Nanosecond-timescale low error switching of in-plane magnetic tunnel junctions through dynamic Oersted-field assisted spin-Hall effect

Abstract

We investigate fast-pulse switching of in-plane-magnetized magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) within 3-terminal devices in which spin-transfer torque is applied to the MTJ by the giant spin Hall effect. We measure reliable switching, with write error rates down to $10^{-5}$, using current pulses as short as just 2 ns in duration. This represents the fastest reliable switching reported to date for any spin-torque-driven magnetic memory geometry, and corresponds to a characteristic time scale that is significantly shorter than predicted possible within a macrospin model for in-plane MTJs subject to thermal fluctuations at room temperature. Using micromagnetic simulations, we show that in the 3-terminal spin-Hall devices the Oersted magnetic field generated by the pulse current strongly modifies the magnetic dynamics excited by the spin-Hall torque, enabling this unanticipated performance improvement. Our results suggest that in-plane MTJs controlled by Oersted-field-assisted spin-Hall torque are a promising candidate for both cache memory applications requiring high speed and for cryogenic memories requiring low write energies.

arXiv commentTo appear in Nano Letters October 2016 print issue as cover article

References in corpus (10)

• Spin torque switching with the giant spin Hall effect of tantalum
• Spin Hall effect
• Magnetic switching by spin torque from the spin Hall effect
• Spin Transfer Torque Generated by the Topological Insulator Bi_2Se_3
• Spin transfer torque devices utilizing the giant spin Hall effect of tungsten
• Ultrafast magnetization switching by spin-orbit torques
• Spin-orbit-torque magnetization switching of a three terminal perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction
• Thermally-Activated Magnetic Reversal Induced by a Spin-Polarized Current
• Enhancement of the Anti-Damping Spin Torque Efficacy of Platinum by Interface Modification
• Quasistatic and Pulsed Current-Induced Switching with Spin-Orbit Torques in Ultrathin Films with Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy

Cited by in corpus (41)

• Current-induced spin-orbit torques in ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic systems
• Roadmap of spin-orbit torques
• Time- and spatially-resolved magnetization dynamics driven by spin-orbit torques
• Single-shot dynamics of spin-orbit torque and spin transfer torque switching in three-terminal magnetic tunnel junctions
• Highly efficient spin current generation by the spin Hall effect in Au${}_{1-x}$Pt${}_x$
• Maximizing Spin-Orbit Torque Generated by the Spin Hall Effect of Pt
• Spin-orbit torque switching of magnetic tunnel junctions for memory application
• Manufacturable 300mm platform solution for Field-Free Switching SOT-MRAM
• Fast, low-current spin-orbit torque switching of magnetic tunnel junctions through atomic modifications of the free layer interfaces
• Fully Spin-transparent magnetic interfaces enabled by insertion of a paramagnetic NiO layer
• Switching of Perpendicular Magnetization by Spin-Orbit Torque
• Enhancing spin-orbit torque by strong interfacial scattering from ultra-thin insertion layers
• Maximizing the spin-orbit torque efficiency of Pt/Ti multilayers by optimization of the tradeoff between the intrinsic spin Hall conductivity and carrier lifetime
• Field-free spin-orbit torque switching from geometrical domain wall pinning
• Field-free switching of magnetic tunnel junctions driven by spin-orbit torques at sub-ns timescales
• Interplay of voltage control of magnetic anisotropy, spin transfer torque, and heat in the spin-orbit torque switching in three-terminal magnetic tunnel junctions
• Energy-efficient ultrafast SOT-MRAMs based on low-resistivity spin Hall metal Au0.25Pt0.75
• First-principles calculation of spin-orbit torque in a Co/Pt bilayer
• Lack of simple correlation between switching current density and spin-orbit torque efficiency of perpendicularly magnetized spin-current generator/ferromagnet heterostructures
• Current-Induced Torques with Dresselhaus Symmetry Due to Resistance Anisotropy in 2D Materials
• Sub-nanosecond spin-torque switching of perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction nanopillars at cryogenic temperatures
• A Low Temperature Functioning CoFeB/MgO Based Perpendicular Magnetic Tunnel Junction for Cryogenic Nonvolatile Random Access Memory
• Chiral Domain Wall Injector Driven by Spin-orbit Torques
• RF assisted switching in magnetic Josephson junctions
• Large and Robust Charge-to-Spin Conversion in Sputtered Conductive WTex with Disorder
• Nanosecond magnetization dynamics during spin Hall switching of in-plane magnetic tunnel junctions
• Materials Requirements of High-Speed and Low-Power Spin-Orbit-Torque Magnetic Random-Access Memory
• Efficient Switching of 3-Terminal Magnetic Tunnel Junctions by the Giant Spin Hall Effect of ${\mathrm{Pt}}_{85}{\mathrm{Hf}}_{15}$ Alloy
• Substrate-induced spin-torque-like signal in spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance measurement
• Spin-orbit torques and magnetization switching in perpendicularly magnetized epitaxial Pd/Co2FeAl/MgO structures
• Magnetic Switching in Monolayer 2D Diluted Magnetic Semiconductors via Spin-to- Spin Conversion
• Inplane spin orbit torque magnetization switching and its detection using the spin rectification effect at sub-GHz frequencies
• Unidirectional spin Hall magnetoresistance in topological insulator/ferromagnetic layer heterostructures
• Optimal protocol for spin-orbit torque switching of a perpendicular nanomagnet
• A four-state magnetic tunnel junction switchable with spin-orbit torques
• Pulse Shaping Strategies for Efficient Switching of Magnetic Tunnel Junctions by Spin-Orbit Torque
• Chiral-induced switching of antiferromagnet spins in a confined nanowire
• Stabilization of exponential number of discrete remanent states with localized spin-orbit torques
• Nanosecond Reversal of Three-Terminal Spin Hall Effect Memories Sustained at Cryogenic Temperatures
• Intrinsic nature of the giant spin Hall conductivity of Pt
• Modulating Curie Temperature and Magnetic Anisotropy in Nanoscale Layered Cr_{2}Te_{3} Films: Implications for Room-Temperature Spintronics