Spintronic Memory Research Articles

The 20-nm Skyrmion Generated at Room Temperature by Spin-Orbit Torques

The discovery of magnetic skyrmions provides a promising pathway for developing functional spintronic memory and logic devices. Towards the future high-density memory application, nanoscale skyrmions with miniaturized diameters, ideally down to 20 nm are required. Using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism transmission microscopy, nanoscale skyrmions are observed in the [Pt/Co/Ir]15 multilayer at room temperature. In particular, small skyrmions with minimum diameters approaching 20 nm could be generated by the current-induced spin-orbit torques. Through implementing material specific parameters, the dynamic process of skyrmion generation is further investigated by performing micromagnetic simulations. According to the simulation results, we find that both the tube-like Néel-type skyrmions and the bobber-like Néel-type skyrmions can be electrically generated. In particular, the size of the bobber-like Néel-type skyrmions can be effectively reduced by the spin-orbit torques, which leads to the formation of 20 nm Néel-type skyrmions. Our findings could be important for understanding the formation dynamics of nanoscale Néel-type spin textures, skyrmions and bobber in particular, which could also be useful for promoting nanoscale skyrmionic memories and logic devices.

Magnetic Skyrmions: Recent advances and applications

Magnetic skyrmions are particle-like, nanometer-sized topological spin textures observed in several magnetic materials. They have emerged as an alternative to conventional spintronic memories and domain walls (DWs) and offer high storage density, more robust stability, low critical currents, and increased scalability. Recent advances have set the stage for their use in quantum computing, logic circuits, and neuromorphic computing. With the aid of electrical methods, it is possible to precisely create, manipulate, and destroy skyrmions in device-compatible materials. However, the maximum speed achievable by magnetic skyrmions and the reliable detection of data have been restricted by the skyrmion Hall effect (SkHE). Other issues include a low read margin and a lack of proper skyrmion motion control in nanowires. Most of these can be addressed by exploiting novel materials, such as antiferromagnets; employing specialized fabrication techniques; tuning driving current profiles; and circuit-level engineering. In this article, theoretical and experimental breakthroughs and challenges relevant to magnetic skyrmions and their applications in data storage, logic computing, and neuromorphic computing are highlighted.

Unconventional Seedless Multilayers with Large Perpendicular Anisotropy for Back-End-of-Line Compatible Spintronic Devices

An unconventional class of hard and out-of-plane magnetized seedless multilayers (SL-MLs) of the form [Co/insertion layer/Pt]n, grown as a top reference layer in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ), was investigated. Among different non-ferrous insertion layers (Ta, Cu, Mg, W, Ru, and Al), Ta produces the highest perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. A back-end-of-line (BEOL) compatible hard top reference layer using Ta-inserted SL-MLs was achieved, exhibiting more than twice effective perpendicular anisotropy compared to a conventional top reference layer. Using this top reference layer, we developed three types of spintronic memory stacks: (a) top-pinned MTJ stacks that can withstand annealing up to 425 °C, (b) BEOL compatible double-MTJ memory cells with read/write mode control layer enabling a faster readout and low-voltage writing, and (c) 2-bit MTJ stacks combining spin-transfer torque and spin-orbit torque writing. The magnetic properties of these three types of memory stacks are discussed.

Suppression of Skyrmion Hall Motion in Antiferromagnets Driven by Circularly Polarized Spin Waves

An investigation of spin waves interacting with antiferromagnetic spin textures is meaningful for future spintronic and magnonic-based memory and logic applications. In this work, we numerically study the skyrmion dynamics driven by circularly polarized spin waves in antiferromagnets and propose a method of suppressing the Hall motion. It is demonstrated that the application of two circularly polarized spin waves with opposite chirality allows the skyrmion motion straightly along the intersection line of the two spin wave sources. The skyrmion speed depending on these parameters of the spin waves and system is estimated, and a comparison with other methods is provided. Furthermore, two depinning behaviors of the skyrmion related to the strengths of the defect are also observed in the simulations. Thus, the proposed method could be used in precisely modulating the skyrmion dynamics, contributing to skyrmion-based memory device design.

