New Alloy For Better MRAM Memory

The alloy could be the key to changing MRAM memory—providing a solution to the growing need for capacity and low power consumption. Want to know more?

Gone are the days when all our data could fit on a two-megabyte floppy disk. Today, with the growing amount of data we manage, we need memory solutions that offer low power consumption and high capacity. Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory (MRAM) is part of the next generation of storage devices designed to meet these needs. Researchers at the Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR) have studied a cobalt-manganese-iron alloy thin film that shows high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), crucial for making MRAM devices using spintronics.

This is the first time a cobalt-manganese-iron alloy has demonstrated a strong large PMA. The researchers had previously discovered that this alloy exhibited a high tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) effect, but it is uncommon for an alloy to show both properties. For example, iron-cobalt-boron alloys, typically used for MRAM, have both traits, but their PMA is not strong enough.

– Advertisement –

MRAM devices store data using magnetic elements rather than electric charges, offering lower power consumption benefits. The ideal alloys for MRAM devices have high TMR and PMA, enabling them to store many bits with high capacity and thermal stability.

To address the challenges with current alloys, researchers at Tohoku University have explored the PMA of cobalt-manganese-iron alloy thin films, which had previously shown high TMR in their research. Notably, the alloy they developed demonstrated high PMA. They also revealed through simulations that the PMA in their multilayer films was sufficient to provide large memory capacity for MRAM devices.

This research presents a promising new material for memory devices and contributes to developing innovative spintronics-based memory technologies to create a more sustainable future.

Reference: Science and Technology of Advanced Materials DOI: 10.1080/14686996.2024.2421746