Electrical conductance properties for magnetic tunnel junctions with MgO barriers

We measured inelastic electron tunneling (IET) spectra and conductance for MgO tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) films to obtain information on the ferromagnetic/barrier layer interface. The IET spectra showed the difference between amorphous and crystalline structures in the barrier. In the magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) with a crystalline barrier the IET spectra indicated an Mg-O phonon peak at a low bias voltage by measurement with a parallel magnetization configuration. On the other hand, no peak was observed in the MTJ with an amorphous barrier.     

Temperature and bias voltage dependence of Co/Pd multilayer-based magnetic tunnel junctions with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

Temperature- and bias voltage-dependent transport measurements of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with perpendicularly magnetized Co/Pd electrodes are presented. Magnetization measurements of the Co/Pd multilayers are performed to characterize the electrodes. The effects of the Co layer thickness in the Co/Pd bilayers, the annealing temperature, the Co thickness at the MgO barrier interface, and the number of bilayers on the tunneling magneto resistance (TMR) effect are investigated. TMR-ratios of about 11% at room temperature and 18.5% at 13 K are measured and two well-defined switching fields are observed. The results are compared to measurements of MTJs with Co-Fe-B electrodes and in-plane anisotropy.     

Tunnel magnetoresistance in alumina, magnesia and composite tunnel barrier magnetic tunnel junctions

Using magnetron sputtering, we have prepared Co-Fe-B/tunnel barrier/Co-Fe-B magnetic tunnel junctions with tunnel barriers consisting of alumina, magnesia, and magnesia-alumina bilayer systems. The highest tunnel magnetoresistance ratios we found were 73% for alumina and 323% for magnesia-based tunnel junctions. Additionally, tunnel junctions with a unified layer stack were prepared for the three different barriers. In these systems, the tunnel magnetoresistance ratios at optimum annealing temperatures were found to be 65% for alumina, 173% for magnesia, and 78% for the composite tunnel barriers. The similar tunnel magnetoresistance ratios of the tunnel junctions containing alumina provide evidence that coherent tunneling is suppressed by the alumina layer in the composite tunnel barrier.     

Structural and magnetic changes in MgO-based magnetic tunneling junctions during the early stages of annealing

We have studied the effects of the initial stages of the annealing on magnetic tunnel junctions with MgO barriers and CoFeB electrodes. We report changes in the resistance-voltage characteristics and tunneling magnetoresistance for patterned transport junctions, and correlate these with the observed changes in the structural and magnetic interface morphologies determined by soft X-ray resonant magnetic scattering from sheet films from the same wafer. An important feature of our experiment was that all measurements were carried out within the soft X-ray diffractometer on samples from the same wafer subjected to simultaneous annealing cycles, so that our magnetotransport and scattering data are directly comparable. The as-grown junction showed a tunneling magnetoresistance ratio of 5.5%, and a specific barrier resistance of . A anneal for 1 h resulted in a small rise in barrier resistance and magnetoresistance coupled with a smoothing of the magnetic interfaces, consistent with the healing of barrier defects and removal of tunneling hot-spots. A subsequent anneal for a further hour resulted in further smoothing, and a rise in the magnetoresistance ratio to 72%, and a much weaker dependence of the parallel state resistance upon voltage bias, indicating the development of crystallographic texture in the electrodes. Annealing to yielded a further decrease in magnetic interface width (the quadrature sum of roughness and intermixing length scales). The reduction in interface width for Co species occurred at higher temperatures than for Fe throughout the experiments.     

具有纳米氧化层的磁性隧道结的热稳定性研究

研究发现在磁隧道结的反铁磁层和被钉扎铁磁层之间插入一层纳米氧化层，可以使磁隧道结的退火温度增加了40℃，即明显地提高了磁隧道结的温度稳定性.通过卢瑟福背散射实验直接观察到产生这一效应的原因是该纳米氧化层有效地抑制了Mn元素在退火过程中的扩散，从而使TMR值在较高的退火温度下得以保持. 关键词： 磁性隧道结 隧穿磁电阻 热稳定性 纳米氧化层     

Inverse TMR in a nominally symmetric CoFe/AlOx/CoFe junction induced by interfacial Fe3O4 investigated by STEM-EELS