Magnetoelectric Switching Energy of Antiferromagnetic Cr2O3 Used for Spintronic Logic Devices and Memory

Magnetoelectric (ME) switching energy is the most important aspect in the practical application of antiferromagnetic (AFM) Cr2O3‐based perpendicular exchange‐coupling heterostructures, but it is not fully understood. This study firstly clarifies the relation between the applied magnetic/electric field and surface spin directions (domain status) as well as the perpendicular exchange bias sign in this system. Secondly, the asymmetric ME switching behavior for both Cr2O3 and its perpendicular exchange‐coupling heterostructures is discussed. Finally, a model is developed to examine the energy required during the ME switching of the above system. It was found that the surface status and microstructure of Cr2O3 are essential factors influencing the system's ME switching energy. This work contributes to realizing low‐energy information writing for AFM Cr2O3 used in spintronic logic devices and memory.

Ferroelectric control of the Néel vector in L10-type antiferromagnetic films

How to efficiently manipulate the N\'eel vector of antiferromagnets (AFM) by electric methods is one of the major focuses in current antiferromagnetic spintronics. In this work, we investigated the ferroelectric control of magnetism in AFM L10-MnPt/BaTiO3 bilayers structures by using first-principles calculation. We studied the effect of ferroelectric polarization reversal on magnetic crystalline anisotropy (MCA) of L10-MnPt films with different interface structures. Our results predict a large perpendicular MCA in L10-MnPt films with Pt-O interface, while an in-plane MCA with Mn-O interface when they are interfaced with ferroelectric BaTiO3. In addition, the magnitude of MCA for both interfaces can be modulated efficiently by the polarization reversal of BaTiO3. The ferroelectric control of MCA has been analyzed based on second order perturbation theory, and it can be mainly attributed to the ferroelectric polarization driven redistribution of Pt-5d orbital occupation around Fermi energy. Especially, for Mn-O interface, the N\'eel vector can be switched between in-plane [100] and [110] directions, or even from in-plane to out-of-plane at certain film thickness by reversing ferroelectric polarization. Our results may provide a non-volatile concept for ferroelectric control of N\'eel vector in L10-antiferromagnets, which could stimulate experimental investigations on magnetoelectric effect of antiferromagnets and promote its applications in low-power consumption spintronic memory devices.

Efficient Spintronics with Fully Compensated Ferrimagnets

Conventional spintronics exploit predominately the properties of ferromagnets (FM). The functionalities of the related devices suffer from two detrimental aspects including the stray fields and the gigahertz (GHz) spin dynamics. These intrinsic limits of FMs can be overcome in antiferromagnets (AFMs), resulting from their vanished stray field, and the faster dynamics in the terahertz (THz) range. On the other hand, AFMs are typically inert to the external magnetic fields. A reliable writing, and more importantly, an accurate read-out of these AFM states are often experimentally challenging, which impede their technological applications. By contrast, ferrimagnets (FIMs) exhibit two antiparallel lattices, and the magnetism of these two sublattices can be fully compensated that manifests as AFM-like dynamics. Unlike the weak resistive response of AFMs, the spin transport properties in FIMs is dominated by one particular lattice (or element). One can thus utilize the typical resistive measurements to unambiguously explore the ultrafast spin dynamics of FIMs. Based on the rare-earth iron garnets (RE3Fe5O12), the rare earth-transition metal (RE-TM) alloys and the rare-earth-free nitrided manganese (Mn4N), we will discuss the characteristic properties of the fully compensated ferrimagnetism and their resulting efficient spin dynamics. It is expected that the present review article could excite renowned interests in the compensated FIMs, which could be beneficial for developing the ultrafast spintronic memories and logics.

