International business machines corporation (20240107894). MRAM DEVICE WITH ANNULAR ELECTRODES simplified abstract
Contents
- 1 MRAM DEVICE WITH ANNULAR ELECTRODES
- 1.1 Organization Name
- 1.2 Inventor(s)
- 1.3 MRAM DEVICE WITH ANNULAR ELECTRODES - A simplified explanation of the abstract
- 1.4 Simplified Explanation
- 1.5 Potential Applications
- 1.6 Problems Solved
- 1.7 Benefits
- 1.8 Potential Commercial Applications
- 1.9 Possible Prior Art
- 1.10 Unanswered Questions
- 1.11 Original Abstract Submitted
MRAM DEVICE WITH ANNULAR ELECTRODES
Organization Name
international business machines corporation
Inventor(s)
Oscar Van Der Straten of Guilderland Center NY (US)
Shanti Pancharatnam of Albany NY (US)
Chih-Chao Yang of Glenmont NY (US)
MRAM DEVICE WITH ANNULAR ELECTRODES - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 20240107894 titled 'MRAM DEVICE WITH ANNULAR ELECTRODES
Simplified Explanation
The semiconductor device described in the patent application includes a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stack vertically aligned between annular shaped electrodes, with an encapsulation layer surrounding the MTJ stack's vertical side surfaces.
- The device features a unique design with an annular shaped bottom electrode and top electrode, enhancing performance and efficiency.
- The encapsulation layer protects the MTJ stack while allowing for proper functionality by not surrounding the electrodes.
Potential Applications
This technology could be applied in:
- Magnetic memory devices
- Spintronics applications
Problems Solved
This technology addresses:
- Improving data storage and processing efficiency
- Enhancing device performance and reliability
Benefits
The benefits of this technology include:
- Increased data storage capacity
- Enhanced device durability and longevity
Potential Commercial Applications
This technology could be utilized in:
- Data storage devices
- Magnetic sensors
Possible Prior Art
One possible prior art is the use of conventional MTJ stacks without the unique annular shaped electrodes and encapsulation layer.
Unanswered Questions
1. How does the encapsulation layer impact the overall performance of the device? 2. What specific materials are used in the fabrication of the annular shaped electrodes?
Original Abstract Submitted
a semiconductor device including a magnetic tunnel junction (mtj) stack vertically aligned between an annular shaped bottom electrode and an annular shaped top electrode. a semiconductor device including a mtj stack, vertically aligned between an annular shaped bottom electrode and an annular shaped top electrode, and an encapsulation layer surrounding vertical side surfaces of the mtj stack, wherein the encapsulation layer does not surround the top electrode nor the bottom electrode. forming a bottom electrode in a first inter-layer dielectric, forming a reference layer on the first inter-layer dielectric and on the bottom electrode, forming a tunnel barrier layer on the reference layer, forming a free layer on the tunnel barrier layer and patterning the reference layer, the tunnel barrier layer and the free layer into a magnetic tunnel function (mtj) stack vertically aligned over the bottom electrode, while not patterning the bottom electrode nor the first inter-layer dielectric.