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Voltage-Control Spintronics Memory (VoCSM) with Low Write Current using Highly-Selective Patterning Process

Journal of Magnetics, Volume 23, Number 4, 31 Dec 2018, Pages 639-643
M. Shimizu * (Toshiba Corporation), Y. Ohsawa (Toshiba Corporation), H. Yoda (Toshiba Corporation), S. Shirotori (Toshiba Corporation), B. Altansargai (Toshiba Corporation), N. Shimomura (Toshiba Corporation), Y. Kato (Toshiba Corporation), S. Oikawa (Toshiba Corporation), H. Sugiyama (Toshiba Corporation), T. Inokuchi (Toshiba Corporation), K. Koi (Toshiba Corporation), M. Ishikawa (Toshiba Corporation), K. Ikegami (Toshiba Corporation), A. Kurobe (Toshiba Corporation)
Abstract
A voltage-control spintronics memory (VoCSM) which has a potential of low energy consumption uses the spin- Hall effect (SHE) and the voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA) effect for its write operation. In this
work, the relationship between the critical switching current (Icsw) and the SHE electrode thickness (tN) is investigated in the range of 5 nm < tN < 8 nm. In the fabrication process, we develop highly-selective patterning
process to stop MTJ etching precisely on the surface of the SHE electrode. Using the technique, Icsw is reduced by half as tN is varied from 8 nm to 5 nm, and Icsw of 112 mA at 20 ns write current pulse is obtained for MTJ size of 50 × 150 nm2 on Ta(2 nm)/TaB (3 nm) electrode. The results indicate that the decrease in the SHE electrode thickness is a promised method to reduce Icsw, which leads VoCSM to a low-energy-consumption
device.
 
Keywords: MRAM; critical switching current; spin-Hall effect; spin-orbit torque; VoCSM
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4283/JMAG.2018.23.4.639
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