α-tantalum lead for use with magnetic tunneling junctions

A magnetic memory comprising:

• a plurality of magnetic tunneling junctions, each of the plurality of magnetic tunneling junctions including a free layer, a pinned layer and a barrier layer between the free layer and the pinned layer, the free layer and the pinned layer being ferromagnetic, the barrier layer being an insulator;
• and
• a plurality of α-Ta leads coupled to the plurality of magnetic tunneling junctions;
• wherein each of the plurality of α-Ta leads includes a seed layer and a Ta layer on the seed layer, the seed layer being configured to ensure that the Ta layer is α-Ta the seed layer including Cr.

A method for providing a magnetic memory comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a plurality of α-Ta leads, wherein the α-Ta providing lead step (a) further includes the steps of:
• (a1) providing a seed layer for each of the plurality of α-Ta leads, the seed layer being a Cr layer;
• and
• (a2) providing a Ta layer on the seed layer for each of the plurality of α-Ta leads the seed layer being configured to ensure that the layer of Ta is α-Ta;
• (b) providing a plurality of magnetic tunneling junctions coupled to the plurality of α-Ta leads, each of the plurality of magnetic tunneling junctions including a free layer, a pinned layer and a barrier layer between the free layer and the pinned layer, the free layer and the pinned layer being ferromagnetic, the barrier layer being an insulator.

A method for providing a magnetic tunneling junction comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a free layer;
• (b) providing a pinned layer;
• and
• (c) providing a barrier layer between the free layer and the pinned layer, the free layer and the pinned layer being ferromagnetic, the barrier layer being an insulator,
• wherein the magnetic tunneling junction being coupled to an α-Ta lead, the α-Ta lead seed layer and a Ta layer, the seed layer being a Cr layer configured to ensure that the layer of Ta is α-Ta.