BiSb topological insulator with seed layer or interlayer to prevent sb diffusion and promote BiSb (012) orientation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11489108-B2
Application number	US-202016861118-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2020
Priority date	Apr 28, 2020
Publication date	Nov 1, 2022
Grant date	Nov 1, 2022

Abstract

A spin-orbit torque (SOT) magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device includes a substrate, a seed layer over the substrate, and a bismuth antimony (BiSb) layer having (0120) orientation on the seed layer. The seed layer includes a silicide layer and a surface control layer. The silicide layer includes a material of NiSi, NiFeSi, NiFeTaSi, NiCuSi, CoSi, CoFeSi, CoFeTaSi, CoCuSi, or combinations thereof. The surface control layer includes a material of NiFe, NiFeTa, NiTa, NiW, NiFeW, NiCu, NiCuM, NiFeCu, CoTa, CoFeTa, NiCoTa, Co, CoM, CoNiM, CoNi, NiSi, CoSi, NiCoSi, Cu, CuAgM, CuM, or combinations thereof, in which M is Fe, Cu, Co, Ta, Ag, Ni, Mn, Cr, V, Ti, or Si.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A spin-orbit torque (SOT) magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device, comprising:
a substrate;
a seed layer over the substrate, the seed layer comprising:
a silicide layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of NiSi, NiFeSi, NiFeTaSi, NiCuSi, CoSi, CoFeSi, CoFeTaSi, CoCuSi, and combinations thereof; and
a surface control layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of NiFe, NiFeTa, NiTa, NiW, NiFeW, NiCu, NiCuM, NiFeCu, CoTa, CoFeTa, NiCoTa, Co, CoM, CoNiM, CoNi, NiSi, CoSi, NiCoSi, Cu, CuAgM, CuM, and combinations thereof, wherein M is selected from a group consisting of Fe, Cu, Co, Ta, Ag, Ni, Mn, Cr, V, Ti, and Si; and

a bismuth antimony (BiSb) layer on the seed layer, the BiSb layer having a (012) orientation.

2. The SOT MTJ device of claim 1 , wherein the silicide layer has a thickness from about 1 Å to about 30 Å.

3. The SOT MTJ device of claim 1 , wherein the silicide layer comprises one or more stacks of a laminate comprising a silicon layer and a metal layer, the metal layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of Ni, NiFe, NiFeTa, NiCu, Co, CoFe, CoFeTa, CoCu, and combinations thereof.

4. The SOT MTJ device of claim 3 , wherein the silicide layer comprises one to four stacks of the laminate.

5. The SOT MTJ device of claim 1 , wherein the surface control layer has a thickness from about 1 Å to about 20 Å.

6. The SOT MTJ device of claim 1 , wherein the surface control layer comprises a first layer over the silicide layer and comprises a second layer over the first layer,
wherein the first layer comprises a material selected from a group consisting of NiFe, NiFeTa, NiTa, NiW, NiFeW, NiCu, NiCuAg, NiCuM, NiFeCu, CoTa, CoFeTa, NiCoTa, Co, CoCu, and combinations thereof, in which M is selected from a group consisting of Fe, Cu, Co, Ta, Ag, Ni, Mn, Cr, V, Ti, and Si, and
wherein the second layer comprises a material selected from a group consisting of CoNi, NiSi, CoSi, NiCoSi, CuAgNi, CuM, CuNiM, Ni, CoCu, Cu, Co, NiCu, and combinations thereof, in which M is selected from a group consisting of Fe, Cu, Co, Ta, Ag, Ni, Mn, Cr, V, Ti, and Si.

7. The SOT MTJ device of claim 1 , further comprising a silicon base layer between the substrate and the seed layer, the silicon base layer having a thickness from about 1 Å and about 30 Å.

8. A magnetic media drive, comprising the SOT MTJ device of claim 1 .

9. A magnetoresistive random access memory device, comprises the SOT MTJ device of claim 1 .

10. A magnetic recording write head, comprising the SOT MTJ device of claim 1 .

11. A spin-orbit torque (SOT) magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device, comprising:
a substrate;
a seed layer disposed over the substrate;
a bismuth antimony (BiSb) layer over the seed layer, the BiSb layer having a (012) orientation; and
an interlayer over the BiSb layer, the interlayer comprising:
a silicide layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of NiSi, FeSi, CoSi, NiCuSi, NiFeTaSi, CoCuSi, and combinations thereof.

