Perpendicular magnetoresistive elements
OwnerYimin Guoinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A perpendicular magnetoresistive element comprises anovel buffer layer provided on a surface of the recording layer, which is opposite to a surface of the recording layer where the tunnel barrier 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 at least a portion of the buffer layer comprises a doped element having conductivity enhancement and the perpendicular resistance of the buffer layer is relatively small than that of the tunnel barrier layer. The invention preferably includes materials, configurations and processes of perpendicular magnetoresistive elements suitable for perpendicular spin-transfer torque MRAM applications.
Claims21
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 a first invariable magnetization direction;
- a tunnel barrier 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 tunnel barrier 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 at least a portion of the buffer layer comprises a doped element having electrical conductivity enhancement and the perpendicular resistance of the buffer layer is relatively smaller than that of the tunnel barrier layer;
- 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.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.