SBIR Phase I: An Enhanced Epitaxial Crystal Growth Method To Fabricate MTJ Having Ultra-Low Magnetic Damping

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将开发具有超小阻尼常数的磁性隧道结（MTJ）薄膜，用于低功耗，高性能自旋转移力矩（STT）MRAM应用。本计划将利用一种增强的外延晶体生长方法来制造具有新颖结构的MTJ磁记录层，以促进具有减少的缺陷和杂质的高质量磁性材料晶体生长，从而形成低磁阻尼记录层薄膜。 降低STT-MRAM的磁阻尼常数是降低STT-MRAM的临界写电流和写功率而不需要在写功率和热可靠性之间进行权衡的最直接和有效的方法，并且可以提高STT-MRAM产品的裕度和成品率。 这种创新的MTJ制造方法不仅可以产生超低阻尼常数的磁记录层，而且可以提供比传统MTJ器件更好的噪声性能，如用于磁传感器。此外，还将开发一个存储器块，以启动商业化工作。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力在于它能够制造具有低功耗和出色热可靠性的高性能STT-MRAM，以及具有改善信噪比的高质量MTJ传感器。其主要特点是在MTJ器件中提供具有超低阻尼和低噪声的高质量磁性薄膜。这种能力可能会在各个学科产生广泛的影响，包括材料科学，自旋转移矩（STT）MRAM制造，先进的敏感磁传感器和生物传感器。STT-MRAM具有超高速、低功耗、非易失性、长寿命和良好的数据保持性等优异性能，将成为下一代高能效计算应用和移动的设备的颠覆性存储技术。例如，它可以将处理器功耗降低90%，并为超高速计算机提供全新的集成内存解决方案。这种创新的MTJ制造方法将成为一种广泛有用的方法，以制造具有更少缺陷和杂质的磁性薄膜，从而为未来的纳米自旋电子器件提供超低磁阻尼。此外，它将导致更好地理解磁性薄膜中的磁阻尼现象的物理。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) films having ultra-small damping constant for low-power, high performance spin transfer torque (STT) MRAM application. This program will take advantage of an enhanced epitaxial crystal growth method to fabricate MTJ magnetic recording layer with a novel structure to promote a high quality magnetic material crystalline growth with reduced defects and impurities to form low magnetic damping recording layer thin films. The magnetic damping constant reduction is the most direct and effective approach to decrease the critical write current and write power in STT-MRAM without any trade-off between the write power and thermal reliability, and to increase margin and yield of STT-MRAM product. This innovative MTJ fabrication method will not only create ultra-low damping constant magnetic recording layer but also provides better noise performance than traditional MTJ devices as used in magnetic sensor. Additionally, a memory block will also be developed to initiate commercialization efforts.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is in its ability to make high performance STT-MRAM with low power and excellent thermal reliability and high quality MTJ-based sensor with improved signal-to-noise ratio. Its main attribute is that it offers high quality magnetic thin films with ultra-low damping and low noise in MTJ devices. This capability could have a broad impact in various disciplines, including material science, spin-transfer torque (STT) MRAM manufacturing, advanced sensitive magnetic sensor and biosensor. Due to its overall excellent performance, including ultra-high speed, low power, non-volatile, long life and good data retention, STT-MRAM will enable next generation power-efficient computing applications and mobile devices as a disruptive memory technology. For example, it can reduce processor power consumption by 90% and provide a brand-new integrated memory solution for ultra-fast computers. This innovative MTJ fabrication approach will become a widely useful method to make magnetic thin films with less defects and impurities and accordingly have ultra-low magnetic damping for future nano-spintronics devices. Furthermore, it will lead a better understanding of magnetic damping phenomena physics in magnetic thin films.