High Resistivity Buffers and Interlayers to Promote BiSb (012) and (001) and Minimized Shunting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2026066169-A1
Application number	US-202519313050-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 28, 2025
Priority date	Aug 28, 2024
Publication date	Mar 5, 2026
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to spintronic material stacks and devices. A spintronic stack comprises an amorphous layer, a texturing layer comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: Ta x W 1-x , MgO, YPt, RuAl, RuAlN, HfN, NiAlGeN, IrAlGeN, and (Ta x W 1-x )N, and TiN, where x between 0.005 and 1, a barrier layer comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: NiAlGeN, NiAlGe, IrAlGeN, IrAlGe, HfN, and TiN, a topological insulating (TI) layer comprising BiSb having a ( 012 ) or ( 001 ) orientation, an interlayer, and a ferromagnetic layer. The texturing layer, the barrier layer, and the interlayer each individually comprises a material having a high resistivity to minimize shunting, act as a migration barrier, and function as a crystal symmetry transfer layer to provide the (012) or (001) orientation to the TI layer. The spintronic stack may be nitrogenated to increase the resistivity of the stack.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A spintronic stack, comprising:
an amorphous layer; a buffer layer comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: MgO, Ru, Ti, TiN, HfN, YPt, B2 alloys of X-Al, where X is one of Co, Ni, Ru, Rh or Ir, CrMo, Ta x W 1-x N, Ta x Hf 1-x N, and Ta x W 1-x , where x is from 0.005 to 1; a topological insulating (TI) layer comprising BiSb having a (012) or (001) orientation; an interlayer; and a ferromagnetic layer.

2 . The spintronic stack of claim 1 , wherein the buffer layer comprises a texturing layer and a barrier layer.

3 . The spintronic stack of claim 2 , wherein the texturing layer comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: Ta x W 1-x , where x is from 0.005 to 1; MgO; Ru; Ti; TiN; YPt; B2 alloys of X-Al, where X is one of Co, Ni, Ru, Rh, or Ir; Ru-Z, where Z is selected from the group consisting of: Ti, Ta, Zr, and Hf; CrMo (where Mo is between about 20 at. % to about 50 at. %); Ta x W 1-x N; HfN; and fcc Ta x Hf 1-x N, where x is from 0.005 to 1, and wherein the barrier layer comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: HfN, TiN, X-AlGe, X-AlGeN, where X is one of Co, Ni, Ru, Rh, or Ir, Ta x W 1-x N, and Ta x Hf 1-x N, where x is from 0 to 1.

4 . The spintronic stack of claim 2 , wherein the texturing layer is disposed on the amorphous layer, the ferromagnetic layer is disposed on the texturing layer, the interlayer is disposed on the ferromagnetic layer, the TI layer is disposed on the interlayer, and the barrier layer is disposed on the TI layer.

5 . The spintronic stack of claim 1 , wherein the buffer layer is disposed on the amorphous layer, the TI layer is disposed on the buffer layer, the interlayer is disposed on the TI layer, and the ferromagnetic layer is disposed on the interlayer.

6 . The spintronic stack of claim 1 , wherein the interlayer comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: GeN, SiN, AlN, IrAlGeN, IrAlGe, MgO, HfN, Ta 3 WN, NiAlGeN, NiAlGe, and TiN, and wherein the amorphous layer comprises CoFeTaN.

7 . The spintronic stack of claim 1 , wherein each of the amorphous layer, the buffer layer, the TI layer, the interlayer, and the ferromagnetic layer comprises nitrogen.

8 . A memory cell comprising the spintronic stack of claim 1 .

9 . A logic cell comprising the spintronic stack of claim 1 .

10 . A magnetic sensor comprising the spintronic stack of claim 1 .

11 . A magnetic recording device comprising the spintronic stack of claim 1 .

