Granted Patent B2

US 8,830,736 · App. 13/360,553 · Granted Sep 9, 2014

Abstract

Claims (35)

1. A method to initialize a MRAM element comprising:

a. a plurality of patterned magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structures that are used for storing information;

b. at least one magnetic free layer (FL) with magnetization perpendicular to the film plane exists in said MTJ;

c. at least one magnetic reference layer (RL) with magnetization perpendicular to the film plane exists in said MTJ;

d. at least one magnetic pinned layer (PL) with magnetization perpendicular to the film plane exists in said MTJ, wherein information is stored in the form of the magnetization orientation of said free layer, further wherein the magnetization orientation of said free layer may switch its perpendicular direction when an electric current is applied through the MTJ in different directions in a write operation;

e. at least one of the said MTJs is a data bit that stores information by its FL magnetization orientation;

f. at least one of the said MTJs is a reference bit that is compared with said data bit by electrical properties, including, but not limited to, resistance, voltage, or current, in read operation to retrieve the stored information in the data bit; and

g. a junction layer (JL) exists between the FL and the RL that produces a magneto-resistance change when FL magnetization direction changes orientation relative to the RL magnetization direction.

2. A method of claim 1 , further including the steps of:

a. Applying a first magnetic field to the MRAM element that switches the direction of magnetizations of the FL, RL and PL in all MTJs of the data bit and the reference bit;

b. applying a second magnetic field, opposing the direction of the first magnetic field with a field magnitude that configured to switch the magnetizations of the FL and the RL of the data bit and the reference bit but not capable of switching the magnetization of the PL, in all MTJs resulting in magnetization of RL being antiparallel to magnetization of PL in all MTJs;

c. applying a third magnetic field, in same direction as said first magnetic field with a field magnitude configured to switch magnetization of FL to be parallel to PL, but not able to switch magnetizations of RL and PL in all MTJs, wherein while said third field is being applied, an electric current is applied to the said reference bit with electrons moving from the FL to the RL, further wherein magnetization of the RL switches from an anti-parallel to parallel direction to the magnetization of the FL and the PL in said reference bit due to the combined effect from said third field and the spin transfer torque effect from the said electric current; and

d. removing the third magnetic field and the electric current from the MRAM element, wherein the MRAM element takes on a state where the RL and PL of its data bits have a direction of magnetization being anti-parallel relative to each other, while having reference bits with magnetizations of the FL, RL and PL being parallel to each other.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the electric current is removed before removing the third magnetic field.

4. A method of claim 1 , further including the initialization steps of:

a. applying a first magnetic field to the MRAM device that switches magnetizations of FL, RL and PL in all MTJs;

b. applying a second magnetic field, opposing said first magnetic with a field magnitude configured to switch magnetization of FL to be anti-parallel to the magnetizations of RL and PL, but not able to switch the magnetizations of PL and RL in all MTJs, wherein while said second field is being applied, an electric current is applied to the said data bit with electrons moving from FL to RL, further wherein the direction of magnetization of the RL switches from anti-parallel to the parallel direction of magnetization of the FL and anti-parallel relative to the direction of magnetization of the PL in the data bit due to the combined effect from the said second field and the spin transfer torque effect from the said electric current;

c. removing the second magnetic field and the electric current from the MRAM element;

d. applying a third magnetic field, in the same direction as the said first magnetic field with a field magnitude configured to switch magnetization of FL of said reference bit, but not able to switch the magnetizations of PL and RL in all MTJs; and

e. removing said third magnetic field from the MRAM element, wherein the MRAM element takes on a state that has its data bits having a magnetizations of RL and PL being anti-parallel to each other, while having reference bits with magnetizations of FL, RL and PL being parallel to each other.

5. A method of claim 1 further including:

a. applying a first magnetic field to the MRAM device that switches magnetizations of FL, RL and PL in all MTJs;

b. Applying a second magnetic field, opposing said first magnetic with a field magnitude configured to switch magnetization of FL to be anti-parallel to the magnetizations of RL and PL, but not able to switch the magnetizations of PL and RL in all MTJs;

c. While said second field is being applied, a first electric current is applied to the said data bit with electrons moving from FL to RL;

d. Magnetization of RL switches parallel to magnetization of FL and anti-parallel to magnetization of PL in said data bit due to the combined effect from the said second field and the spin transfer torque effect from the said electric current;

e. Removing the second magnetic field and said first electric current from the MRAM device;

f. Applying a second electric current to the said reference bit with electrons moving from RL to FL, where the magnetization of FL switches parallel to the magnetizations of RL and PL in the said reference bit due to the spin transfer torque effect from the said second electric current; and

g. Removing the second electric current from the MRAM device, wherein the MRAM element takes on a state having data bits with magnetizations of RL and PL being anti-parallel to each other, while having reference bits with magnetizations of FL, RL and PL being parallel to each other.

6. A method of claim 1 further including the initialization steps of:

a. applying a first magnetic field to the MRAM device that switches magnetizations of FL, RL and PL in all MTJs;

b. Applying a second magnetic field, opposing said first magnetic with a field magnitude configured to switch magnetization of FL to be anti-parallel to the magnetizations of RL and PL, but not able to switch the magnetizations of PL and RL in all MTJs;

c. While said second field is being applied, an electric current is applied to the said data bit with electrons moving from FL to RL;

d. magnetization of RL switches parallel to magnetization of FL and anti-parallel to magnetization of PL in said data bit due to the combined effect from the said second field and the spin transfer torque effect from the said electric current;

e. removing the second magnetic field and said electric current from the MRAM element; and

f. after removal of second field, the reference bit FL magnetization switches from parallel to the magnetizations of RL and PL by the combined magnetic field from the RL and PL, wherein the MRAM element takes on a state having data bits with magnetizations of RL and PL being anti-parallel to each other, while having reference bits with magnetizations of FL, RL and PL being parallel to each other.

Assignments (6)