Giant Tuning of Electronic and Thermoelectric Properties by Epitaxial Strain in p-Type Sr-Doped LaCrO3 Transparent Thin Films

The impact of epitaxial strain on the structural, electronic, and thermoelectric properties of p-type transparent Sr-doped LaCrO3 thin films has been investigated. For this purpose, high-quality fully strained La0.75Sr0.25CrO3 (LSCO) epitaxial thin films were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on three different (pseudo)cubic (001)-oriented perovskite oxide substrates: LaAlO3, (LaAlO3)0.3(Sr2AlTaO6)0.7, and DyScO3. The lattice mismatch between the LSCO films and the substrates induces in-plane strain ranging from -2.06% (compressive) to +1.75% (tensile). The electric conductivity can be controlled over 2 orders of magnitude, ranging from 0.5 S/cm (tensile strain) to 35 S/cm (compressive strain). Consistently, the Seebeck coefficient S can be finely tuned by a factor of almost 2 from 127 microV/K (compressive strain) to 208 microV/K (tensile strain). Interestingly, we show that the thermoelectric power factor can consequently be tuned by almost 2 orders of magnitude. The compressive strain yields a remarkable enhancement by a factor of 3 for 2% compressive strain with respect to almost relaxed films. These results demonstrate that epitaxial strain is a powerful lever to control the electric properties of LSCO and enhance its thermoelectric properties, which is of high interest for various devices and key applications such as thermal energy harvesters, coolers, transparent conductors, photocatalyzers, and spintronic memories.

A two-terminal spin valve device controlled by spin–orbit torques with enhanced giant magnetoresistance

We report on the combination of current-induced spin–orbit torques and giant magnetoresistance in a single device to achieve all-electrical write and readout of the magnetization. The device consists of perpendicularly magnetized TbCo and Co layers separated by a Pt or Cu spacer. Current injection through such layers exerts spin–orbit torques and switches the magnetization of the Co layer, while the TbCo magnetization remains fixed. Subsequent current injection of lower amplitude senses the relative orientation of the magnetization of the Co and TbCo layers, which results in two distinct resistance levels for parallel and antiparallel alignment due to the current-in-plane giant magnetoresistance effect. We further show that the giant magnetoresistance of devices including a single TbCo/spacer/Co trilayer can be improved from 0.02% to 6% by using a Cu spacer instead of Pt. This type of devices offers an alternative route to a two-terminal spintronic memory that can be fabricated with a moderate effort.

Phase-pure two-dimensional FexGeTe2 magnets with near-room-temperature TC

Two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnets with out-of-plane (OOP) magnetic anisotropy are potential candidates for realizing the next-generation memory devices with ultra-low power consumption and high storage density. However, a scalable approach to synthesize 2D magnets with OOP anisotropy directly on the complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) compatible substrates has not yet been mainly explored, which hinders the practical application of 2D magnets. This work demonstrates a cascaded space confined chemical vapor deposition (CS-CVD) technique to synthesize 2D FexGeTe2 ferromagnets. The weight fraction of iron (Fe) in the precursor controls the phase purity of the as-grown FexGeTe2. As a result, high-quality Fe3GeTe2 and Fe5GeTe2 flakes have been grown selectively using the CS-CVD technique. Curie temperature (TC) of the as-grown FexGeTe2 can be up to ∼ 280 K, nearly room temperature. The thickness and temperature-dependent magnetic studies on the Fe5GeTe2 reveal a 2D Ising to 3D XY behavior. Also, Terahertz spectroscopy experiments on Fe5GeTe2 display the highest conductivity among other FexGeTe2 2D magnets. The results of this work indicate a scalable pathway for the direct growth and integration of 2D ternary magnets on CMOS-based substrates to develop spintronic memory devices.