12 . A spintronic stack, comprising:
an amorphous layer; a buffer layer disposed on the amorphous layer, the buffer layer comprising:
a texturing layer comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: Ta x W 1-x , where x is from 0.005 to 1; MgO; Ru; Ti; TiN; YPt; B2 alloys of X-Al, where X is one of Co, Ni, Ru, Rh, or Ir; Ru-Z, where Z is selected from the group consisting of: Ti, Ta, Zr, and Hf; CrMo (where Mo is between about 20 at. % to about 50 at. %); Ta x W 1-x N; HfN; and fcc Ta x Hf 1-x N, where x is from 0.005 to 1; and
a barrier layer comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: MgO, Ru, Ti, TiN, HfN, YPt, B2 alloys of X-Al, where X is one of Co, Ni, Ru, Rh or Ir, CrMo, Ta x W 1-x N, Ta x Hf 1-x N, and Ta x W 1-x , where x is from 0.005 to 1;
a topological insulating (TI) layer disposed on the barrier layer, the TI layer comprising BiSb having a (012) or (001) orientation; an interlayer disposed on the TI layer; and a ferromagnetic layer disposed on the interlayer.

13 . The spintronic stack of claim 12 , wherein each of the amorphous layer, the buffer layer, the TI layer, the interlayer, and the ferromagnetic layer comprises nitrogen.

14 . The spintronic stack of claim 12 , wherein the interlayer comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: GeN, SiN, AlN, IrAlGeN, IrAlGe, MgO, HfN, Ta x W 1-x N, NiAlGeN, NiAlGe, and TiN, where x is between 0.005 and 1.

15 . The spintronic stack of claim 12 , wherein the amorphous layer comprises CoFeTaN.

16 . A memory cell comprising the spintronic stack of claim 12 .

17 . A logic cell comprising the spintronic stack of claim 12 .

18 . A magnetic sensor comprising the spintronic stack of claim 12 .

19 . A magnetic recording device comprising the spintronic stack of claim 12 .

20 . A spintronic stack, comprising:
an amorphous layer; a texturing layer disposed on the amorphous layer, the texturing layer comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: Ta x W 1-x , where x is from 0.005 to 1; MgO; Ru; Ti; TiN; YPt; B2 alloys of X-Al, where X is one of Co, Ni, Ru, Rh, or Ir; Ru-Z, where Z is selected from the group consisting of: Ti, Ta, Zr, and Hf; CrMo (where Mo is between about 20 at. % to about 50 at. %); Ta x W 1-x N; HfN; and fcc Ta x Hf 1-x N, where x is from 0.005 to 1; a ferromagnetic layer disposed on the texturing layer; an interlayer disposed on the ferromagnetic layer; a topological insulating (TI) layer disposed on the interlayer, the TI layer comprising BiSb having a (012) or (001) orientation; and a barrier layer disposed on the TI layer, the barrier layer comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: MgO, Ru, Ti, TiN, HfN, YPt, B2 alloys of X-Al, where X is one of Co, Ni, Ru, Rh, or Ir, CrMo, Ta x W 1-x N, Ta x Hf 1-x N, and Ta x W 1-x , where x is from 0.005 to 1.

21 . The spintronic stack of claim 20 , wherein each of the amorphous layer, the texturing layer, the TI layer, the interlayer, the barrier layer, and the ferromagnetic layer comprises nitrogen.

22 . The spintronic stack of claim 20 , wherein the texturing layer comprises one or more sublayers, and wherein the amorphous layer comprises CoFeTaN.

23 . The spintronic stack of claim 20 , wherein the interlayer comprises one or more sublayers, and wherein the interlayer comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: X-QGe, X-QGeN, where X is one of Co, Ni, Ru, Rh, or Ir, Q is one of Al or Fe, GeN, SiN, AlN, TiN, CrN, ZrN, MgO, MgTiO, MgAlO, TiO, TiN, HfN, and combinations thereof.

24 . A memory cell comprising the spintronic stack of claim 20 .

25 . A logic cell comprising the spintronic stack of claim 20 .

26 . A magnetic sensor comprising the spintronic stack of claim 20 .

27 . A magnetic recording device comprising the spintronic stack of claim 20 .

Assignees

• Western Digital Tech Inc

Inventors

• Le Quang
• York Brian R
• Hwang Cherngye
• Ortega Jose
• Liu Xiaoyong
• Le Son T
• Takano Hisashi

Classifications

• H10N50/80

  Constructional details · CPC title

• H01F10/3254

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

• G01R33/093

  using multilayer structures, e.g. giant magnetoresistance sensors (thin magnetic films H01F10/00) · CPC title

• G11B5/31

  using thin films {(G11B5/1274, G11B5/1278, G11B5/1874, G11B5/1875, G11B5/33, G11B5/49 take precedence; magnetic thin film structures H01F10/00)} · CPC title

• H10N50/85

  Materials of the active region · CPC title