Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy BCC multilayers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9620708-B2
Application number	US-201615177619-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2016
Priority date	Mar 26, 2015
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

A magnetic material includes a cobalt layer between opposing iron layers. The iron layers include iron and are body-centered cubic (BCC), the cobalt layer comprises cobalt and is BCC or amorphous, and the magnetic material has a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A magnetic material, comprising:
a cobalt layer between opposing iron layers; and
a barrier layer between dusting layers arranged on the cobalt layer between opposing dusting layers;
wherein the iron layers comprise iron and are body-centered cubic (BCC), the cobalt layer comprises cobalt and is BCC or amorphous, and the magnetic material has a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA).

2. The magnetic material of claim 1 , wherein the iron layer comprises an iron alloy.

3. The magnetic material of claim 1 , wherein the cobalt layer comprises a cobalt alloy.

4. A magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) comprising the magnetic material of claim 1 .

5. The magnetic material of claim 1 , wherein iron is present in an amount of at least 50 atomic % (at. %).

6. The magnetic material of claim 1 , wherein cobalt is present in an amount of at least 30 at. %.

7. The MTJ of claim 4 , wherein magnetic material is a magnetic free layer having a variable magnetization direction.

8. A spin torque magnetic random access memory (MRAM) chip comprising the MTJ of claim 4 .

9. The MTJ of claim 7 , wherein the magnetic material is a magnetic fixed layer having an invariable magnetization direction.

10. The MTJ of claim 9 , wherein an insulating tunnel barrier layer is disposed between the magnetic free layer and the magnetic fixed layer.

11. A magnetic material, comprising:
alternating layers of an iron layer and a cobalt layer;
a barrier layer between dusting layers arranged on the alternating layers;
wherein the iron layer comprises iron and is BCC, the cobalt layer comprises cobalt and is BCC or amorphous, and the iron and cobalt layers each have thickness of about 2 to about 10 angstroms (Å).

12. The magnetic material of claim 11 , wherein the magnetic material comprises at least three layers.

13. The magnetic material of claim 11 , wherein the magnetic material further comprises a magnesium oxide layer on a surface of the magnetic material.

14. The magnetic material of claim 11 , wherein the magnesium oxide layer contacts the iron layer.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Hu Guohan
• Worledge Daniel C

Classifications

• G11C11/161

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

• H01F10/3254

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

• H01F41/32

  for applying conductive, insulating or magnetic material on a magnetic film {, specially adapted for a thin magnetic film} · CPC title

• H01F10/14

  containing iron or nickel ({H01F10/126} , H01F10/13, H01F10/16 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01F10/3286 Primary

  Spin-exchange coupled multilayers having at least one layer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy · CPC title