Low‐Power and Field‐Free Perpendicular Magnetic Memory Driven by Topological Insulators

Abstract

Giant spin–orbit torque (SOT) from topological insulators (TIs) has great potential for low‐power SOT‐driven magnetic random‐access memory (SOT‐MRAM). In this work, a functional 3‐terminal SOT‐MRAM device is demonstrated by integrating the TI [(BiSb)2Te3] with perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (pMTJs), where the tunneling magnetoresistance is employed for the effective reading method. An ultralow switching current density of 1.5 × 105 A cm−2 is achieved in the TI‐pMTJ device at room temperature, which is 1–2 orders of magnitude lower than that in conventional heavy–metals‐based systems, due to the high SOT efficiency θSH = 1.16 of (BiSb)2Te3. Furthermore, all‐electrical field‐free writing is realized by the synergistic effect of a small spin‐transfer torque current during the SOT. The thermal stability factor (Δ = 66) shows the high retention time (>10 years) of the TI‐pMTJ device. This work sheds light to the future low‐power, high‐density, and high‐endurance/retention magnetic memory technology based on quantum materials.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jun 25, 2023
Source ID
10.1002/adma.202302350

Entities

People

  • Aitian Chen
  • Baoshan Cui
  • Bin Fang
  • Guoqiang Yu
  • H. Wu
  • Jing Zhang
  • Kang L. Wang
  • Peng Yan
  • Peng Zhang
  • Wenqing He
  • Xiufeng Han
  • Xixiang Zhang
  • Xu Zhang
  • Zhaozhuo Zeng

Organizations

  • Army Research Office
  • Institute of Physics
  • King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China
  • Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory
  • University of California, Los Angeles

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Computer Programming and Software Development.
  • Plasma Physics / Magnetohydrodynamics
  • Quantum Dot Semiconductor Device Photonics and Graphene Optoelectronic Materials and THz Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Graphene
  • Quantum Computing
  • Quantum Science - Quantum Dots
  • Space