Magnetoresistance effect element

Inventor: Tomoyuki Sasaki (Tokyo, JP)

Assignee: TDK CORPORATION

H01L43/02 G11C11/161 H01L43/08 H01L43/10 H01L27/222

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 10,622,548
App. No.: 16/570,300
Granted: Apr 14, 2020
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A magnetoresistance effect element has favorable symmetry of an MR ratio even if the sign of a bias voltage is different, which is capable of reversing magnetization to a current, which has a high MR ratio. A magnetoresistance effect element includes a laminate in which an underlayer, a first ferromagnetic metal layer, a tunnel barrier layer, and a second ferromagnetic metal layer are laminated in that order. The underlayer is made of one or more selected from a group containing of TiN, VN, NbN, and TaN, or mixed crystals thereof. The tunnel barrier layer is made of a compound having a spinel structure and represented by the following composition formula (1): A x Ga 2 O y , where A is a non-magnetic divalent cation and represents a cation of at least one element among magnesium, zinc, and cadmium, x is a number satisfying 0<x≤2, and y is a number satisfying 0<y≤4.

Claims (52)

1. A magnetoresistance effect element comprising a laminate in which:

an underlayer;

a first ferromagnetic metal layer;

a tunnel barrier layer, and

a second ferromagnetic metal layer are laminated in this order,

wherein the underlayer is made of one or more selected from a group consisting of TiN, VN, NbN, and TaN, and

the tunnel barrier layer is made of a compound having a spinel structure and represented by a composition formula (1) below,

A x Ga 2 O y (1):

where A is a non-magnetic divalent cation and represents a cation of at least one element selected from a group consisting of magnesium, zinc, and cadmium,

x is a number that satisfies 0<x≤2, and

y is a number that satisfies 0<y≤4, wherein

the tunnel barrier layer has a spinel structure in which an atomic arrangement is disordered.

2. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1 ,

wherein A in the composition formula (1) is a cation of at least one element selected from a group consisting of magnesium and zinc, and

the underlayer is made of mixed crystals of one or more selected from a group consisting of TiN, VN, and TaN.

3. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1 ,

wherein A in the composition formula (1) is a cadmium ion, and

the underlayer is made of NbN.

4. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 3 ,

wherein the tunnel barrier layer comprises: a lattice-matched portion that lattice-matches with both of the first ferromagnetic metal layer and the second ferromagnetic metal layer; and a non-lattice-matched portion that is free of a lattice-matching with at least one of the first ferromagnetic metal layer and the second ferromagnetic metal layer.

5. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1 ,

wherein the tunnel barrier layer has a spinel structure in which an atomic arrangement is disordered.

6. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1 ,