Confinement of stable skyrmionium and skyrmion state in ultrathin nanoring

Magnetic skyrmionium is a donut-shaped spin texture with zero topological number (Q) and has promising application in future spintronic devices. In this work, using micromagnetic simulation based on Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation, we report the generation of skyrmionium in an ultrathin magnetic nanoring in the presence of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) and external magnetic field. By varying the DMI strength and outer diameter of a nanoring, the possibilities of creation of other skyrmion states (kπ states) are explored and we have reported the existence of 3π state and 4π state in nanoring for the first time. Also, we report that the transition of skyrmion state from kπ to (k-1)π occurs for a few millitesla (mT) magnetic fields in the out-of-plane configuration. Further, we have demonstrated the degeneration of skyrmionium (Q=0) into an isolated skyrmion (Q=±1) and a pair of skyrmions (Q=−2) in a nanoring of small dimension by applying an in-plane spin-polarized current. A complete study of the generation of skyrmionium and its topological stability is done by performing the micromagnetic simulation. Our results will provide guidelines for the design of spin-polarized current-controlled skyrmionium-skyrmion based spintronic memory and logic devices.

The temperature–strain phase diagrams of ferromagnetic thin films under different magnetic fields

The topological magnetic structures in ferromagnetic thin films, such as magnetic skyrmions, are considered as the potential information carriers for future spintronics memory and logic devices due to their topological stability and controllability. In the application, ferromagnetic thin films often experience different temperatures, strains and magnetic fields. To understand the stability of topological magnetic structures in ferromagnetic thin films under different external conditions is not only of scientific significance but also of practical importance. In this work, a temperature-dependent real space phase field model is proposed to investigate the stable topological magnetic structures in ferromagnetic thin films under different magnetic fields, temperatures and strains. The skyrmions phase, helical phase and ferromagnetic phase are predicted in the ferromagnetic thin films with different magnetic fields, temperatures and strains. The strain is applied in the plane of the films, whereas the magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the plane of the thin films. The temperature–strain phase diagrams of ferromagnetic thin films are constructed under different magnetic fields. It is found that a tensile biaxial strain enhances the stability of skyrmions while skyrmions gradually become unstable when the biaxial strain changes from tensile to compressive. For the uniaxial strain, however, skyrmions can be stabilized under both tensile and compressive strains, which indicates the uniaxial strain is more preferable than biaxial strain for the stability of skyrmions.

Helium Ions Put Magnetic Skyrmions on the Track.

Magnetic skyrmions are deemed to be the forerunners of novel spintronic memory and logic devices. While their observation and their current-driven motion at room temperature have been demonstrated, certain issues regarding their nucleation, stability, pinning, and skyrmion Hall effect still need to be overcome to realize functional devices. Here, we demonstrate that focused He+-ion-irradiation can be used to create and guide skyrmions in racetracks. We show that the reduction of the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in the track defined by ion-irradiation leads to the formation of stable isolated skyrmions. Current-driven skyrmion motion experiments and simulations reveal that the skyrmions move along the irradiated track, resulting in the suppression of the skyrmion Hall effect, and that the maximum skyrmion velocity can be enhanced by tuning the magnetic properties. These results open up a new path to nucleate and guide magnetic skyrmions in racetrack devices.

Evaluating critical metals contained in spintronic memory with a particular focus on Pt substitution for improved sustainability

Thanks to their unique combination of properties: non-volatility, speed, density and write endurance, spintronic memory called spin transfer-torque Magnetic Random Access Memory (STT-MRAM) is expected to play a major role in the future development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and more generally in information and communication technologies. This type of spintronic device is usually made of materials, some of which can be classified as critical. Recent studies have evaluated critical materials contained in magnetic random access memory (Ku, 2018; European Commission, 2020 [1,2]). However, in those cases the type of memory analyzed belongs to the first generation of MRAMs developed in the early 2000s. Nowadays, the memory devices are magnetized perpendicularly to the plane of the layers and contain a synthetic antiferromagnet (SAF) that provides a high coercivity to the STT-MRAM reference layer with reduced stray field. This SAF is typically made of cobalt (Co) and platinum (Pt) multilayers antiferromagnetically coupled across a thin ruthenium (Ru) layer. Due to the high-embodied energy of platinum group metals (PGMs), a common concern when evaluating these materials is the environmental risk associated with their production. An evaluation of the environmental and economic risks of using such multilayers is first reported here, followed by a discussion of its supply risk. Substitution of Co/Pt multilayers by Co/Ni multilayers can lead to a reduction by 3–4 orders of magnitude in terms of energy requirements or global warming potential (GWP) associated with the use of these multilayers. An alternative concept based on perpendicular shape anisotropy (PSA) can also yield a reduction by 1–2 orders of magnitude in these quantities. However, for the case of STT-MRAM, tiny quantities of PGM layers are used in comparison with the mass of the silicon wafers on which these type of devices are grown. Therefore, the environmental and economic impact of the silicon wafer fabrication is found to be much higher than that of the PGM materials incorporated in the STT-MRAM stacks. Nonetheless, the high supply risk associated with PGMs remains a reason for awareness. One explored possibility is a SAF structure based on Co/Ni multilayers which can have similar performance. A second more challenging alternative is also proposed based on the aforementioned PSA concept. Finally, we address the case of several other metals identified by the European Commission as critical and used in MRAM such as W or Ta, both recently included in the EU's Conflict Minerals Regulation released in January 2021 (https://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/conflict-minerals-regulation/regulation-explained/, 2020 [3]).

