TY - JOUR
T1 - Top Spin-Orbit-Torque Switching of Magnetic Tunnel Junction With In-Situ Efficiency Quantification
AU - Huang, Yan
AU - Zhang, Kun
AU - Xiao, Chen
AU - Yang, Qing
AU - Xu, Shijie
AU - Cai, Wenlong
AU - Zhu, Daoqian
AU - Yang, Jiakai
AU - Zhao, Weisheng
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 1980-2012 IEEE.
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - Spin orbit torque (SOT) magnetic random access memory (MRAM) has been regarded as a promising solution to overcome the ‘memory wall’ problem and led the way to better computing. However, conventional top-pinned SOT-MRAMs with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) always suffer from the sidewall redeposition and over-etching problem during fabrications, as well as lower tunneling magnetoresistance than the bottom-pinned one. To address these problems, we reported a novel SOT-MRAM with PMA and bottom-pinned magnetic reference layer, realizing SOT switching by current flowing through top SOT channel with assistance of in-plane magnetic field. Such device, known as top-SOT PMA-magnetic tunnel junction (pMTJ), presents critical switching current density around 40 MA/cm2 at 10 μs pulse width. In addition, we characterized the SOT efficiency directly in MRAM device and post-deposited top Pt electrode in top-SOT-pMTJ is demonstrated to be effective SOT source, inspiring flexible design of top-SOT-pMTJ stacks and fabrication process. The proposed structure with back-end-of-line compatible fabrication is anticipated to the mass production of high-performance SOT-MRAMs.
AB - Spin orbit torque (SOT) magnetic random access memory (MRAM) has been regarded as a promising solution to overcome the ‘memory wall’ problem and led the way to better computing. However, conventional top-pinned SOT-MRAMs with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) always suffer from the sidewall redeposition and over-etching problem during fabrications, as well as lower tunneling magnetoresistance than the bottom-pinned one. To address these problems, we reported a novel SOT-MRAM with PMA and bottom-pinned magnetic reference layer, realizing SOT switching by current flowing through top SOT channel with assistance of in-plane magnetic field. Such device, known as top-SOT PMA-magnetic tunnel junction (pMTJ), presents critical switching current density around 40 MA/cm2 at 10 μs pulse width. In addition, we characterized the SOT efficiency directly in MRAM device and post-deposited top Pt electrode in top-SOT-pMTJ is demonstrated to be effective SOT source, inspiring flexible design of top-SOT-pMTJ stacks and fabrication process. The proposed structure with back-end-of-line compatible fabrication is anticipated to the mass production of high-performance SOT-MRAMs.
KW - Magnetic random access memory
KW - magnetic tunnel junction
KW - nano-microfabrication
KW - perpendicular magnetic anisotropy
KW - spin-orbit torque
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105009479854
U2 - 10.1109/LED.2025.3582335
DO - 10.1109/LED.2025.3582335
M3 - 文章
AN - SCOPUS:105009479854
SN - 0741-3106
VL - 46
SP - 1409
EP - 1412
JO - IEEE Electron Device Letters
JF - IEEE Electron Device Letters
IS - 8
ER -