Precursor structure of perpendicularly magnetized film, perpendicularly magnetized film structure and method for manufacturing the same, perpendicular magnetization-type magnetic tunnel junction film in which said structure is used and method for manufacturing the same, and perpendicular magnetization-type magnetic tunnel junction element in which said structure or magnetic tunnel junction film is used

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11374168-B2
Application number	US-201816640429-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2018
Priority date	Sep 11, 2017
Publication date	Jun 28, 2022
Grant date	Jun 28, 2022

Abstract

The present invention provides a perpendicularly magnetized film structure exhibiting high interface-induced magnetic anisotropy by utilizing a combination of an alloy comprising Fe as a main component and MgAl 2 O 4 as a basic configuration.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A precursor structure of a perpendicularly magnetized film comprising
a single-crystalline substrate having a cubic system structure having a (001) plane or a substrate having a layer having a cubic system structure or tetragonal system structure having a (001) plane,
an underlayer disposed on the substrate,
wherein the underlayer is composed of a conductive material having a good electric conductivity,

an iron-based alloy layer disposed on the underlayer,
wherein the iron-based alloy layer is a layer composed of an iron-based alloy comprising aluminum,

a first metal film disposed on the iron-based alloy layer,
wherein the first metal film is composed of a predetermined metal element, and
wherein the first metal film does not contain aluminum, and

a second alloy film disposed on the first metal film,
wherein the second metal film is composed of a predetermined alloy element, and
wherein the second metal film contains aluminum,

wherein the predetermined metal element is a metal element constituting an oxide having a spinel structure, and
wherein the predetermined alloy element is converted to an oxide having a spinel structure or an oxide having a structure in which a cation site of a spinel structure is disordered, when the alloy element is oxidized.

2. The precursor structure of a perpendicularly magnetized film according to claim 1 , wherein the iron-based alloy layer is represented by an Fe 100-x M x layer, where M is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Al, Si, Ga, and Ge, and 0<x<40.

3. A perpendicularly magnetized film structure produced using the precursor structure of a perpendicularly magnetized film according to claim 1 , the perpendicularly magnetized film structure comprising
a first perpendicularly magnetized layer consisting of an oxidation-treated iron-based alloy layer, the oxidation-treated iron-based ally layer comprising aluminum, and
a nonmagnetic layer consisting of an oxide of a first metal film and a second alloy film,
wherein the first metal film is composed of a predetermined metal element and does not contain aluminum, and
wherein the second metal film is composed of a predetermined alloy element and contains aluminum.

4. The perpendicularly magnetized film structure according to claim 3 , wherein the nonmagnetic layer is a Mg 1-y Al y —O x layer (0<y≤1), (0.8≤x≤1.7) of a crystal substance.

5. A magnetoresistive random access magnetic memory (MRAM), a spin transfer torque writing type MRAM, a voltage torque writing type MRAM, or a magnetic disk device comprising a perpendicularly magnetized film structure according to claim 3 .

6. A method of using a perpendicularly magnetized film structure according to claim 3 for at least one of a magnetoresistive random access magnetic memory (MRAM), a spin transfer torque writing type MRAM, a voltage torque writing type MRAM, or a magnetic disk device.

7. A perpendicular magnetization-type magnetic tunnel junction element comprising
a single-crystalline substrate having a cubic system structure having a (001) plane or a substrate having a layer having a cubic system structure or tetragonal system structure having a (001) plane,
an underlayer disposed on the substrate,
wherein the underlayer is composed of a conductive material having a good electric conductivity,

an iron-based alloy layer disposed on the underlayer or a first perpendicularly magnetized layer consisting of an oxidation-treated iron-based alloy layer,
wherein the iron-based alloy layer or the oxidation-treated iron-based layer is a layer composed of an iron-based alloy comprising aluminum,

a tunnel barrier layer produced using a stacked structure of a first metal film and a second alloy film,
wherein the first metal film is disposed on the iron-based alloy layer or the first perpendicularly magnetized layer, the first metal film is composed of a predetermined metal element, and the first metal film does not contain aluminum, and
wherein the second alloy film is disposed on the first metal film, the second metal film is composed of a predetermined alloy element, and the second metal film contains aluminum,

a second ferromagnetic layer disposed on the tunnel barrier layer or a second perpendicularly magnetized layer consisting of an oxidation-treated second ferromagnetic layer,
wherein the second ferromagnetic layer or the oxidation-treated second ferromagnetic layer is composed of a ferromagnetic material selected from the group consisting of a cobalt-iron alloy, a cobalt-iron-boron alloy, a manganese-gallium alloy, a manganese-germanium alloy, and an alloy of one or more elements selected from the group consisting of iron and cobalt and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of platinum and palladium.

8. A magnetoresistive random access magnetic memory (MRAM), a spin transfer torque writing type MRAM, a voltage torque writing type MRAM, or a magnetic disk device comprising the perpendicular magnetization-type magnetic tunnel junction element according to claim 7 .

9. A method of using the perpendicular magnetization-type magnetic tunnel junction element according to claim 7 for at least one of a magnetoresistive random access magnetic memory (MRAM), a spin transfer torque writing type MRAM, a voltage torque writing type MRAM, or a magnetic disk device.

10. A method for manufacturing a perpendicularly magnetized film structure, the method comprising
a step of providing a single-crystalline substrate having a cubic system structure having a (001) plane or a substrate having a layer having a cubic system structure or tetragonal system structure having a (001) plane,
a step of forming an underlayer composed of a conductive material having a good electric conductivity on the substrate,
a step of forming an iron-based alloy layer comprising aluminum on the underlayer,
a step of forming a first metal film composed of a predetermined metal element on the iron-based alloy layer, the metal element not containing aluminum,
a step of forming a second alloy film composed of a predetermined alloy element on the first metal film, the alloy element containing aluminum,
a step of forming an oxide layer by subjecting the first metal film and the second alloy film to an oxidation treatment to form a perpendicularly magnetized layer, and
a step of forming a nonmagnetic layer having a (001) plane on the perpendicularly magnetized layer.

11. The method for manufacturing a perpendicularly magnetized film structure according to claim 10 , wherein the oxide layer is an oxide layer of a Mg 1-x Al x (0<x≤1) alloy.

12. A method for manufacturing a perpendicular magnetization-type magnetic tunnel junction element, the method comprising
a step of forming a substrate, an underlayer, a perpendicularly magnetized layer, and a nonmagnetic layer by the method for manufacturing a perpendicularly magnetized film structure according to claim 10 , and
a step of forming, on the nonmagnetic layer, a second perpendicularly magnetized layer composed of a ferromagnetic material selected from the group consisting of a cobalt-iron alloy, a cobalt-iron-boron alloy, a manganese-gallium alloy, a manganese-germanium alloy, and an alloy of one or more elements selected from the group consisting of iron and cobalt and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of platinum and palladium.

13. A method for manufacturing a spintronic device, comprising the method for manufacturing a perpendicular magnetization-type magnetic tunnel junction element according to claim 12 .

Assignees

• Nat Inst Materials Science

Inventors

• Sukegawa Hiroaki
• SCHEIKE Thomas
• Mitani Seiji

Classifications

• G01R33/098

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

• H10N50/85 Primary

  Materials of the active region · CPC title

• G11C11/161

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

• G01R33/0052

  Manufacturing aspects; Manufacturing of single devices, i.e. of semiconductor magnetic sensor chips (devices based on galvano-magnetic effect or the like H10N50/85) · CPC title

• H01F10/3254

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