Long-Time-Scale Magnetization Ordering Induced by an Adsorbed Chiral Monolayer on Ferromagnets

When an electron passes through a chiral molecule, there is a high probability for correlation between the momentum and spin of the charge, thus leading to a spin polarized current. This phenomenon is known as the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. One of the most surprising experimental results recently demonstrated is that magnetization reversal in a ferromagnet with perpendicular anisotropy can be realized solely by chemisorbing a chiral molecular monolayer without applying any current or external magnetic field. This result raises the currently open question of whether this effect is due to the bonding event, held by the ferromagnet, or a long-time-scale effect stabilized by exchange interactions. In this work we have performed vectorial magnetic field measurements of the magnetization reorientation of a ferromagnetic layer exhibiting perpendicular anisotropy due to CISS using nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond and followed the time dynamics of this effect. In parallel, we have measured the molecular monolayer tilt angle in order to find a correlation between the time dependence of the magnetization reorientation and the change of the tilt angle of the molecular monolayer. We have identified that changes in the magnetization direction correspond to changes of the molecular monolayer tilt angle, providing evidence for a long-time-scale characteristic of the induced magnetization reorientation. This suggests that the CISS effect has an effect over long time scales which we attribute to exchange interactions. These results offer significant insights into the fundamental processes underlying the CISS effect, contributing to the implementation of CISS in state-of-the-art applications such as spintronic and magnetic memory devices.

Time-Domain Computing in Memory Using Spintronics for Energy-Efficient Convolutional Neural Network

The data transfer bottleneck in Von Neumann architecture owing to the separation between processor and memory hinders the development of high-performance computing. The computing in memory (CIM) concept is widely considered as a promising solution for overcoming this issue. In this article, we present a time-domain CIM (TD-CIM) scheme using spintronics, which can be applied to construct the energy-efficient convolutional neural network (CNN). Basic Boolean logic operations are implemented through recording the bit-line output at different moments. A multi-addend addition mechanism is then introduced based on the TD-CIM circuit, which can eliminate the cascaded full adders. To further optimize the compatibility of TD-CIM circuit for CNN, we also propose a quantization method that transforms floating-point parameters of pre-trained CNN models into fixed-point parameters. Finally, we build a TD-CIM architecture integrating with a highly reconfigurable array of field-free spin-orbit torque magnetic random access memory (SOT-MRAM) and evaluate its benefits for the quantized CNN. By performing digit recognition with the MNIST dataset, we find that the delay and energy are respectively reduced by 1.2-2.7 times and $2.4\times 10 ^{3} - 1.1\times 10 ^{4}$ times compared with STT-CIM and CRAM based on spintronic memory. Finally, the recognition accuracy can reach 98.65% and 91.11% on MNIST and CIFAR-10, respectively.

