Methods and systems to read a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) based memory cell based on a pulsed read current

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9455011-B2
Application number	US-201214350997-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2012
Priority date	Mar 25, 2012
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

Methods and systems to read a logic value stored in a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ)-based memory cell based on a pulsed read current, with time between pulses to permit the MTJ to relax towards the magnetization orientation between the pulses, which may reduce build-up of momentum within the MTJ, and which may reduce and/or eliminate inadvertent re-alignment of a magnetization orientation. A sequence of symmetric and/or non-symmetric pulses may be applied to a wordline (WL) to cause a pre-charged bit line (BL) capacitance to discharge a pulsed read current through the MTJ, resulting in a corresponding sequence of voltage changes on the BL. The BL voltage changes may be integrated over the sequence of read current pulses, and a stored logic value may be determined based on the integrated voltage changes. The pre-charged BL capacitance may also serve as the voltage integrator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a memory cell that includes a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device configured to store a logic value as a magnetic orientation;
control circuitry configured to apply a read control to the memory cell during a read operation, wherein the read control includes a series of pulses, each configured to cause charge to flow through the MTJ device during the respective pulse without switching the magnetic orientation of the MTJ device; and
sensor circuitry to determine the logic value stored in the MTJ device based on a sum of the charge that flows through the MTJ device due to respective pulses of the read control.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
provide time between adjacent ones of the pulses to dissipate oscillations imparted to the MTJ device by the charge that flows through the MTJ device during preceding ones of the pulses.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry includes:
a charge storage structure coupled to a first node of the memory cell;
pre-charge circuitry configured to pre-charge the charge storage structure to a pre-charge voltage prior to the series of pulses; and
a controller configured to apply the series of pulses to the memory cell to alternately couple and decouple a second node of the MTJ device to and from a discharge node to cause charge of the charge storage structure to flow through the MTJ device during the respective pulses;
wherein the sensor circuitry includes a voltage sensor configured to determine the logic value stored in the MTJ device based on a remaining voltage of the charge storage structure subsequent to the series of pulses.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
vary at least a subset of the pulses of the read control relative to one another with respect to amplitude, duration, rise time, and/or fall time to maintain a margin between a current density imparted to the MTJ device by charge flow through the MTJ device during the pulses, and a critical current density at which the magnetic orientation of the MTJ device switches.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
generate the series of pulses to cause less charge to flow through the MTJ device during subsequent ones of the pulses relative to a first one of the pulses to prevent switching the magnetic orientation of the MTJ device during the subsequent pulses.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
generate the subsequent pulses with amplitudes that are lower than an amplitude of the first pulse to prevent switching the magnetic orientation of the MTJ device during the subsequent pulses.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the read circuitry is further configured to:
generate the subsequent pulses with durations that are shorter than a duration of the first pulse to prevent switching the magnetic orientation of the MTJ device during the subsequent pulses.

8. A memory system, comprising:
an array of memory cells, wherein each memory cell includes a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device configured to store a logic value as a magnetization orientation;
control circuitry configured to apply a read control to a selectable wordline of the array during a read operation, wherein the read control includes a series of pulses, each configured to cause charge to flow through MTJ devices of a selected wordline during the respective pulses without switching the magnetic orientations of the MTJ devices of the selected wordline; and
multiple bit line sensors, each coupled to a respective bit line of the array and configured to determine a logic value stored in a MTJ device of a respective bit of the selected wordline, based on a sum of the charge that flows through the MTJ device due to respective pulses of the read control.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
provide time between adjacent ones of the pulses to dissipate oscillations imparted to the MTJ devices of the selected wordline by the charge that flows through the MTJ devices during preceding ones of the pulses.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the control circuitry includes:
a charge storage structure for each bit line of the array, wherein each bit line is coupled to a first node of each memory cell of a respective column of the array;
multiple pre-charge circuits, each configured to pre-charge a respective one of the charge storage structures;
multiple evaluation circuits, each configured to couple a respective source line of the array to a discharge node, wherein each source line is coupled to a second node of each memory cell of a respective column of the array; and
a controller configured to enable selectable ones of the pre-charge circuits prior to an evaluation period of the read operation, enable corresponding ones of the evaluation circuits for a duration of the evaluation period, and apply the series of pulses to the selected wordline of the array during the evaluation period to cause charge to flow through MTJ devices of the selected wordline during the respective pulses without switching the magnetic orientation of the MTJ device;
wherein each of the bit line sensors includes a voltage sensor configured to determine the logic value stored in the MTJ device of the respective bit of the selected wordline based on remaining voltages of the respective charge storage structure subsequent to the evaluation period.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein each of the storage structures is an inherent capacitance of an integrated circuit trace of the respective bit line.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
vary at least a subset of the pulses of the read control of the read control relative to one another with respect to amplitude, duration, rise time, and/or fall time to maintain a margin between a current density imparted to a MTJ device of the selected wordline by charge flow through the MTJ device during the pulses, and a critical current density at which the magnetic orientation of the MTJ device switches.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
generate the series of pulses to cause less charge to flow through a MTJ device of the selected wordline during subsequent ones of the pulses relative to a first one of the pulses to prevent switching the magnetic orientation of the MTJ device during the subsequent pulses.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
generate the subsequent pulses with amplitudes that are lower than an amplitude of the first pulse to prevent switching the magnetic orientation of the MTJ device during the subsequent pulses.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the read circuitry is further configured to:
generate the subsequent pulses with durations that are shorter than a duration of the first pulse to prevent switching the magnetic orientation of the MTJ device during the subsequent pulses.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the charge storage structure is an inherent capacitance of an integrated circuit trace between the voltage sensor and the first node of the memory cell.

17. A system, comprising:
a processor;
a user interface system;
a communication system to communicate between a communication network and one or more of the processor and the user interface system;
a memory system to store data under control of one or m

Assignees

• Raychowdhury Arijit
• Kencke David
• Doyle Brian
• Kuo Charles
• Tschanz James
• Hamzaoglu Fatih
• Wang Yih
• Mojarad Roksana Golizadeh
• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Raychowdhury Arijit
• Kencke David
• Doyle Brian
• Kuo Charles
• Tschanz James
• Hamzaoglu Fatih
• Wang Yih
• Mojarad Roksana Golizadeh

Classifications

• G11C11/165 Primary

  Auxiliary circuits · CPC title

• G11C2013/0071

  Write using write potential applied to access device gate · CPC title

• G11C11/1693

  Timing circuits or methods · CPC title

• G11C11/1673 Primary

  Reading or sensing circuits or methods · CPC title

• G11C2013/0052

  Read process characterized by the shape, e.g. form, length, amplitude of the read pulse · CPC title