We have found inverse tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) with a non-symmetric bias voltage dependence in a nominally symmetric Si (001)/Ag/CoFe/AlO_x/CoFe/IrMn/Ag magnetic tunnel junction after field cooling. The O K edge fine structure extracted from electron energy loss spectroscopy spectrum images taken at the interfaces of junctions with inverse TMR shows a thin, discontinuous Fe₃O₄ layer at the CoFe/AlO_x interfaces. The Fe L_2,3 edge core level shifts are also consistent with those of Fe₃O₄. We find no Fe₃O₄ layer in junctions with normal TMR. We believe this Fe₃O₄ layer is responsible for the inverse TMR.     

Spin-polarized current and tunnel magnetoresistance in heterogeneous single-barrier magnetic tunnel junctions

Current in heterogeneous tunnel junctions is studied in the framework of the parabolic conduction-band model. The developed model of the electron tunneling takes explicitly into account the difference of effective masses between ferromagnetic and insulating layers and between conduction subbands. Calculations for Fe/MgO/Fe-like structures have shown the essential impact of effective mass differences in regions (constituents) of the structure on the tunnel magnetoresistance of the junction.     

Hydrogenated silicene based magnetic junction with improved tunneling magnetoresistance and spin-filtering efficiency

In this paper, hydrogenation is used for the generation of band gap in silicene and the hydrogenated silicene is then studied for its spintronic application. Upon hydrogenation, silicene transforms into a wide band gap material with a band gap of 3.32 eV. Parameters like magneto-resistance and spin-filtering efficiency of magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) with CrO₂ as semi-metallic electrodes and hydrogenated silicene as scattering region are found to increase compared to pristine silicene as scattering region. The simulation results show that the magneto-resistance of hydrogenated silicene remains above 85% (higher than the pristine counterpart) for the entire bias range. In addition, the spin-filtering efficiency in hydrogenated silicene reaches a value as high as 96% whereas in case of pristine silicene it remains below 90% for the entire bias range.     

Oxidation process of Mg films by using high-concentration ozone for magnetic tunnel junctions

Ozone oxidization process of metal Mg film for the barrier formation in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) is investigated. Ozone exposure method is expected to oxidize ultra-thin metal films more mildly than with the plasma oxidization method, since the energy level of atomic oxygen is ∼2 eV lower in the ozone method than in the plasma method. The main results were as follows: (1) In the case of ozone oxidation, the diffusion coefficient of oxygen in the insulator is much smaller than that in plasma oxidation. (2) Mg–O film thickness, which is formed by reaction immediately on the metal Mg surface, is thicker as compared with the Al case. (3) In the ozone oxidation method of metal films with the thickness of more than the film thickness formed by reaction, the oxidation is spontaneously stopped at the interface to the bottom Co–Fe. As a result, we succeeded in inducing a TMR ratio of 25% at room temperature in MTJs with Mg(1.3 nm)–O barrier with wider exposure range than in the plasma case.     

Crystallization characteristics of a middle CoFeB layer in a double MgO barrier magnetic tunnel junction

The crystallization characteristics of a middle CoFeB free layer in a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) with double MgO barriers were investigated by tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) measurements of patterned cells across an 8-inch wafer. The MTJ structure was designed to have two CoFeB free layers and one bottom pinned layer, separated by MgO tunnel barriers. The observed resistance showed three types of TMR curves depending on the crystallization of the middle CoFeB layer. From the analysis of TMR curves, coherent crystallization of the middle CoFeB layer with the top and bottom MgO barriers was found to occur non-uniformly: About 80% of the MTJ cells in the wafer exhibited coherent crystallization of the middle CoFeB layers with the bottom MgO tunnel barrier, while others had coherent crystallization with the top MgO tunnel barrier or both barriers. This non-uniform crystallization of the middle CoFeB layer in a double MTJ was also clearly observed in tunneling electron microscopy images. Thus, control of the crystallization of the middle CoFeB layer is important for optimizing the MTJ with double MgO barriers, and especially for the fabrication of double barrier MTJ on a large area substrate.     

