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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12527232-B2
Application number	US-202217954679-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2022
Priority date	Apr 28, 2020
Publication date	Jan 13, 2026
Grant date	Jan 13, 2026

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) device, comprising:
a substrate; a seed layer disposed over the substrate, the seed layer comprising:
a surface control layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of nickel (Ni) iron (Fe) (NiFe), nickel iron tantalum (Ta) (NiFeTa), nickel tantalum (NiTa), nickel tungsten (W) (NiW), nickel iron tungsten (NiFeW), nickel copper (Cu) (NiCu), nickel copper M (NiCuM), nickel iron copper (NiFeCu), cobalt (Co) tantalum (CoTa), cobalt iron tantalum (CoFeTa), nickel cobalt tantalum (NiCoTa), cobalt (Co), cobalt M (COM), cobalt nickel M (CoNiM), cobalt nickel (CoNi), nickel silicon (NiSi), cobalt silicon (CoSi), nickel cobalt silicon (NiCoSi), copper (Cu), copper silver M (CuAgM), copper M (CuM), and combinations thereof, wherein M is selected from a group consisting of Fe, Cu, Co, Ta, Ag, Ni, manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), vanadium (V), titanium (Ti), and Si; and
a bismuth antimony (BiSb) layer disposed on the surface control layer, the BiSb layer having a (012) orientation.

2 . The SOT device of claim 1 , wherein the seed layer further comprises a silicide layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of NiSi, NiFeSi, NiFeTaSi, NiCuSi, CoSi, CoFeSi, CoFeTaSi, CoCuSi, and combinations thereof.

3 . The SOT device of claim 2 , 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 device of claim 3 , wherein the silicide layer comprises one to four stacks of the laminate, and wherein the silicide layer has a thickness from about 1 Å to about 30 Å.

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

6 . The SOT device of claim 1 , wherein the surface control layer comprises a first layer and a second layer disposed between the first layer and the BiSb 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 device of claim 1 , wherein the surface control layer has a fcc (111) orientation or an hcp (002) orientation.

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

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

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

11 . A spin-orbit torque (SOT) device, comprising:
a substrate; a bismuth antimony (BiSb) layer disposed over the substrate, the BiSb layer having a (012) orientation; and an interlayer on the BiSb layer, the interlayer comprising:
a silicide layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of nickel (Ni) silicon (Si) (NiSi), iron (Fe) silicon (FeSi), cobalt (co) silicon (CoSi), nickel copper silicon (NiCuSi), nickel iron tantalum (Ta) silicon (NiFeTaSi), cobalt copper (Cu) silicon (CoCuSi), and combinations thereof.

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

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

15 . The SOT 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 device of claim 11 , further comprising:
a seed layer disposed in contact with the BiSb layer; and a spin torque layer (STL) disposed over the interlayer.

17 . The SOT device of claim 11 , further comprising:
a seed layer disposed in contact with the BiSb layer; and a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) ferromagnetic layer disposed over the interlayer.

18 . The SOT device of claim 11 , further comprising:
a seed layer disposed in contact with the BiSb layer; and a cap layer disposed over the interlayer.

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

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

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

22 . A spin-orbit torque (SOT) device, comprising:
a substrate; a bismuth antimony (BiSb) layer disposed over the substrate, the BiSb layer having a (012) orientation; and an interlayer disposed on the BiSb layer, the interlayer 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.

23 . The SOT device of claim 22 , wherein the interlayer further comprises a silicide layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of nickel silicon (NiSi), nickel iron silicon (NiFeSi), nickel iron tantalum silicon (NiFeTaSi), nickel copper silicon (NiCuSi), cobalt silicon (CoSi), cobalt iron silicon (CoFeSi), cobalt iron tantalum silicon (CoFeTaSi), cobalt copper silicon (CoCuSi), and combinations thereof.

24 . The SOT device of claim 22 , further comprising a seed layer disposed in contact with the BiSb layer, the seed layer comprising:
an amorphous film, 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; and

one or more stacks of a laminate, each stack of laminate comprising:
a silicon layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of nickel (Ni) silicon (Si) (NiSi), nickel iron (Fe) silicon (NiFeSi), nickel iron tantalum (Ta) silicon (NiFeTaSi), nickel copper (Cu) silicon (NiCuSi), cobalt (Co) silicon (CoSi), cobalt iron silicon (CoFeSi), cobalt iron tantalum silicon (CoFeTaSi), cobalt copper silicon (CoCuSi), and combinations thereof, and
a metal layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of Ni, NiFe, NiFeTa, NiCu, Co, CoFe, CoFeTa, CoCu, and combinations thereof.

25 . The SOT device of claim 24 , further comprising:
a free perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) ferromagnetic layer disposed over the interlayer; and a reference PMA ferromagnetic layer disposed over t

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

• H10N52/00

  Hall-effect devices (integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10N59/00) · CPC title

• H10N50/85

  Materials of the active region · CPC title

• H10B61/00

  Magnetic memory devices, e.g. magnetoresistive RAM [MRAM] devices · CPC title

• H01F10/3254

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

• G11B2005/0018

  by current biasing control or regulation · CPC title