17736652. MEMORY DEVICE AND FORMATION METHOD THEREOF simplified abstract (TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.)

MEMORY DEVICE AND FORMATION METHOD THEREOF

Organization Name

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.

Inventor(s)

Jih-Chao Chiu of New Taipei City (TW)

Ya-Jui Tsou of Taichung City (TW)

Wei-Jen Chen of Tainan City (TW)

Chee-Wee Liu of Taipei City (TW)

Shao-Yu Lin of Taichung City (TW)

Chih-Lin Wang of Hsinchu County (TW)

MEMORY DEVICE AND FORMATION METHOD THEREOF - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 17736652 titled 'MEMORY DEVICE AND FORMATION METHOD THEREOF

Simplified Explanation

The patent application describes a memory device that utilizes spin-orbit-transfer (SOT) and spin-transfer-torque (STT) effects to switch the magnetic orientation of its ferromagnetic layers. The device includes a SOT bottom electrode, a SOT ferromagnetic free layer, a first tunnel barrier layer, a STT ferromagnetic free layer, a second tunnel barrier layer, and a reference layer.

• The SOT ferromagnetic free layer is located above the SOT bottom electrode and can be switched using a spin Hall effect or Rashba effect.
• The first tunnel barrier layer is positioned over the SOT ferromagnetic free layer.
• The STT ferromagnetic free layer is placed over the first tunnel barrier layer and can be switched using an STT effect.
• The second tunnel barrier layer is positioned over the STT ferromagnetic free layer and has a different thickness compared to the first tunnel barrier layer.
• The reference layer is located over the second tunnel barrier layer and has a fixed magnetic orientation.

Potential Applications

• Memory devices for various electronic systems and devices.
• Non-volatile memory applications, such as solid-state drives and computer memory.

Problems Solved

• Provides a memory device that can switch magnetic orientations using both SOT and STT effects.
• Offers a more efficient and reliable method for storing and retrieving data in memory devices.

Benefits

• Enhanced performance and reliability of memory devices.
• Enables faster data access and storage.
• Lower power consumption compared to traditional memory technologies.

Original Abstract Submitted

A memory device includes a spin-orbit-transfer (SOT) bottom electrode, an SOT ferromagnetic free layer, a first tunnel barrier layer, a spin-transfer-torque (STT) ferromagnetic free layer, a second tunnel barrier layer and a reference layer. The SOT ferromagnetic free layer is over the SOT bottom electrode. The SOT ferromagnetic free layer has a magnetic orientation switchable by the SOT bottom electrode using a spin Hall effect or Rashba effect. The first tunnel barrier layer is over the SOT ferromagnetic free layer. The STT ferromagnetic free layer is over the first tunnel barrier layer and has a magnetic orientation switchable using an STT effect. The second tunnel barrier layer is over the STT ferromagnetic free layer. The second tunnel barrier layer has a thickness different from a thickness of the first tunnel barrier layer. The reference layer is over the second tunnel barrier layer and has a fixed magnetic orientation.