US 12,266,384 B2
Tunneling magnetoresistance device with magnetically soft high moment free layer
Hui-Chuan Wang, Pleasanton, CA (US); Shohei Kawasaki, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Kunliang Zhang, Fremont, CA (US); Sangmun Oh, San Jose, CA (US); and Zheng Gao, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Headway Technologies, Inc., Milpitas, CA (US)
Filed by Headway Technologies, Inc., Milpitas, CA (US)
Filed on Jan. 5, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/093,732.
Prior Publication US 2024/0233999 A1, Jul. 11, 2024
Int. Cl. G11B 5/39 (2006.01); G11B 5/31 (2006.01); H01F 10/32 (2006.01); H01F 41/18 (2006.01)
CPC G11B 5/3909 (2013.01) [G11B 5/3163 (2013.01); G11B 5/3906 (2013.01); H01F 10/3254 (2013.01); G11B 2005/3996 (2013.01); H01F 41/18 (2013.01); Y10T 29/49034 (2015.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A device comprising:
a free layer including a cobalt-iron (CoFe) metallic alloy that is doped using a dopant element that comprises hafnium (Hf) to generate a free CoFeHf alloy via a co-sputtering process that adjusts a composition of the dopant element by adjusting a co-sputtering power ratio between the metallic alloy and the dopant element, wherein an adjusted composition of the dopant element via the co-sputtering process comprises an atomic weight of the free layer comprising (CoFe-25 at %)-Hf;
a pin layer; and
a barrier layer deposited between the free layer and the pin layer, wherein a resistance of the device is modified based on an application of an external magnetic field to the free layer and the pin layer.