Spintronics and Innovative Memory Devices: a Review on Advances in Magnetoelectric BiFeO3

Advances in magnetoelectric BiFeO3 open the opportunity to commercialize innovative memory devices. Spin-based technology was employed to fabricate the magnetic random access memory (MRAM). The ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM) based on ferroelectricity was also realized. Both memories have great properties, but unfortunately with some flaws. A new vision was hypothesized to combine both memories to create unlimited memory device. Combination of MRAM and FeRAM means coupling of ferromagnetic-ferroelectric properties in single material. Studies on magnetoelectric BiFeO3 might hold the future for memory devices with thousands of published papers in last years. In this review, we tried to show a comprehensive picture of the large number of studies on multiferroic BiFeO3 including techniques to enhance the properties and remove obstacles. Here, we begin with an overview of spintronics memory devices and multiferroic materials. An organized classification of studies depended on occupation site in BiFeO3 and type of dopant was presented.

Nonvolatile Magnetic Memory Combined With AND/NAND Boolean Logic Gates Based on Geometry-Controlled Magnetization Switching

Spin-orbit torque (SOT) has been widely used in data writing of spintronic memory devices by current-induced magnetization switching. The typical structure of SOT-induced magnetization switching of ferromagnetic multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy such as Ta/CoFeB/MgO allowed the ferromagnetic and adjacent nonmagnetic layer to be patterned independently. In this letter, we study the role of device geometry in the manipulation of magnetization switching by placing two separated CoFeB magnetic bits at different locations on a Ta layer with trapezoid shape. Manipulation of the magnetization states of the magnetic bits was achieved simply by applying different write current. Both memory writing and Boolean logic functions <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">and/nand</small> with large logic output ratio have been demonstrated experimentally.

Gigantic Current Control of Coercive Field and Magnetic Memory Based on Nanometer-Thin Ferromagnetic van der Waals Fe3 GeTe2.

Controlling magnetic states by a small current is essential for the next-generation of energy-efficient spintronic devices. However, it invariably requires considerable energy to change a magnetic ground state of intrinsically quantum nature governed by fundamental Hamiltonian, once stabilized below a phase-transition temperature. Here, it is reported that, surprisingly, an in-plane current can tune the magnetic state of the nanometer-thin van der Waals ferromagnet Fe3 GeTe2 from a hard magnetic state to a soft magnetic state. It is a direct demonstration of the current-induced substantial reduction of the coercive field. This surprising finding is possible because the in-plane current produces a highly unusual type of gigantic spin-orbit torque for Fe3 GeTe2 . In addition, a working model of a new nonvolatile magnetic memory based on the principle of the discovery in Fe3 GeTe2 , controlled by a tiny current, is further demonstrated. The findings open up a new window of exciting opportunities for magnetic van der Waals materials with potentially huge impact on the future development of spintronic and magnetic memory.

Comparative Analysis of Spintronic Memories for Low Power on-chip Caches

The continuous downscaling in CMOS devices has increased leakage power and limited the performance to a few GHz. The research goal has diverted from operating at high frequencies to deliver higher performance in essence with lower power. CMOS based on-chip memories consumes significant fraction of power in modern processors. This paper aims to explore the suitability of beyond CMOS, emerging magnetic memories for the use in memory hierarchy, attributing to their remarkable features like nonvolatility, high-density, ultra-low leakage and scalability. NVSim, a circuit-level tool, is used to explore different design layouts and memory organizations and then estimate the energy, area and latency performance numbers. A detailed system-level performance analysis of STT-MRAM and SOT-MRAM technologies and comparison with 22[Formula: see text]nm SRAM technology are presented. Analysis infers that in comparison to the existing 22[Formula: see text]nm SRAM technology, SOT-MRAM is more efficient in area for memory size [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]KB, speed and energy consumption for cache size [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]KB. A typical 256[Formula: see text]KB SOT-MRAM cache design is 27.74% area efficient, 2.97 times faster and consumes 76.05% lesser leakage than SRAM counterpart and these numbers improve for larger cache sizes. The article deduces that SOT-MRAM technology has a promising potential to replace SRAM in lower levels of computer memory hierarchy.