Saile Ackerman LLC
Buffer (seed) layer in a high-performance magnetic tunneling junction MRAM
An MTJ (magnetic tunneling junction) device particularly suitable for use as an MRAM (magnetic random access memory) or a tunneling magnetoresistive (TMR) read sensor, is formed on a seed layer which allows the tunneling barrier layer to be ultra-thin, smooth, and to have a high breakdown voltage. The seed layer is a layer of NiCr which is formed on a sputter-etched layer of Ta. The tunneling barrier layer for the MRAM is formed from a thin layer of Al which is radically oxidized (ROX), in-situ, to form the layer with characteristics described above. The tunneling barrier layer for the read sensor formed from a thin layer of Al or a HfAl bilayer which is naturally oxidized (NOX), in-situ, to form the barrier layer. The resulting device has generally improved performance characteristics in terms of GMR ratio and junction resistance.
Headway Technologies, Inc. Applied Spintronics, Inc.
H H H G H H B B H
H01F H01F H01F G11C H01F H01L B82Y B82Y H01L
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Liubo Ru-Ying Cheng T. Yu-Hsia
Hong Tong Horng Chen