Spin Transfer on Low Resistance-Area MgO-Based Magnetic Tunnel Junctions Prepared by Ion Beam Deposition

• Published in: IEEE transactions on magnetics Vol. 46; no. 6; pp. 2002 - 2004
• Main Authors: Yang, Jie, Macedo, Rita J., Debs, Mariam G., Ferreira, Ricardo, Cardoso, Susana, Freitas, Paulo J. P., Teixeira, José M., Ventura, João O.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01-06-2010; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Current density; Deposition; Exact sciences and technology; Ion beam deposition; Ion beams; Magnesium oxide; Magnetic switching; magnetic tunnel junction; Magnetic tunneling; Magnetism; Magnetization; Materials science; MgO barrier; Nanocomposites; Nanomaterials; Nanostructure; Other topics in materials science; Physics; spin transfer switching; Switches; Switching; Tunnel junctions; Tunneling magnetoresistance; US Department of Transportation; Writing; magnetic tunnel junction; Ion beam deposition; MgO barrier; Magnesium oxide; Ion beam; Ion beam coating; Switching; Magnetic properties; Tunnels; spin transfer switching
• ISSN: 0018-9464; 1941-0069
• DOI: 10.1109/TMAG.2010.2041753

This work reports spin transfer switching results on nano-sized MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) prepared by Ion Beam deposition (IBD). Nano-devices with areas down to 60 nm × 180 nm have been successfully nanofabricated. The MgO deposition conditions were optimized aiming at reducing the resistance-area (RA) product, and RA value as low as 0.8 ¿ ¿m 2 could be successfully obtained for 0.75 nm thick MgO barriers. The average switching current density of 5.45 × 10 6 A/cm 2 can be obtained for a MTJ nanopillar with the dimension of 225 nm × 730.3 nm with low RA of 1.47 ¿ ¿m 2 .