Study of spin transfer torque (STT) and spin orbit torque (SOT) magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) at advanced CMOS technology nodes

Abstract : Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM) is a promising candidate to be the universal non-volatile (NV) storage device. The Magnetic Tunnel Junction (MTJ) is the cornerstone of the NV-MRAM technology. 2-terminal MTJ based on Spin Transfer Torque (STT) switching is considered as a hot topic for academic and industrial researchers. Moreover, the 3-terminal Spin Orbit Torque (SOT) MTJ has recently been considered as a hopeful device which provides an increased reliability thanks to independent write and read paths. Since both MTJ devices (STT and SOT) seem to revolutionize the data storage market, it is necessary to explore their compatibility with very advanced CMOS processes in terms of transistor sizing and performance. Assuming a good maturity of the magnetic processes that would enable to fabricate small junctions, simulation results show that the existing advanced sub-micronic CMOS processes can drive the required writing current with reasonable size of transistors confirming the high density feature of MRAMs. At 28 nm node, the minimum transistor size can be used by the STT device. The SOT device shows remarkable energy efficiency with 6× improvement compared with the STT technology. Results are very encouraging for future complex hybrid magnetic/CMOS integrated circuits (ICs).