US 2014/0175428 A1Published application

Perpendicular magnetoresistive elements

AssigneeT3Memory, Inc.

InventorYIMIN GUO

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Abstract

A perpendicular magnetoresistive element comprises a novel buffer layer having rocksalt crystal structure interfacing to a CoFeB-based recording layer has (100) plane parallel to the substrate plane and with {110} lattice parameter being slightly larger than the bcc CoFe lattice parameter along {100} direction, and crystallization process of amorphous CoFeB material in the recording layer during thermal annealing leads to form bcc CoFe grains having epitaxial growth with in-plane expansion and out-of-plane contraction. Accordingly, a perpendicular anisotropy, as well as a perpendicular magnetization, is induced in the recording layer. The invention preferably includes materials, configurations and processes of perpendicular magnetoresistive elements suitable for perpendicular spin-transfer torque MRAM applications.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A magnetoresistive element comprising:

a recording layer having magnetic anisotropy in a direction perpendicular to a film surface and having a variable magnetization direction;
a reference layer having magnetic anisotropy in a direction perpendicular to a film surface and having an invariable magnetization direction;
a spacing layer provided between the recording layer and the reference layer;
a buffer layer provided on a surface of the recording layer, which is opposite to a surface of the recording layer where the spacing layer is provided, wherein at least the portion of the buffer layer interfacing to the recording layer contains a rocksalt crystal structure having the (100) plane parallel to the substrate plane and with lattice parameter along its {110} direction being larger than the Co lattice parameter along {100} direction in its bcc (body-centered cubic) phase.
and a base layer provided on a surface of the buffer layer, which is opposite to a surface of the buffer layer where the recording layer is provided.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.