Memory apparatus and memory device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9424903-B2
Application number	US-201314399268-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2013
Priority date	May 16, 2012
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

To provide a memory apparatus capable of operating at high speed with less current and inhibiting a decrease in an amplitude of a readout signal.
A memory apparatus includes a memory device at least including a memory layer, a magnetic fixed layer, and an intermediate layer made of a non-magnetic body disposed between the memory layer and the magnetic fixed layer; current being capable of flowing in a lamination direction; a wiring for supplying current flowing to the lamination direction; and a memory control unit for storing information by flowing standby current at a predetermined level to the memory device via the wiring to incline the magnetization direction of the memory layer from the direction perpendicular to a film surface and flowing recording current that is higher than the standby current via the wiring to change the magnetization direction of the memory layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A memory apparatus, comprising:
a memory device having:
a layer structure at least including a memory layer where a direction of magnetization is changed corresponding to information, a magnetic fixed layer where the direction of the magnetization is fixed, and an intermediate layer made of a non-magnetic body disposed between the memory layer and the magnetic fixed layer;
a current being capable of flowing in a lamination direction of the layer structure;
a wiring for supplying the memory device with the current flowing to the lamination direction; and
a memory control unit for controlling a current supply to the memory device via the wiring such at a period for flowing a recording current to the memory device to be recorded and a period for flowing a standby current to the memory device to be recorded are overlapped.

2. The memory apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
a plurality of the memory devices are arranged, and the memory control unit stores information by flowing the standby current at a predetermined level to the memory device via the wiring to incline the magnetization direction of the memory layer from the direction perpendicular to a film surface and flowing the recording current that is higher than the standby current via the wiring to change the magnetization direction of the memory layer.

3. The memory apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the memory device has a cap layer, and
in the memory layer,
a first ferromagnetic layer, a connecting layer and a second ferromagnetic layer are laminated in this order,
the first ferromagnetic layer is magnetically connected to the second ferromagnetic layer via the connecting layer,
the first ferromagnetic layer is in contact with an intermediate layer,
the second ferromagnetic layer is in contact with the cap layer,
one of the first ferromagnetic layer and the second first ferromagnetic layer is an in-face magnetization layer being predominant in the in-face magnetization, and
the other is a perpendicular magnetization layer being predominant in the perpendicular magnetization.

4. The memory apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
in the memory layer, a connecting intensity between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer via the connection layer is set such that both magnetizations of the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer direct to the perpendicular direction in an equilibrium state where no current in the lamination direction flows to the memory device.

5. The memory apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the first ferromagnetic layer is the in-face magnetization layer, and the second ferromagnetic layer is the perpendicular magnetization layer.

6. The memory apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
while the standby current flows, an angle between the magnetization of the first ferromagnetic layer and the direction perpendicular to the film surface is greater than an angle between the magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer and the direction perpendicular to the film surface.

7. The memory apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the first ferromagnetic layer is the perpendicular magnetization layer, and the second ferromagnetic layer is the in-face magnetization layer.

8. The memory apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
while the standby current flows, an angle between the magnetization of the first ferromagnetic layer and the direction perpendicular to the film surface is smaller than an angle between the magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer and the direction perpendicular to the film surface.

9. The memory apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
an intermediate layer includes a tunnel insulation layer.

10. The memory apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the cap layer includes an oxide layer.

11. The memory apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer includes Co-Fe-B layers.

12. A memory device, comprising:
a layer structure at least including a memory layer where a direction of magnetization is changed corresponding to information, a magnetic fixed layer where the direction of the magnetization is fixed, an intermediate layer made of a non-magnetic body disposed between the memory layer and the magnetic fixed layer, and a cap layer; a current being capable of flowing in a lamination direction of the layer structure;
in the memory layer,
a first ferromagnetic layer, a connecting layer and a second ferromagnetic layer are laminated in this order,
the first ferromagnetic layer is magnetically connected to the second ferromagnetic layer via the connecting layer,
the first ferromagnetic layer is in contact with an intermediate layer, the second ferromagnetic layer is in contact with the cap layer,
one of the first ferromagnetic layer and the second first ferromagnetic layer is an in-face magnetization layer being predominant in the in-face magnetization, and the other is a perpendicular magnetization layer being predominant in the perpendicular magnetization, and
a connecting intensity between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer via the connection layer is set such that both magnetizations of the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer direct to the perpendicular direction in an equilibrium state where no current in the lamination direction flows to the memory device, and the magnetization direction of the memory layer is inclined from the perpendicular direction in a standby state,
a wiring for supplying the memory device with the current flowing to the lamination direction, and
a memory control unit for controlling a current supply to the memory device via the wiring such at a period for flowing a recording current to the memory device to be recorded and a period for flowing a standby current to the memory device to be recorded are overlapped.

13. The memory device according to claim 12 , wherein
the memory control unit stores information by flowing the standby current at a predetermined level to the memory device via the wiring to incline the magnetization direction of the memory layer from the direction perpendicular to a film surface and flowing the recording current that is higher than the standby current via the wiring to change the magnetization direction of the memory layer.

14. The memory device according to claim 12 , wherein
the first ferromagnetic layer is the in-face magnetization layer, and the second ferromagnetic layer is the perpendicular magnetization layer.

15. The memory device according to claim 12 , wherein
while the standby current flows, an angle between the magnetization of the first ferromagnetic layer and the direction perpendicular to the film surface is greater than an angle between the magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer and the direction perpendicular to the film surface.

16. The memory device according to claim 12 , wherein
the first ferromagnetic layer is the perpendicular magnetization layer, and the second ferromagnetic layer is the in-face magnetization layer.

17. The memory device according to claim 12 , wherein
while the standby current flows, an angle between the magnetization of the first ferromagnetic layer and the direction perpendicular to the film surface is smaller than an angle between the magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer and the direction perpendicular to the film surface.

18. The memory device according to claim 12 , wherein
the intermediate

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Higo Yutaka
• Hosomi Masanori
• Ohmori Hiroyuki
• Bessho Kazuhiro
• Asayama Tetsuya
• Yamane Kazutaka
• Uchida Hiroyuki

Classifications

• H04W72/542

  using measured or perceived quality · CPC title

• H04W72/51 Primary

  based on terminal or device properties · CPC title

• G11C11/161 Primary

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

• G11C11/1675 Primary

  Writing or programming circuits or methods · CPC title

• H04W72/121

  for groups of terminals or users · CPC title