Magnetic memory device with enhanced write performance and operation method thereof
AssigneesSK hynix Inc., Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Yonsei University
InventorsSachin Pathak, Kangwook Jo, Jongil Hong, Hongil Yoon
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Abstract
A magnetic memory device includes a magnetic element and a write circuit electrically connected to two nodes of the magnetic element and configured to provide a write current to the magnetic element, wherein the write current includes a first current having a first peak applied for a first time period and a second current having a second peak applied for a second time period, where the second peak is smaller than the first peak and the second period is longer than the first time period.
Claims13
A magnetic memory device, comprising:
- a memory cell including a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element, the MTJ element including a free layer, a barrier layer, and a fixed layer that are stacked in a first direction;
- and
- a write circuit electrically connected to first and second nodes of the MTJ element and configured to provide a write current to the MTJ element during a write operation,
- wherein the write current includes a first current having a first peak applied for a first time period and a second current having a second peak applied for a second time period, the first peak being greater than two times the second peak and being less than 6 times the second peak, the second time period being longer than the first time period, the first time period being equal to or greater than 400 ps and being equal to or less than 2000 ps,
- wherein the first current and the second current are provided to the MTJ element whenever one bit of data is written into the MTJ element,
- wherein the first current and the second current pass through the MTJ element,
- wherein the second time period is set to reach or exceed a switching point of time at which a spin direction of the free layer of the MTJ element is switched by the write current, and
- wherein the first and second nodes of the MTJ elements are disposed at opposite sides in the first direction, the write current is provided from the first node to the second node when a level of data to be written to the MTJ element is a first level, and the write current is provided from the second node to the first node when a level of data to be written to the MTJ element is a second level different from the first level.
An operation method of a magnetic memory device comprising a write circuit configured to provide a write current to a memory cell including a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element that includes a free layer, a barrier layer, and a fixed layer that are stacked in a first direction, the operation method comprising:
- providing the MTJ element with a first current having a first peak for a first time period at the beginning of a write operation of the magnetic memory device;
- and
- providing the MTJ element with a second current having a second peak for a second time period during the write operation after providing the first current, the first peak being greater than two times the second peak and being less than 6 times the second peak, the second time period being longer than the first time period, the first time period being equal to or greater than 400 ps and being equal to or less than 2000 ps, the write current including the first current and the second current,
- wherein the first current and the second current are provided to the MTJ element whenever one bit of data is written into the MTJ element,
- wherein the first current and the second current pass through the MTJ element,
- wherein the second time period is set to reach or exceed a switching point of time at which a spin direction of the free layer of the MTJ element is switched by the write current, and
- wherein the MTJ element has first and second nodes at opposite sides in the first direction, the write current is provided from the first node to the second node when a level of data to be written to the MTJ element is a first level, and the write current is provided from the second node to the first node when a level of data to be written to the MTJ element is a second level different from the first level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.