Perpendicular magnetic layer and magnetic device including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10395809-B2
Application number	US-201715591348-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2017
Priority date	May 10, 2016
Publication date	Aug 27, 2019
Grant date	Aug 27, 2019

Abstract

Embodiments of the inventive concepts provide a flat perpendicular magnetic layer having a low saturation magnetization and a perpendicular magnetization-type tunnel magnetoresistive element using the same. The perpendicular magnetic layer is a nitrogen-poor (Mn 1−x Ga x )N y layer (0<x≤0.5 and 0<y<0.1) formed by providing nitrogen (N) into a MnGa alloy while adjusting a nitrogen amount. The perpendicular magnetic layer can be formed flat.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A perpendicular magnetic layer comprising:
a composition represented by a chemical formula of (Mn 1−x M x )N y where ‘M’ is at least one of gallium (Ga) or germanium (Ge), 0<x≤0.5, and 0.005 ≤y<0.1,
wherein the composition has a D0 22 or L1 0 crystal structure.

2. The perpendicular magnetic layer of claim 1 , wherein 0.2<x<0.4.

3. The perpendicular magnetic layer of claim 1 , wherein 0.005≤y<0.05.

4. The perpendicular magnetic layer of claim 1 , wherein 0.005≤y<0.02.

5. The perpendicular magnetic layer of claim 1 , wherein the perpendicular magnetic layer is vapor-grown on a substrate.

6. The perpendicular magnetic layer of claim 5 , wherein the substrate is a single-crystalline substrate having a cubic system structure having a (001) plane orientation or a layer having a cubic system structure having a (001) plane orientation.

7. The perpendicular magnetic layer of claim 1 , wherein the perpendicular magnetic layer is vapor-grown on an underlayer.

8. The perpendicular magnetic layer of claim 7 , wherein the underlayer is a non-magnetic layer grown in a single-crystalline state or an electrically conductive layer grown in a single-crystalline state.

9. A magnetic device comprising:
a first perpendicular magnetic layer disposed on a substrate,
wherein the first perpendicular magnetic layer is represented by a chemical formula of (Mn 1−x M x )N y where ‘M’ is at least one of gallium (Ga) or germanium (Ge), 0<x≤0.5, and 0.005≤y<0.1, and
wherein the first perpendicular magnetic layer has a D0 22 or L1 0 crystal structure.

10. The magnetic device of claim 9 , further comprising:
an underlayer between the substrate and the first perpendicular magnetic layer,
wherein the underlayer is a single-crystalline non-magnetic layer or a single-crystalline conductive layer.

11. The magnetic device of claim 9 , further comprising:
a non-magnetic layer on the first perpendicular magnetic layer.

12. The magnetic device of claim 11 , further comprising:
an insertion layer disposed between the non-magnetic layer and the first perpendicular magnetic layer, the insertion layer having a cubic system structure having a (001) plane orientation.

13. The magnetic device of claim 11 , further comprising:
a second perpendicular magnetic layer on the non-magnetic layer.

14. The magnetic device of claim 13 , wherein the second perpendicular magnetic layer is represented by a chemical formula of (Mn 1−x M x )N y where ‘M’ is at least one of gallium (Ga) or germanium (Ge), 0<x0.5, and 0.005 ≤y<0.1, and
wherein the second perpendicular magnetic layer has a D0 22 or L1 0 crystal structure.

15. The magnetic device of claim 13 , wherein the second perpendicular magnetic layer includes a different material from the first perpendicular magnetic layer.

16. The magnetic device of claim 13 , further comprising:
an upper electrode on the second perpendicular magnetic layer.

17. The perpendicular magnetic layer of claim 1 , wherein the composition includes a composition ratio of Mn to Ga that is 75%:25%.

18. The perpendicular magnetic layer of claim 1 , wherein the composition includes a composition ratio of Mn to Ga that is 71%:29%.

19. The magnetic device of claim 9 , wherein the first perpendicular magnetic layer includes a composition ratio of Mn to Ga that is 75% : 25%.

20. The magnetic device of claim 9 , wherein the first perpendicular magnetic layer includes a composition ratio of Mn to Ga that is 71%:29%.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
• Nat Inst Materials Science

Inventors

• Takahashi Shigeki
• Sonobe Yoshiaki
• Sukegawa Hiroaki
• Lee Hwachol
• Hono Kazuhiro
• Mitani Seiji
• Liu Jun

Classifications

• H01F10/3286

  Spin-exchange coupled multilayers having at least one layer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy · CPC title

• H01F10/3254

  the spacer being semiconducting or insulating, e.g. for spin tunnel junction [STJ] · CPC title

• H01F10/123

  having a L10 crystallographic structure, e.g. [Co,Fe][Pt,Pd] thin films · CPC title

• H01F10/30

  characterised by the composition of the intermediate layers {, e.g. seed, buffer, template, diffusion preventing, cap layers (H01F10/06 and H01F10/32 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H01F10/12 Primary

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