Tunneling magnetoresistance device with magnetically soft high moment free layer

A tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) element comprising:

• a free layer comprising a metallic alloy comprising a cobalt-iron (CoFe) alloy that is doped using a dopant element comprising hafnium (Hf) to generate a CoFeHf alloy via a co-sputtering process that adjusts a composition of the dopant element by adjusting a co-sputtering power ratio between the metallic alloy and the dopant element, wherein an adjusted composition of the dopant element via the co-sputtering process comprises an atomic weight of the free layer comprising (CoFe-25 at %)-Hf;
• a pin layer;
• and
• a barrier layer deposited between the free layer and the pin layer, wherein a resistance of the TMR element is modified based on an application of an external magnetic field to the free layer and the pin layer.

A method for manufacturing a tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) element, the method comprising:

• depositing a barrier layer on a pin layer;
• depositing a free layer on the barrier layer, the free layer comprising a metallic alloy;
• and
• doping the free layer with a dopant element to modify the metallic alloy of the free layer via a co-sputtering process that adjusts a composition of the dopant element by adjusting a co-sputtering power ratio between the metallic alloy and the dopant element, wherein the metallic alloy comprises a cobalt-iron (CoFe) alloy and wherein the dopant element comprises hafnium (Hf) to generate a free CoFeHf alloy or tantalum (Ta) to generate a CoFeTa alloy, wherein an adjusted composition of the dopant element via the co-sputtering process comprises an atomic weight of the free layer comprising (CoFe-25 at %)-Hf or (CoFe-25 at %)-Ta.