Granted Patent B2

US 12,433,171 · App. 17/983,554 · Granted Sep 30, 2025

Inventors: Stuart Papworth Parkin (Halle, DE); See-Hun Yang (Halle, DE); Jiho Yoon (Halle, DE); Ung Hwan Pi (Hwaseong-si, KR)

Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V.

H10N50/80H10B61/00

Abstract

Claims (52)

1. A magnetic memory device comprising:

a magnetic track that extends in a first direction,

wherein the magnetic track comprises:

a lower magnetic layer that extends in the first direction;

an upper magnetic layer that extends in the first direction and is on the lower magnetic layer;

a spacer layer that extends in the first direction and is between the lower magnetic layer and the upper magnetic layer; and

a non-magnetic pattern that penetrates the upper magnetic layer and is on the spacer layer, the non-magnetic pattern comprising

a first junction surface that is in contact with a first portion of the upper magnetic layer;

and a second junction surface that is in contact with a second portion of the upper magnetic layer,

wherein the lower magnetic layer and the upper magnetic layer are antiferromagnetically coupled to each other by the spacer layer.

2. The magnetic memory device of claim 1 , wherein the first junction surface and the second junction surface of the non-magnetic pattern are on opposite sides of the non-magnetic pattern from each other in the first direction.

3. The magnetic memory device of claim 1 , wherein the lower magnetic layer, the spacer layer and the upper magnetic layer are sequentially stacked in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, and

wherein the non-magnetic pattern vertically overlaps with a portion of the lower magnetic layer in the second direction.

4. The magnetic memory device of claim 3 , wherein the non-magnetic pattern comprises a metal oxide.

5. The magnetic memory device of claim 3 , wherein the non-magnetic pattern includes a first magnetic element and oxygen, and wherein the upper magnetic layer includes the first magnetic element.

6. The magnetic memory device of claim 3 , wherein the lower magnetic layer comprises lower magnetic domains and lower magnetic domain walls that are alternately arranged in the first direction,

wherein the upper magnetic layer comprises upper magnetic domains and upper magnetic domain walls that are alternately arranged in the first direction, and

wherein each upper magnetic domain vertically overlaps with a respective lower magnetic domain in the second direction.

7. The magnetic memory device of claim 6 , wherein the non-magnetic pattern vertically overlaps with a corresponding lower magnetic domain wall of the lower magnetic domain walls in the second direction.

8. The magnetic memory device of claim 3 , wherein the magnetic track includes: synthetic antiferromagnetic regions adjacent to each other in the first direction; and a ferromagnetic region between the synthetic antiferromagnetic regions,

wherein the synthetic antiferromagnetic regions are regions in which the lower magnetic layer and the upper magnetic layer are antiferromagnetically coupled to each other by the spacer layer, and

wherein the ferromagnetic region comprises the non-magnetic pattern and the portion of the lower magnetic layer which vertically overlaps with the non-magnetic pattern.

9. The magnetic memory device of claim 8 , wherein the magnetic track includes a synthetic antiferromagnet-ferromagnet-synthetic antiferromagnet (SAF-FM-SAF) bi-lateral junction structure in which the synthetic antiferromagnetic regions and the ferromagnetic region are joined to each other in the first direction.

10. The magnetic memory device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a conductive line that is under the magnetic track and that extends in the first direction,

wherein the lower magnetic layer is between the conductive line and the spacer layer.

11. The magnetic memory device of claim 10 , wherein the conductive line is configured to generate spin-orbit torque by a current flowing therein.

12. The magnetic memory device of claim 10 , wherein the conductive line includes a heavy metal element.

13. The magnetic memory device of claim 10 , further comprising:

a read/write unit on the magnetic track,

wherein the read/write unit is adjacent to the upper magnetic layer of the magnetic track.

14. The magnetic memory device of claim 1 , wherein a magnetic moment of the upper magnetic layer is greater than a magnetic moment of the lower magnetic layer.

15. A magnetic memory device comprising:

a conductive line that extends in a first direction; and

a magnetic track that extends in the first direction on the conductive line,

wherein the magnetic track comprises:

a lower magnetic layer, a spacer layer and an upper magnetic layer, which are sequentially stacked on the conductive line in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and

a non-magnetic pattern that penetrates the upper magnetic layer and is on the spacer layer,

wherein the non-magnetic pattern comprises: a first junction surface that is in contact with a first portion of the upper magnetic layer; and a second junction surface that is in contact with a second portion of the upper magnetic layer,

wherein the non-magnetic pattern vertically overlaps with a portion of the lower magnetic layer in the second direction, and

wherein the lower magnetic layer and the upper magnetic layer are antiferromagnetically coupled to each other by the spacer layer.

16. The magnetic memory device of claim 15 , wherein the lower magnetic layer comprises lower magnetic domains and lower magnetic domain walls, which are alternately arranged in the first direction,

wherein the upper magnetic layer comprises upper magnetic domains and upper magnetic domain walls, which are alternately arranged in the first direction, and

wherein the non-magnetic pattern is between a pair of upper magnetic domains that are adjacent to each other in the first direction.

17. The magnetic memory device of claim 16 , wherein the non-magnetic pattern is interposed between the pair of upper magnetic domains that are adjacent to each other in the first direction.

18. The magnetic memory device of claim 16 , wherein the non-magnetic pattern vertically overlaps with a corresponding lower magnetic domain wall of the lower magnetic domain walls in the second direction.

19. The magnetic memory device of claim 15 , wherein a magnetic moment of the upper magnetic layer is greater than a magnetic moment of the lower magnetic layer.

20. A magnetic memory device comprising:

a conductive line that extends in a first direction; and

a lower magnetic layer, a spacer layer, and an upper magnetic layer that are sequentially stacked on the conductive line in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the lower magnetic layer and the upper magnetic layer antiferromagnetically coupled to each other by the spacer layer; and

a non-magnetic pattern that is within the upper magnetic layer and on the spacer layer, the non-magnetic pattern comprising a first junction surface that is in contact with a first portion of the upper magnetic layer; and a second junction surface that is in contact with a second portion of the upper magnetic layer,

wherein the non-magnetic pattern vertically overlaps with a lower magnetic domain wall in the lower magnetic layer.

Assignments (2)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (23)