# US 10,374,146 B2 · Memory element and memory device

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- Number: US 10,374,146 B2
- Document ID: US10374146B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/646,544
- Filed: 2017-07-11
- Published: 2018-01-04
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2010-09-09
- Assignees: Sony Corporation
- Applicants: Sony Corporation
- Inventors: Yutaka Higo; Masanori Hosomi; Hiroyuki Ohmori; Kazuhiro Bessho; Kazutaka Yamane; Hiroyuki Uchida
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10374146B2

## CPC

- H10N 50/80: Constructional details
- G11C 11/16: using elements in which the storage effect is based on magnetic spin effect
- G11C 11/161: {details concerning the memory cell structure, e.g. the layers of the ferromagnetic memory cell}
- H10B 61/22: {of the field-effect transistor [FET] type}
- H10N 50/10: Magnetoresistive devices
- H10N 50/85: Materials of the active region
- H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)
- H10B: ELECTRONIC MEMORY DEVICES

## Abstract

There is disclosed a memory element including a memory layer that has a magnetization perpendicular to a film face; a magnetization-fixed layer that has a magnetization that is perpendicular to the film face; and an insulating layer that is provided between the memory layer and the magnetization-fixed layer, wherein an electron that is spin-polarized is injected in a lamination direction of a layered structure, and thereby the magnetization direction of the memory layer varies and a recording of information is performed, a magnitude of an effective diamagnetic field which the memory layer receives is smaller than a saturated magnetization amount of the memory layer, and in regard to the insulating layer and the other side layer with which the memory layer comes into contact at a side opposite to the insulating layer, at least an interface that comes into contact with the memory layer is formed of an oxide film.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A memory element comprising:
a memory portion that has a magnetization perpendicular to a film face, wherein the magnetization is configured to change;
a magnetization-fixed portion that has a magnetization perpendicular to the film face and is a reference for the information stored in the memory portion; and
an insulating portion that is provided over the magnetization-fixed portion and is between the memory portion and the magnetization-fixed portion, the insulating portion including a first oxide film,
wherein the memory portion includes a first face and a second face opposite the first face, the first face comes into contact with the first oxide film, and the second face comes into contact with a second oxide film,
wherein the memory portion comprises a Co—Fe—B composition, and wherein 0%<Co≤70%, 30%≤Fe<100%, and 0%<B≤5%, and wherein an amount of Co is different from Fe, and
wherein a magnitude of an effective diamagnetic field which the memory portion receives is smaller than a saturated magnetization amount of the memory portion.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The memory element according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first oxide film and the second oxide film is an MgO film.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The memory element according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the memory portion is from 0.5 nm to 30 nm.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The memory element according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the insulating portion is from 0.75 nm to 1.5 nm.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The memory element according to claim 1, wherein the memory portion includes a plurality of ferromagnetic layers and a non-magnetic layer, and the non-magnetic layer is between the ferromagnetic layers.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The memory element according to claim 5, wherein the non-magnetic layer comprising Mo.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The memory element according to claim 1, further comprising:
a cap layer over the second oxide film and formed by a laminated structure of a plurality of materials.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The memory element according to claim 1, wherein an area of the memory portion is between 10,000 nm2 and 625 π nm2.

### Claim 9

A memory device comprising;
a memory element that retains information through a magnetization state of a magnetic material; and
two lines that intersect each other,
wherein the memory element comprises:
a memory portion that has a magnetization perpendicular to a film face, wherein the magnetization is configured to change;
a magnetization-fixed portion that has a magnetization perpendicular to the film face and is a reference for the information stored in the memory portion; and
an insulating portion that is provided over the magnetization-fixed portion and is between the memory portion and the magnetization-fixed portion, the insulating portion including a first oxide film, and
wherein the memory portion includes a first face and a second face opposite the first face, the first face comes into contact with the first oxide film, and the second face comes into contact with a second oxide film,
wherein the memory portion comprises a Co—Fe—B composition, and wherein 0%<Co≤70%, 30%≤Fe<100%, and 0%<B≤5%, and wherein an amount of Co is different from Fe, and
wherein a magnitude of an effective diamagnetic field which the memory portion receives is smaller than a saturated magnetization amount of the memory portion.