Magnetic memory device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10090458-B2
Application number	US-201715617012-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2017
Priority date	Oct 31, 2016
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

A magnetic memory device includes a reference magnetic structure, a free magnetic structure, and a tunnel barrier pattern between the reference magnetic structure and the free magnetic structure. The reference magnetic structure includes a first pinned pattern, a second pinned pattern between the first pinned pattern and the tunnel barrier pattern, and an exchange coupling pattern between the first and the second pinned pattern. The second pinned pattern includes a first magnetic pattern adjacent the exchange coupling pattern, a second magnetic pattern adjacent the tunnel barrier pattern, a third magnetic pattern between the first and the second magnetic pattern, a first non-magnetic pattern between the first and the third magnetic pattern, and a second non-magnetic pattern between the second and the third magnetic pattern. The first non-magnetic pattern has a different crystal structure from the second non-magnetic pattern, and at least a portion of the third magnetic pattern is amorphous.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A magnetic memory device, comprising:
a reference magnetic structure and a free magnetic structure on a substrate; and
a tunnel barrier pattern between the reference magnetic structure and the free magnetic structure,
wherein the reference magnetic structure comprises:
a first pinned pattern;
a second pinned pattern between the first pinned pattern and the tunnel barrier pattern; and
an exchange coupling pattern between the first pinned pattern and the second pinned pattern,
wherein the second pinned pattern comprises:
a first magnetic pattern adjacent the exchange coupling pattern;
a second magnetic pattern adjacent the tunnel barrier pattern;
a third magnetic pattern between the first magnetic pattern and the second magnetic pattern;
a first non-magnetic pattern between the first magnetic pattern and the third magnetic pattern; and
a second non-magnetic pattern between the second magnetic pattern and the third magnetic pattern, and
wherein the first non-magnetic pattern has a different crystal structure from the second non-magnetic pattern, and at least a portion of the third magnetic pattern is amorphous.

2. The magnetic memory device of claim 1 , wherein the first non-magnetic pattern has a hexagonal close-packed (HCP) crystal structure or a face centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure, and
wherein the second non-magnetic pattern has a body centered cubic (BCC) crystal structure.

3. The magnetic memory device of claim 2 , wherein a (0001) plane of the first non-magnetic pattern having the hexagonal close-packed (HCP) crystal structure, or a (111) plane of the first non-magnetic pattern having the face centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure is parallel to a top surface of the substrate.

4. The magnetic memory device of claim 2 , wherein a (001) plane of the second non-magnetic pattern having the body centered cubic (BCC) crystal structure is parallel to a top surface of the substrate.

5. The magnetic memory device of claim 1 , wherein the first magnetic pattern is anti-ferromagnetically coupled to the first pinned pattern through the exchange coupling pattern.

6. The magnetic memory device of claim 5 , wherein the first non-magnetic pattern and the first magnetic pattern have a hexagonal close-packed (HCP) crystal structure or a face centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure.

7. The magnetic memory device of claim 5 , wherein the second magnetic pattern is ferromagnetically coupled to the first magnetic pattern, and the second non-magnetic pattern has the same crystal structure as the second magnetic pattern.

8. A magnetic memory device, comprising:
a reference magnetic structure and a free magnetic structure on a substrate; and
a tunnel barrier pattern between the reference magnetic structure and the free magnetic structure,
wherein the reference magnetic structure comprises:
a first pinned pattern;
a second pinned pattern between the first pinned pattern and the tunnel barrier pattern; and
an exchange coupling pattern between the first pinned pattern and the second pinned pattern,
wherein the second pinned pattern comprises:
a first magnetic pattern adjacent the exchange coupling pattern;
a second magnetic pattern adjacent the tunnel barrier pattern;
a third magnetic pattern between the first magnetic pattern and the second magnetic pattern;
a first non-magnetic pattern between the first magnetic pattern and the third magnetic pattern; and
a second non-magnetic pattern between the second magnetic pattern and the third magnetic pattern, and
wherein the first non-magnetic pattern includes a different material from the second non-magnetic pattern, and at least a portion of the third magnetic pattern is amorphous.

