IrAl as a non-magnetic spacer layer for formation of synthetic anti-ferromagnets (SAF) with Heusler compounds

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11538987-B2
Application number	US-202017100723-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2020
Priority date	Nov 20, 2020
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

A device including a first magnetic layer, a templating structure and a second magnetic layer is described. The templating structure is on the first magnetic layer. The second magnetic layer is on the templating structure. The templating structure includes D and E. A ratio of D to E is represented by D1-xEx, with x being at least 0.4 and not more than 0.6. E includes a main constituent. The main constituent includes at least one of Al, Ga, and Ge. E includes at least fifty atomic percent of the main constituent. D includes at least one constituent that includes Ir. D includes at least 50 atomic percent of the at least one constituent. The templating structure is nonmagnetic at room temperature. At least one of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer includes at least one of a Heusler compound and an L10 compound.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
a first magnetic layer;
a templating structure on the first magnetic layer, the templating structure including D and E, a ratio of D to E being represented by D 1-x E x , with x being at least 0.4 and not more than 0.6, E including a main constituent, the main constituent including at least one of Al, Ga, and Ge, E including at least fifty atomic percent of the main constituent, D including at least one constituent that includes Ir, D including at least 50 atomic percent of the at least one constituent, the templating structure being nonmagnetic at room temperature; and
a second magnetic layer epitaxially grown on the templating structure, at least one of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer including at least one of a Heusler compound and an L1 0 compound.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the templating structure includes at least one layer of D and at least one layer of E, the at least one layer of E sharing an interface with the at least one layer of D.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein x is at least 0.47 and not more than 0.54.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer has a thickness of not more than five nanometers.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein D includes at least one of Ir and IrRu.

6. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an additional templating structure underlying the first magnetic layer, the additional templating structure including D′ and E′, an additional ratio of D′ to E′ being represented by D 1-x′ E x′ , with x′ being at least 0.4 and not more than 0.6, E′ including an additional main constituent, the additional main constituent including at least one of Al, Ga, and Ge, E′ including at least fifty atomic percent of the main constituent, D′ including at least one additional constituent that includes at least one of Ir, Co and Ru, D′ including at least 50 atomic percent of the at least one additional constituent, the additional templating structure being nonmagnetic at room temperature.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein E includes at least one of Al, an AlGe alloy, and an AlGa alloy.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein E is selected from Al, AlSn, AlGe, AlGaGe, AlGaSn, to AlGeSn, and AlGaGeSn.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer includes at least one of Mn 3.1-y Ge, Mn 3.1-y Sn, Mn 3.1-z Sb, Mn 3.1-s Co 1.1-t Sn, a MnGa alloy, a MnAl alloy, an FeAl alloy, a MnGe alloy, a MnSb alloy, and a MnSn alloy, with y being is at least zero and not more than 0.6, z being at least 0 and not more than 1.1, and with s being greater than zero and not more than 1.2 and t is greater than zero and not more than 1.0.

10. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an additional magnetic layer; and
a tunneling barrier layer between the additional magnetic layer and the at least one of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the templating structure has a thickness of at least three Angstroms and not more than eleven Angstroms.

12. A device, comprising:
a plurality of memory elements, each of the plurality of memory elements including:
a first magnetic layer;
a templating structure on the first magnetic layer, including D and E, a ratio of D to E being represented by D 1-x E x , with x being at least 0.47 and not more than 0.54, E including a main constituent, the main constituent including at least one of Al, Ga, and Ge, E including at least fifty atomic percent of the main constituent, D including at least one constituent that includes Ir, D including at least 50 atomic percent of the at least one constituent, the templating structure being nonmagnetic at room temperature; and
a second magnetic layer epitaxially grown on the templating structure, at least one of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer including at least one of a Heusler compound and an L1 0 compound, the second magnetic layer being in contact with the templating structure and being magnetic as-deposited at room temperature.

13. A method, comprising:
providing a first magnetic layer;
providing a templating structure on the first magnetic layer, the templating structure including D and E, a ratio of D to E being represented by D 1-x E x , with x being at least 0.4 and not more than 0.6, E including a main constituent, the main constituent including at least one of Al, Ga, and Ge, E including at least fifty atomic percent of the main constituent, D including at least one constituent that includes Ir, D including at least 50 atomic percent of the at least one constituent, the templating structure being nonmagnetic at room temperature; and
providing a second magnetic layer epitaxially grown on the templating structure, at least one of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer including at least one of a Heusler compound and an L1 0 compound.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein providing the templating structure includes:
depositing alternating layers of D and E.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein x is at least 0.47 and not more than 0.54.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein D includes at least one of Ir and IrRu.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer includes at least one of Mn 3.1-y Ge, Mn 3.1-y Sn, Mn 3.1-z Sb, Mn 3.1-s Co 1.1-t Sn, a MnGa alloy, a MnAl alloy, an FeAl alloy, a MnGe alloy, a MnSb alloy, and a MnSn alloy, with y being at least zero and not more than 0.6, z being at least 0 and not more than 1.1, and with s being greater than zero and not more than 1.2 and t is greater than zero and not more than 1.0.

18. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
providing an additional templating structure underlying the first magnetic layer, the additional templating structure including D′ and E′, an additional ratio of D′ to E′ being represented by D 1-x′ E x′ , with x′ being at least 0.4 and not more than 0.6, E′ including an additional main constituent, the additional main constituent including at least one of Al, Ga, and Ge, E′ including at least fifty atomic percent of the main constituent, D′ including at least one additional constituent that includes at least one of Ir, Co and Ru, D′ including at least 50 atomic percent of the at least one additional constituent, the additional templating structure being nonmagnetic at room temperature.

19. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
providing an additional magnetic layer; and
providing a tunneling barrier layer between the additional magnetic layer and the at least one of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein at least one of providing the first magnetic layer and providing the second magnetic layer further includes:
depositing the at least one of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer at room temperature.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
• IBM

Inventors

• Jeong Jaewoo
• Filippou Panagiotis Charilaos
• Ferrante Yari
• Garg Chirag
• Parkin Stuart Stephen Papworth
• Samant Mahesh

Classifications

• H01F10/3254

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

• H01F41/302

  for applying spin-exchange-coupled multilayers, e.g. nanostructured superlattices (spin-exchange-coupled multilayers H01F10/32) · 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

• H01F10/123

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

• H01F10/1936

  Half-metallic, e.g. epitaxial CrO2 or NiMnSb films · CPC title