12. The SOT MTJ device of claim 11 , wherein the silicide layer has a thickness from about 1 Å to about 30 Å.

13. The SOT MTJ device of claim 11 , wherein the silicide layer comprises one or more stacks of a laminate, the laminate comprising a silicon layer and a metal layer, the metal layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of Ni, Fe, Co, NiCu, NiFeTa, CoCu, NiFe, NiFeCu, Cu, and combinations thereof.

14. The SOT MTJ device of claim 13 , wherein the silicide layer comprises one to four stacks of the laminate.

15. The SOT MTJ device of claim 11 , wherein the interlayer further comprises a surface control layer between the BiSb layer and the silicide layer, the surface control layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of Cu, Ni, NiFe, Fe, Co, NiCu, NiFeTa, CoCu, NiFeCu, and combinations thereof.

16. The SOT MTJ device of claim 15 , wherein the interlayer has a thickness from about 1 Å to about 10 Å.

17. The SOT MTJ device of claim 11 , further comprising a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) ferromagnetic layer over the interlayer.

18. A magnetic media drive, comprising the SOT MTJ device of claim 11 .

19. A magnetoresistive random access memory device, comprises the SOT MTJ device of claim 11 .

20. A magnetic recording write head, comprising the SOT MTJ device of claim 11 .

21. A spin-orbit torque (SOT) magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device, comprising:
a substrate;
a seed layer over the substrate, the seed layer comprising:
an amorphous film comprising a material with a nearest neighbor peak d-spacing matching a spacing selected from a group consisting of:
a (111) d-spacing of an fcc lattice with an a-axis in the range of 3.54 Å to 3.78 Å, and
a (002) d-spacing of an hcp lattice with an a-axis in the range of 2.52 Å to 2.68 Å; and

a bismuth antimony (BiSb) layer on the amorphous film, the BiSb layer having a (012) orientation.

22. The SOT MTJ device of claim 21 , wherein the seed layer further comprises a silicide layer between the substrate and the amorphous film, the silicide layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of NiSi, NiFeSi, NiFeTaSi, NiCuSi, CoSi, CoFeSi, CoFeTaSi, CoCuSi, and combinations thereof.

23. The SOT MTJ device of claim 21 , further comprising an interlayer on the BiSb layer, the interlayer comprising:
an amorphous film on the BiSb layer, the amorphous film comprising:
a material with a nearest neighbor peak d-spacing matching a spacing selected from a group consisting of:
a (111) d-spacing of an fcc lattice with an a-axis in the range of 3.54 Å to 3.78 Å and
a (002) d-spacing of an hcp lattice with an a-axis in the range of 2.52 Å to 2.68 Å.

24. The SOT MTJ device of claim 23 , wherein the interlayer further comprises a silicide layer, the silicide layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of NiSi, NiFeSi, NiFeTaSi, NiCuSi, CoSi, CoFeSi, CoFeTaSi, CoCuSi, and combinations thereof.

25. A magnetic media drive, comprising the SOT MTJ device of claim 21 .

26. A magnetoresistive random access memory device, comprises the SOT MTJ device of claim 21 .

27. A magnetic recording write head, comprising the SOT MTJ device of claim 21 .

Assignees

• Western Digital Tech Inc

Inventors

• Le Quang
• Hwang Cherngye
• York Brian R
• Chen Andrew
• Nguyen Thao A
• Ahn Yongchul
• Liu Xiaoyong
• Jiang Hongquan
• Gao Zheng
• Ho Kuok San

Classifications

• H01F10/3254

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

• G11B5/3133

  including layers not usually being a part of the electromagnetic transducer structure and providing additional features, e.g. for improving heat radiation, reduction of power dissipation, adaptations for measurement or indication of gap depth or other properties of the structure (G11B5/3106 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G11B5/3909 Primary

  Arrangements using a magnetic tunnel junction · CPC title

• H01F10/3272

  by use of anti-parallel coupled [APC] ferromagnetic layers, e.g. artificial ferrimagnets [AFI], artificial [AAF] or synthetic [SAF] anti-ferromagnets · CPC title

• H01F10/329

  Spin-exchange coupled multilayers wherein the magnetisation of the free layer is switched by a spin-polarised current, e.g. spin torque effect · CPC title