Switching stability of magnetic tunnel junctions with an artificial antiferromagnet
2000; American Institute of Physics; Volume: 77; Issue: 21 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1063/1.1327272
ISSN1520-8842
AutoresJ. Schmalhorst, H. Brückl, G. Reiß, R. Kinder, G. Gieres, J. Wecker,
Tópico(s)Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials
ResumoAvoiding fatigue in the switching of magnetic tunnel junctions is crucial for their long-term use in nonvolatile magnetic memories. We compare the switching stability of two types of junctions with different soft layers: Fe or Ni81Fe19, both with Co dusting at the barrier interface. The magnetically hard electrode is a Co/Cu/Co artificial antiferromagnet. While the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) remains unchanged after 104 cycles in a 4 kA/m rotating field, it decreases by more than 45% due to uniaxial switching. Fringing fields of domain walls in the soft layer and an intrinsic instability of Co/Cu/Co are identified as the main reasons. Magnetization reversal by two perpendicular switching pulses avoids this magnetic degradation and maintains a full TMR signal.
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