9. The magnetic memory device of claim 8 , wherein the first non-magnetic pattern includes at least one of Ir, Rh, Pd, Ag, Ru, Y, Sc, Zr, Hf, Ti, or Re, and wherein the second non-magnetic pattern includes at least one of W, Mo, Nb, Ta or V.

10. The magnetic memory device of claim 8 , wherein the second magnetic pattern is in contact with the tunnel barrier pattern, and the second magnetic pattern includes a magnetic material that induces magnetic anisotropy at interface between the second magnetic pattern and the tunnel barrier pattern, and
wherein the second non-magnetic pattern has the same crystal structure as the second magnetic pattern.

11. The magnetic memory device of claim 8 , wherein the first non-magnetic pattern has a hexagonal close-packed (HCP) crystal structure or a face centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure.

12. The magnetic memory device of claim 8 , wherein the first non-magnetic pattern has a different crystal structure from the second non-magnetic pattern.

13. The magnetic memory device of claim 8 , wherein when viewed in plan view, an arrangement of elements in the first non-magnetic pattern has a different symmetry than an arrangement of elements in the second non-magnetic pattern.

14. The magnetic memory device of claim 13 , wherein when viewed in the plan view, the elements in the first non-magnetic pattern are arranged to have a 6-fold symmetry, and the elements in the second non-magnetic pattern are arranged to have a 4-fold symmetry.

15. A magnetic memory device, comprising:
a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) pattern comprising a reference magnetic structure, a free magnetic structure, and a tunnel barrier pattern therebetween, the reference magnetic structure comprising first and second pinned patterns and an exchange coupling pattern therebetween,
wherein the second pinned pattern comprises a first magnetic pattern, a first non-magnetic pattern, a second non-magnetic pattern, and a second magnetic pattern sequentially stacked between the exchange coupling pattern and the tunnel barrier pattern, wherein the first non-magnetic pattern and the first magnetic pattern comprise a same crystal structure.

16. The magnetic memory device of claim 15 , wherein the second non-magnetic pattern comprises a different crystal structure than the first non-magnetic pattern, and wherein the second pinned pattern further comprises a third magnetic pattern that is at least partially amorphous between the first and second non-magnetic patterns.

17. The magnetic memory device of claim 16 , wherein the second magnetic pattern comprises the same crystal structure as the second non-magnetic pattern, and is ferromagnetically coupled to the first magnetic pattern.

18. The magnetic memory device of claim 17 , wherein, when viewed in plan view, arrangements of atoms in the first non-magnetic pattern and the first magnetic pattern have a 6-fold symmetry, and arrangements of atoms in the second non-magnetic pattern and the second magnetic pattern have a 4-fold symmetry.

19. The magnetic memory device of claim 17 , wherein the first non-magnetic pattern comprises a hexagonal close-packed (HCP) crystal structure or a face centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure, and wherein the second non-magnetic pattern comprises a body centered cubic (BCC) crystal structure.

20. The magnetic memory device of claim 19 ; wherein at an interface between the first non-magnetic pattern and the first magnetic pattern, a magnetic moment of atoms in the first non-magnetic pattern is higher than a magnetic moment of atoms in a non-magnetic pattern comprising a BCC crystal structure at an interface with a magnetic pattern comprising a HCP or FCC crystal structure.

Assignees

• Lee Sung Chul
• Kim Ki Woong
• Park Sang Hwan
• Oh Sechung
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Sung Chul
• Kim Ki Woong
• Park Sang Hwan
• Oh Sechung

Classifications

• G11C11/161

  details concerning the memory cell structure, e.g. the layers of the ferromagnetic memory cell · CPC title

• H01F10/12

  being metals or alloys (intermetallic compounds H01F10/18) · CPC title

• H01F10/3204

  Exchange coupling of amorphous multilayers · CPC title

• H01L43/10

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L43/12

  Electricity · mapped topic