US 12,114,578 B2
Magnetoresistive memory elements for spin-transfer torque (STT) and spin-orbit torque (SOT) random access memories
Roman Chepulskyy, Santa Clara, CA (US); and Dmytro Apalkov, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., (KR)
Filed by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Suwon-si (KR)
Filed on Feb. 18, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/675,876.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/285,672, filed on Dec. 3, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0180627 A1, Jun. 8, 2023
Int. Cl. H01L 51/50 (2006.01); H10B 61/00 (2023.01); H10N 50/85 (2023.01)
CPC H10N 50/85 (2023.02) [H10B 61/00 (2023.02)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A magnetoresistive tunnel-junction (MTJ) memory element, comprising:
a magnetic reference layer (RL);
a magnetic free layer (FL);
a tunneling barrier layer extending between the magnetic RL and the magnetic FL;
a diffusion-blocking layer (DBL) on the magnetic FL, said DBL comprising at least one material selected from a group consisting of bismuth (Bi), antimony (Sb), osmium (Os), rhenium (Re), tin (Sn), rhodium (Rh), indium (In), and cadmium (Cd); and
an oxide layer having a thickness in a range from 2 Å to 20 Å, on the DBL, which extends between the oxide layer and the magnetic FL; and
wherein the magnetic FL extends between the tunneling barrier layer and the DBL, which defines an interface with the magnetic FL.