Magnetic tunnel junction magnetic device, memory and writing and reading methods using said device

1. Magnetic device comprising a magnetic tunnel junction that comprises:

a first magnetic layer forming a reference layer and having a magnetisation of fixed direction,

a second magnetic layer forming a storage layer and having a magnetisation of variable direction, and

a third layer that is semiconductive or electrically insulating and which separates the first layer from the second layer,

wherein the blocking temperature of the magnetisation of the storage layer is lower than the blocking temperature of the magnetisation of the reference layer and in that the device further comprises:

means for heating the storage layer to a temperature higher than the blocking temperature of the magnetisation of said storage layer, said means for heating the storage layer being means provided to make an electric current flow through the magnetic tunnel junction, and

means for applying, to said storage layer, a magnetic field capable of orientating the magnetisation of said storage layer with respect to the magnetisation of the reference layer, without modifying the orientation of said reference layer.

2. Device according to claim 1 , in which the blocking temperatures of the storage and reference layers have values greater than the value of the operating temperature of the device outside of heating of the tunnel junction.

3. Device according to claim 1 , in which the magnetisation of each of the storage and reference layers is substantially perpendicular to the plane of said layers.

4. Device according to claim 3 , in which the storage layer is a Co—Pt or Co—Pd alloy mono-layer or a multi-layer formed by a stack of layers of Co alternating with layers of Pt or Pd in such a way that the coercive field of the storage layer rapidly decreases when the temperature increases.

5. Device according to claim 3 , in which the storage layer is a mono-layer in cobalt rich alloy with iron or nickel or chromium and platinum or palladium, or a multi-layer formed by a stack of cobalt rich layers with iron or nickel or chromium, alternating with layers of Pt or Pd in such a way that the coercive field of the storage layer rapidly decreases when the temperature increases.

6. Device according to claim 1 , in which the magnetisation of each of the storage and reference layers is substantially parallel to the plane of said layers.

7. Device according to claim 1 , further comprising a first antiferromagnetic layer combined with the reference layer.

8. Device according to claim 7 , in which the blocking temperature of the magnetisation of said first antiferromagnetic layer is higher than the blocking temperature of the storage layer.

9. Device according to claim 1 , in which the reference layer is a multi-layer comprising two magnetic layers and an intermediate layer in Ru or Re or Ir or Rh, the two magnetic layers being separated by the intermediate layer and coupled in an antiparallel maimer by interaction through said intermediate layer.

10. Device according to claim 1 , further comprising a second anti ferromagnetic layer coupled to the storage layer by exchange anisotropy.

11. Device according to claim 10 , in which the blocking temperature of the magnetisation of said second antiferromagnetic layer is lower than the blocking temperature of the reference layer.

12. Device according to claim 1 , in which the means for applying a magnetic field to the storage layer comprise means of injecting, in said storage layer, a current of electrons in which the spin is polarised.

13. Memory comprising a matrix of storage elements that are addressable by addressing lines and columns, wherein each storage element comprises:

a magnetic device according to claim 1 , and

a means of current switching placed in series with said magnetic device,

each magnetic device being linked to an addressing line and each means of switching being linked to an addressing column.

14. Method for writing information in a magnetic device according to claim 1 , in which:

one heats the storage layer to a temperature higher than the blocking temperature of the magnetisation of said storage layer, and

during the cooling of the storage layer, one applies to said storage layer a magnetic field capable of orientating the magnetisation of said storage layer with respect to the magnetisation of the reference layer, without modifying the orientation of said reference layer.

15. Method according to claim 14 , in which the value, seen by the reference layer, of the magnetic field applied during the storage, is less than the value that the magnetic field for reversing the magnetisation of the reference layer takes at the maximum temperature attained by said layer during the heating of the junction.

16. Method according to claim 14 , in which the storage layer is coupled to an antiferromagnetic layer by exchange anisotropy and one heats the storage layer and said antiferromagnetic layer to a temperature higher than the blocking temperatures of the magnetisation of said layers and, during the cooling of the antiferromagnetic layer, one orientates the magnetisation of the storage layer in any direction whatsoever predefined by the direction of magnetisation of the magnetic field applied during the cooling.

17. Method for reading information memorised in the magnetic device according to claim 1 , in which

one determines the resistance value of the magnetic tunnel junction, and

one deduces the orientation of the magnetisation of the storage layer from said resistance value.