Current-induced magnetic switching device and memory including the same
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorJonathan Zanhong Sun
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A magnetic switching device, includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a nanoparticle having a magnetic moment and being disposed between the first and second electrodes. At least one of the first electrode and the second electrode includes a magnetic material which has a net spin polarization in its conduction band for injecting, into the nanoparticle, an electrical current including a net spin polarization for overcoming the magnetic moment of the nanoparticle upon selection of a predetermined magnitude for the electrical current.
Claims9
A memory array, comprising:
- a plurality of first metal lines;
- a plurality of second metal lines approximately perpendicular to said plurality of first metal lines;
- a plurality of two-terminal devices respectively provided at intersections of said first and second metal lines, each of said two-terminal devices including:
- a pair of back-to-back diodes placed in series with a magnectic junction to allow selective read-addressing;
- and
- a supply cell with a bias current exceeding a positive or negative current threshold (+Ic or −Ic) of said switch, said supply cell forming a same addressing circuit for selective write and read operations,
- wherein, with a predetermined Ic and Vc the Ic of only one junction situated at an intersection of the first and second metal line is selectively exceeded while king all other junctions unchanged.
A magnetic memory, comprising:
- a current-driven magnetic switching device forming a basic storage element for said memory;
- and
- an x-y grid, said switching device being formed at an intersection of said x-y grid,
- wherein said x-y grid is used for both reading and writing to said basic storage element such that said switching device is momentarily biased by a current level above its switching threshold, causing said switching device to change its magnetic state, thereby writing to said memory.
A magnetic nanocluster junction, comprising:
- a ferromagnetic electrode;
- a ferromagnetic nanoparticle having a first side adjacent said ferromagnetic electrode;
- and
- a counter electrode adjacent said ferromagnetic nanoparticle on a second side thereof.
A magnetic random-access memory architecture, comprising:
- a phlrality of magnetic nanocluster junctions, each of said magnetic nanocluster junctions comprising:
- a ferromagnetic electrode;
- a ferromagnetic nanoparticle having a first side adjacent said ferromagnetic electrode;
- and
- a counter electrode adjacent said ferromagnetic nanoparticle on a second side thereof, said nanocluster junction forming a current-driven switch for a memory cell;
- and
- an addressing circuit for addressing a selected memory cell,
- wherein a read operation and a write operation are achieved using the addressing circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.