# US 2018/0323368 A1 · Electronic device

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- Number: US 2018/0323368 A1
- Document ID: US20180323368A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/910,427
- Filed: 2018-03-02
- Published: 2018-11-08
- Earliest claimed: 2017-05-04
- Assignees: SK hynix Inc.
- Applicants: SK hynix Inc.
- Inventors: Yang-Kon Kim; Ku-Youl Jung; Jong-Koo Lim; Jae-Hyoung Lee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180323368A1

## CPC

- H10N 50/10: Magnetoresistive devices
- H10B 61/00: Magnetic memory devices, e.g. magnetoresistive RAM [MRAM] devices
- H10N 50/85: Materials of the active region
- H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10B: ELECTRONIC MEMORY DEVICES

## Abstract

An electronic device may include a semiconductor memory, and the semiconductor memory may include an MTJ (Magnetic Tunnel Junction) structure including a free layer having a variable magnetization direction, a pinned layer having a fixed magnetization direction, and a tunnel barrier layer interposed between the free layer and the pinned layer; an under layer disposed under the MTJ structure; and a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy increasing layer disposed below the under layer and including a material having a different crystal structure from the under layer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic device comprising a semiconductor memory, wherein the semiconductor memory comprises:
a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structure including a free layer having a variable magnetization direction perpendicular to the free layer, a pinned layer having a fixed magnetization direction perpendicular to the pinned layer, and a tunnel barrier layer interposed between the free layer and the pinned layer;
an under layer disposed under the MTJ structure; and
a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy increasing layer disposed below the under layer and including a material having a different crystal structure from the under layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the under layer includes a material having a crystal structure of NaCl.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the under layer includes a metal oxide having a crystal structure of NaCl.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the under layer includes MgO, or ZnO, or a combination thereof.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy increasing layer includes a material having a face centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy increasing layer includes a metal nitride having a face centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy increasing layer includes TiN, ZrN, HfN, or MoN, or a combination thereof.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor memory further includes a buffer layer disposed below the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy increasing layer and operating to facilitate crystal growth of the layers disposed over the buffer layer.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the buffer layer includes a material having a hexagonal close packed (HCP) crystal structure.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the buffer layer includes Mg, Zr, Hf, Ru, or Os, or a combination thereof.

### Claim 11

An electronic device comprising a semiconductor memory, wherein the semiconductor memory comprises:
a substrate;
memory cells formed over the substrate, each memory cell including a magnetic layer, an under layer disposed below the magnetic layer and a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy increasing layer disposed below the under layer and structured to have a crystal structure that is different from a crystal structure of the under layer to enhance a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of the free layer; and
switching elements formed over the substrate and coupled to the memory cells to select or de-select the memory cells.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The electronic device of claim 11, wherein each memory cell includes a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structure that includes the magnetic layer, the under layer and the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy increasing layer.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the under layer includes a material having a crystal structure of NaCl.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the under layer includes a metal oxide having a crystal structure of NaCl.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the under layer includes MgO, or ZnO, or a combination thereof.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy increasing layer includes a material having a face centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy increasing layer includes a metal nitride having a face centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy increasing layer includes TiN, ZrN, HfN, or MoN, or a combination thereof.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The electronic device of claim 11, wherein each memory cells further includes a buffer layer disposed below the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy increasing layer and operating to facilitate crystal growth of the layers disposed over the buffer layer.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the buffer layer includes a material having a hexagonal close packed (HCP) crystal structure.