between the lower magnetic layer and the middle layer and a second interfacial layer between the middle layer and the upper magnetic layer, and

at least one of the first and second interfacial layers is made of FeB.

13. The SOT magnetic device of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first and second interfacial layer has a thickness in a range from 0.5 nm to 2.0 nm.

14. A spin-orbit-torque (SOT) magnetic device, comprising:

a bottom metal layer including an antiferromagnetic layer;

a first magnetic layer, as a free magnetic layer, disposed under the bottom metal layer;

a spacer layer disposed under the first magnetic layer; and

a second magnetic layer disposed under the spacer layer,

wherein the first magnetic layer includes a lower magnetic layer, a middle layer made of non-magnetic layer, a first interfacial layer disposed between the lower magnetic layer and the middle layer, an upper magnetic layer and a second interfacial layer disposed between the middle layer and the upper magnetic layer,

at least one of the first and second interfacial layers is made of FeB,

a direction of magnetic field of the lower magnetic layer is tilted by 70-89 degrees with respect to a film stack direction, and

the lower magnetic layer is made of a different material than the upper magnetic layer.

15. The SOT magnetic device of claim 14, wherein:

the lower magnetic layer includes an alloy of iron, cobalt and boron, and

the upper magnetic layer includes an alloy of nickel and iron.

16. The SOT magnetic device of claim 14, wherein the bottom metal layer is a bi-layer of an IrMn layer and a heavy metal layer.

17. The SOT magnetic device of claim 14, wherein the second magnetic layer includes a multilayer including a synthetic antiferromagnetic layer having ferromagnetic layers separated by a nonmagnetic layer.

18. The SOT magnetic device of claim 14, further comprising an antiferromagnetic layer disposed over the second magnetic layer made of ruthenium (Ru).

19. The SOT magnetic device of claim 14, further comprising a third magnetic layer disposed over the antiferromagnetic layer, the third magnetic layer includes a CoPt layer.

20. The SOT magnetic device of claim 19, wherein a thickness of the third magnetic layer is in a range from 0.5 nm to 1.5 nm.