高磁电阻磁性隧道结的几种微制备方法研究

利用金属掩模法优化了制备磁性隧道结的实验和工艺条件，金属掩模的狭缝宽度为100 μm. 采用4 nm厚的Co₇₅Fe₂₅为铁磁电极和10或08 nm厚的铝氧化物 为势垒膜， 直接制备出了室温隧穿磁电阻（TMR）为30%—48％的磁性隧道结，其结构为Ta(5 nm)/Cu(25 nm)/Ni₇₉Fe₂₁(5 nm)/Ir₂₂Mn₇₈(10 nm)/ Co₇₅Fe₂₅ (4 nm)/Al(08 nm)-O/Co₇₅Fe₂₅(4 nm)/Ni₇₉Fe ₂₁(20 nm)/Ta(5 nm).同时，利用刻槽打孔法和去胶掀离法两种光刻技术并结合Ar离子束刻蚀及化学反应刻 蚀，制备出面积在4 μm×8 μm—20 μm×40 μm、具有室温高TMR和低电阻的高质量磁性 隧道结.300 ℃ 退火前后其室温TMR可分别达到22% 和50%.研究结果表明，采用光刻中的刻 槽打孔或去胶掀离工艺方法制备的小尺寸磁性隧道结，可用于研制磁动态随机存储器和磁读 出头及其他传感器件的磁敏单元. 关键词： 磁性隧道结 隧穿磁电阻 金属掩模法 光刻法     

Magnetoresistance and spin-transfer torque in magnetic tunnel junctions

We comment on both recent progress and lingering puzzles related to research on magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). MTJs are already being used in applications such as magnetic-field sensors in the read heads of disk drives, and they may also be the first device geometry in which spin-torque effects are applied to manipulate magnetic dynamics, in order to make non-volatile magnetic random access memory. However, there remain many unanswered questions about such basic properties as the magnetoresistance of MTJs, how their properties change as a function of tunnel-barrier thickness and applied bias, and what are the magnitude and direction of the spin-transfer-torque vector induced by a tunnel current.     

Bulk—like contribution of tunnel magnetoresistance in magnetic tunnel junctions

We have demonstrated that the bulk-like contribution to tunnelling magnetoresistance (TMR) exists in the magnetic tunnel junctions, and is determined by the tunnelling characteristic length of the ferromagnetic electrodes. In the experiment, a wedge-shaped CoFe layer is inserted at the interface between the insulating barrier and the reference electrode. It is found that TMR ratio increases from 18% without CoFe layer to a saturation value of 26.5% when the CoFe thickness is about 2.3 nm. The tunnelling characteristic length, l_{tc}, can be obtained to be about 0.8 nm for CoFe materials.     

Room-temperature magnetoresistance in CoFeB/STO/CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions

A series of Co₄₀Fe₄₀B₂₀/SrTiO₃/Co₄₀Fe₄₀B₂₀ magnetic tunnel junctions with a bottom-pinned synthetic antiferromagnet have been prepared by sputtering. Devices optimally annealed at 325 °C exhibit an exchange bias of about 65 mT, and a tunnel magnetoresistance of 2%. The smaller than predicted effect is attributed to the lack of epitaxy between the crystallized CoFeB electrodes and the SrTiO₃ (STO) barrier, due to poor crystal quality of the barrier layer. Unlike MgO, well-crystallized, oriented STO does not grow on amorphous Co₄₀Fe₄₀B₂₀.     

Tunnel magnetoresistance of magnetic junctions with cubic symmetry of the layers

A tunnel magnetic junction is considered with magnetic hard and magnetic soft layers of cubic symmetry. The magnetic switching of the layers is analyzed for a magnetic field perpendicular to the initial magnetizations. In such a situation, an additional peak in the tunnel magnetoresistance ratio appears at the magnetic field value that is substantially lower than the anisotropy field of the soft layer.     

