Exchange-biased magnetic tunnel junctions and application to nonvolatile magnetic random access memory (invited)

Exchange biased magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structures are shown to have useful properties for forming magnetic memory storage elements in a novel cross-point architecture. MTJ elements have been developed which exhibit very large magnetoresistive (MR) values exceeding 40% at room temperature, with specific resistance values ranging down to as little as similar to 60 Ohm(mu m)(2), and with MR values enhanced by moderate thermal treatments. Large MR values are observed in magnetic elements with areas as small as 0.17 (mu m)(2). The magnetic field dependent current-voltage characteristics of an MTJ element integrated with a silicon diode are analyzed to extract the MR properties of the MTJ element itself. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(99)77508-0].