Magnetic memory element and memory device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016379698-A1
Application number	US-201615263952-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 13, 2016
Priority date	Mar 13, 2014
Publication date	Dec 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a magnetic memory element includes a stacked structure. The stacked structure includes a first and a second stacked member. The first stacked member includes a first and second ferromagnetic layer. A magnetic resonance frequency of the second ferromagnetic layer is a first frequency. A direction of a magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer is settable to a direction of a first current when a magnetic field of the first frequency is applied to the first stacked member and the first current flows in the first stacked member. The direction of the magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer does not change when the second current smaller than the first current flows in the first stacked member. The second stacked member includes a third ferromagnetic layer. A magnetization of the third ferromagnetic layer can generate a magnetic field of the first frequency by the second current.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A magnetic memory element, comprising:
a stacked structure including
a first stacked member including
a first ferromagnetic layer,
a second ferromagnetic layer, and
a first nonmagnetic layer provided between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer,
a magnetic resonance frequency of the second ferromagnetic layer being a first frequency, a direction of a magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer being settable to a direction corresponding to an orientation of a first current when a magnetic field of the first frequency is applied to the first stacked member and the first current flows in the first stacked member along a first direction connecting the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer, the direction of the magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer not changing to a direction corresponding to an orientation of a second current smaller than the first current when the second current flows in the first stacked member, and

a second stacked member stacked with the first stacked member along the first direction, the second stacked member including a third ferromagnetic layer, a magnetization of the third ferromagnetic layer being able to generate a magnetic field of the first frequency by the second current flowing in the second stacked member along the first direction,
the direction of the magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer being settable to a direction corresponding to an orientation of a current by causing the current to flow in the first stacked member and the second stacked member along the first direction to generate a magnetic field acting on the second ferromagnetic layer.

2 . A magnetic memory element, comprising:
a stacked structure including
a first stacked member including
a first ferromagnetic layer,
a second ferromagnetic layer, and
a first nonmagnetic layer provided between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer,
a magnetic resonance frequency of the second ferromagnetic layer being a first frequency,

a second stacked member stacked with the first stacked member along a first direction, the second stacked member including a third ferromagnetic layer, and
an intermediate interconnect provided between the first stacked member and the second stacked member,
a magnetization of the third ferromagnetic layer being caused to generate a magnetic field by causing a current to flow in the second stacked member along the first direction, a direction of a magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer being settable to a direction corresponding to an orientation of the current by the magnetic field, a current not flowing in the first stacked member when the current flows in the second stacked member, or a current flowing in the first stacked member being smaller than the current flowing in the second stacked member when the current flows in the second stacked member.

3 . The element according to claim 2 , wherein
the direction of the magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer can be set to a direction corresponding to an orientation of a first current by causing the first current to flow in the first stacked member along the first direction and applying a magnetic field of the first frequency to the first stacked member when a current is not flowing in the second stacked member, and the magnetization of the third ferromagnetic layer can generate a magnetic field of the first frequency when a second current is caused to flow in the second stacked member along the first direction, the second current being smaller than the first current.

4 . The element according to claim 2 , further comprising an insulating layer provided between the intermediate interconnect and the first stacked member.

5 . The element according to claim 1 , wherein the third ferromagnetic layer includes a Heusler alloy including at least one selected from a group consisting of Co, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Rh, Ru, and Pd.

6 . The element according to claim 1 , wherein the third ferromagnetic layer includes at least one selected from a group consisting of Co 2 MnGa, Co 2 MnAl, Ni 2 MnIn, Ni 2 MnGa, Ni 2 MnSn, Pd 2 MnSb, Pd 2 MnSn, Cu 2 MnAl, Cu 2 MnSn, Cu 2 MnIn, Rh 2 MnGe, and Rh 2 MnPb.

7 . The element according to claim 1 , wherein the third ferromagnetic layer includes at least one selected from a group consisting of Co 2 FeSi, Co 2 FeAl, Co 2 FeGa, Co 2 MnGe, Co 2 MnSn, and Co 2 MnSi.

8 . A magnetic memory element, comprising:
a stacked structure including
a first stacked member including
a first ferromagnetic layer,
a second ferromagnetic layer, and
a first nonmagnetic layer provided between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer, and

a second stacked member stacked with the first stacked member along a first direction, the second stacked member including a third ferromagnetic layer,
the third ferromagnetic layer including at least one selected from a group consisting of Co 2 MnGa, Co 2 MnAl, Ni 2 MnIn, Ni 2 MnGa, Ni 2 MnSn, Pd 2 MnSb, Pd 2 MnSn, Cu 2 MnAl, Cu 2 MnSn, Cu 2 MnIn, Rh 2 MnGe, and Rh 2 MnPb, a direction of a magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer being settable to a direction corresponding to an orientation of a current by causing the current to flow in the first stacked member and the second stacked member along the first direction to generate a magnetic field acting on the second ferromagnetic layer.

9 . A magnetic memory element, comprising:
a stacked structure including
a first stacked member including
a first ferromagnetic layer,
a second ferromagnetic layer, and
a first nonmagnetic layer provided between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer, and

a second stacked member stacked with the first stacked member along a first direction, the second stacked member including a third ferromagnetic layer,
the third ferromagnetic layer including at least one selected from a group consisting of Co 2 FeSi, Co 2 FeAl, Co 2 FeGa, Co 2 MnGe, Co 2 MnSn, and Co 2 MnSi, a direction of a magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer being settable to a direction corresponding to an orientation of a current by causing the current to flow in the first stacked member and the second stacked member along the first direction to generate a magnetic field acting on the second ferromagnetic layer.

10 . The element according to claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional area of the first stacked member when cut by a plane perpendicular to the first direction is greater than a cross-sectional area of the second stacked member when cut by a plane perpendicular to the first direction.

11 . The element according to claim 1 , wherein
the second ferromagnetic layer includes:
a first portion; and
a second portion stacked with the first portion in the first direction,
a magnetic resonance frequency of the second portion is lower than a magnetic resonance frequency of the first portion, and directions of magnetizations of the first portion and the second portion can be set to a direction corresponding to the orientation of the current flowing in the second stacked member by the current flowing in the second stacked member.

12 . The element according to claim 1 , wherein
the second stacked member further includes:
a fourth ferromagnetic layer stacked with the third ferromagnetic layer in the first direction; and
a second nonmagnetic layer provided between the third ferromagnetic layer and the fourth ferromagnetic layer.

13 . The element according to claim 12 , wherein an orientation of a first-direction component of the magnetization of

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Saida Daisuke
• Amano Minoru
• Ozeki Jyunichi
• Shimomura Naoharu

Classifications

• H01L27/228

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L43/10

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L43/02

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G11C11/1673

  Reading or sensing circuits or methods · CPC title

• G11C11/161 Primary

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