Strain-mediated magnetoelectric control of tunneling magnetoresistance in magnetic tunneling junction/ferroelectric hybrid structures

Because of the wide selectivity of ferromagnetic and ferroelectric (FE) components, electric-field (E-field) control of magnetism via strain mediation can be easily realized through composite multiferroic heterostructures. Here, an MgO-based magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) is chosen rationally as the ferromagnetic constitution and a high-activity (001)-Pb(Mg$_{1/3}$Nb$_{2/3}$)$_{0.7}$Ti$_{0.3}$O$_{3}$ (PMN-0.3PT) single crystal is selected as the FE component to create a multiferroic MTJ/FE hybrid structure. The shape of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) versus in situ E-fields imprints the butterfly loop of the piezo-strain of the FE without magnetic-field bias. The E-field-controlled change in the TMR ratio is up to $-$0.27% without magnetic-field bias. Moreover, when a typical magnetic field ($\sim \pm 10$ Oe) is applied along the minor axis of the MTJ, the butterfly loop is changed significantly by the E-fields relative to that without magnetic-field bias. This suggests that the E-field-controlled junction resistance is spin-dependent and correlated with magnetization switching in the free layer of the MTJ. In addition, based on such a multiferroic heterostructure, a strain-gauge factor up to approximately 40 is achieved, which decreases further with a sign change from positive to negative with increasing magnetic fields. This multiferroic hybrid structure is a promising avenue to control TMR through E-fields in low-power-consumption spintronic and straintronic devices at room temperature.     

磁随机存储器中垂直电流驱动的磁性隧道结自由层的磁化翻转

在基于磁性隧道结(Magnetic Tunneling Junction，MTJ)的磁随机存储器(Magnetoresistantive Random Access Memory，MRAM)中利用通过MTJ的垂直电流，实现信息写入的新方法，同时给出了基于此新方法的一种新的MRAM结构和驱动原理图，并分析了它的读和写操作的可行性具体过程. 关键词： 垂直电流 磁性隧道结 磁随机存储器     

Magnetization switching driven by spin-transfer-torque in high-TMR magnetic tunnel junctions

This paper presents a numerical study of magnetization switching driven by spin-polarized current in high-TMR magnetic tunnel junctions (TMR>100%). The current density distribution throughout the free-layer is computed dynamically, by modeling the ferromagnet/insulator/ferromagnet trilayer as a series of parallel resistances. The validity of the main hypothesis, which states that the current flows perpendicular to the sample plane, has been verified by numerically solving the Poisson equation. Our results show that the nonuniform current density distribution is a source of asymmetry to the switching process. Furthermore, we observe that the reversal mechanisms are characterized by well-defined localized pre-switching oscillation modes.     

基于赫斯勒合金Co2MnSi电极的磁性隧道结呈现巨磁阻效应

本文基于电子密度泛函理论计算和非平衡态格林函数技术研究了具有三明治结构的磁性隧道结构(非极化SrTiO₂薄层被夹在两个赫斯勒合金Co₂MnSi电极之间)的自旋极化输运特性. 理论计算结果清楚地表明磁平行组态的磁性隧道结呈现出几乎完美的自旋过滤效应. 磁反平行组态的隧穿系数比磁平行组态的隧穿系数小几个数量级,导致体系的磁阻比高达10⁶. 电子结构计算分析表明该磁性隧道结的巨磁阻效应源自赫斯勒合金Co₂MnSi电极内在的半金属性、以及阻挡层和电极之间界面处过渡金属原子3d电子的显著自旋极化.     

Temperature dependence of transport properties in ZnS-based magnetic tunnel junctions

We have recently evidenced a junction magnetoresistance (JMR) signal of about 5% in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with ZnS as tunnel barrier layer. The MTJ were grown by magnetron sputtering on Si (1 1 1) substrate at room temperature and have the following structure: Fe_6 nmCu_30 nmCoFe_1.8 nmRu_0.8 nmCoFe_3 nmZnS_2 nmCoFe_1 nmFe_4 nmCu_10 nmRu_3 nm.

The hard magnetic bottom electrode consists of an artificial antiferromagnetic structure in which the rigidity is ensured by the antiferromagnetic exchange coupling between two FeCo layers through an Ru spacer layer. The magneto-transport for these MTJ has been studied at various temperatures to gain understanding of the transport mechanism in such junctions. A strong and linear increase of the JMR is observed as the temperature is decreased to reach 10% at a low temperature, while the conductance decreases with decreasing temperature. To understand the mechanism at the origin of these behaviors, the contribution of magnon is taken into account. It is concluded that the observed behaviors are not only related to the magnon contribution but that resonant low-level states inside the barrier can assist the tuneling transport.