First demonstration of high retention energy barriers and 2 ns switching, using magnetic ordered-alloy-based STT MRAM devices

Abstract

Magnetic ordered alloys with low moment and strong bulk perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) were successfully developed and integrated on CMOS substrates as a free layer material. Superior device properties including high $$H_c$$ (> 8 kOe), high $$E_b$$ (> 80 kBT) and sub-5 ns switching were achieved simultaneously, overcoming the fundamental tradeoff between high $$E_b$$ and high-speed switching in conventional CoFeB-based devices using interface anisotropy. We further demonstrated improved switching performance at pulse widths down to 2 ns and improved magnetic field sensitivity in these ordered alloy-based devices, compared to the best published results to date.