Magnetoresistance effect element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11069852-B2
Application number	US-201916504388-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2019
Priority date	Jul 26, 2018
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

A magnetoresistance effect element includes a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, and a tunnel barrier layer that is interposed between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer. The tunnel barrier layer is a stacked body including one or more high-barrier-height layers and one or more low-barrier-height layers, the one or more high-barrier-height layers having a relatively high barrier height with respect to the one or more low-barrier-height layers and the one or more low-barrier-height layers having a relatively low barrier height with respect to the one or more high-barrier-height layers. A minimum difference of barrier height between the one or more high-barrier-height layers and the one or more low-barrier-height layers is equal to or higher than 0.5 eV.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A magnetoresistance effect element, comprising:
a first ferromagnetic layer;
a second ferromagnetic layer; and
a tunnel barrier layer that is interposed between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer,
wherein the tunnel barrier layer is a stacked body including two or more high-barrier-height layers and one or more low-barrier-height layers, the two or more high-barrier-height layers having a relatively high barrier height with respect to the one or more low-barrier-height layers and the one or more low-barrier-height layers having a relatively low barrier height with respect to the two or more high-barrier-height layers,
wherein a minimum difference of barrier height between the two or more high-barrier-height layers and the one or more low-barrier-height layers is equal to or higher than 0.5 eV,
wherein the high-barrier-height layer is formed of a high-barrier-height oxide, which is an oxide including Mg and Al,
wherein the oxide including Mg and Al has a disordered spinel structure, and
wherein the tunnel barrier layer is a stacked body which includes two layers of the high-barrier-height layer, the low-barrier-height layer being interposed between the two layers of the high-barrier-height layer.

2. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1 , wherein the barrier height of the two or more high-barrier-height layers are equal to or higher than 6.0 eV.

3. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1 , wherein the minimum difference in barrier height between the two or more high-barrier-height layers and the one or more low-barrier-height layers is 1.0 eV or more and 5.0 eV or less.

4. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 2 , wherein the minimum difference in barrier height between the two or more high-barrier-height layers and the one or more low-barrier-height layers is 1.0 eV or more and 5.0 eV or less.

5. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1 , wherein the two or more high-barrier-height layers are formed of a high-barrier-height oxide having a spinel structure which is an oxide including element A and element B, the element A being Mg or Zn and the element B being a metal element selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, and In.

6. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 2 , wherein the two or more high-barrier-height layers are formed of a high-barrier-height oxide having a spinel structure which is an oxide including element A and element B, the element A being Mg or Zn and the element B being a metal element selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, and In.

7. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 3 , wherein the two or more high-barrier-height layers are formed of a high-barrier-height oxide having a spinel structure which is an oxide including element A and element B, the element A being Mg or Zn and the element B being a metal element selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, and In.

8. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 4 , wherein the two or more high-barrier-height layers are formed of a high-barrier-height oxide having a spinel structure which is an oxide including element A and element B, the element A being Mg or Zn and the element B being a metal element selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, and In.

9. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more low-barrier-height layers are formed of a low-barrier-height oxide having a spinel structure which is an oxide including element C, element D, and element E, the element C being Mg or Zn, the element D being a metal selected from a group consisting of Al, Ga, and In, and the element E being a metal element selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, and In.

10. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 9 , wherein the low-barrier-height oxide is an oxide including Mg, Al, and Ga.

11. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 10 , wherein the oxide including Mg, Al, and Ga has a disordered spinel structure.

12. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1 , wherein the tunnel barrier layer is a stacked body including one of the high-barrier-height layer and one of the low-barrier-height layer stacked on one surface of the one of high-barrier-height layer.

13. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the tunnel barrier layer is equal to or greater than 3 nm.

14. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1 , wherein a total thickness of the high-barrier-height layer is equal to or less than 1 nm.

15. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1 , wherein the low-barrier-height layer is formed of low-barrier-height oxide, which is an oxide including Mg, Al, and Ga, and
wherein the oxide including Mg, Al, and Ga has a disordered spinel structure.

16. A magnetoresistance effect element, comprising:
a first ferromagnetic layer;
a second ferromagnetic layer; and
a tunnel barrier layer that is interposed between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer,
wherein the tunnel barrier layer is a stacked body including two or more high-barrier-height layers and one or more low-barrier-height layers, the two or more high-barrier-height layers having a relatively high barrier height with respect to the one or more low-barrier-height layers and the one or more low-barrier-height layers having a relatively low barrier height with respect to the two or more high-barrier-height layers,
wherein a minimum difference of barrier height between the two or more high-barrier-height layers and the one or more low-barrier-height layers is equal to or higher than 0.5 eV,
wherein the tunnel barrier layer is a stacked body which includes two layers of the high-barrier-height layer, the low-barrier-height layer being interposed between the two layers of the high-barrier-height layer,
wherein the high-barrier-height-layer is formed of a high-barrier-height oxide which is an oxide including Mg and Al,
wherein the low-barrier-height-layer is formed of a low-barrier-height oxide which is an oxide including Mg, Al, and Ga, and
wherein the tunnel barrier layer is a stacked body which includes two layers of the high-barrier-height layer, the low-barrier-height layer being interposed between the two layers of the high-barrier-height layer.

Assignees

• Tdk Corp

Inventors

• Ichikawa Shinto
• Nakada Katsuyuki
• Sasaki Tomoyuki

Classifications

• H10N50/85 Primary

  Materials of the active region · CPC title

• G11B5/3909

  Arrangements using a magnetic tunnel junction · CPC title

• G01R33/098 Primary

  comprising tunnel junctions, e.g. tunnel magnetoresistance sensors · CPC title

• H01F10/3254

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

• B82Y25/00

  Nanomagnetism, e.g. magnetoimpedance, anisotropic magnetoresistance, giant magnetoresistance or tunneling magnetoresistance · CPC title