Correlation between write endurance and electrical low frequency noise in MgO based magnetic tunnel junctions - CEA - Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives Access content directly
Journal Articles Applied Physics Letters Year : 2013

Correlation between write endurance and electrical low frequency noise in MgO based magnetic tunnel junctions

Abstract

The write endurance and the 1/f noise of electrical origin were characterized in CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) for spin transfer torque or thermally assisted magnetic random access memories. A statistical study carried out on a set of 60 nominally identical patterned junctions of 200 nm diameter revealed a correlation trend between the electrical 1/f noise power in the unexercised MTJs and the number of write cycles that these MTJs can withstand before electrical breakdown. The junctions showing the largest 1/f noise power before the write endurance test (successive 30 ns pulses of 1.73 V) have the lowest endurance. In contrast, MTJs initially exhibiting lower 1/f noise tend to have a better electrical reliability, i.e., much longer write endurance. This correlation is explained by the presence of electron trapping sites in the MgO barrier and the role of electron trapping/detrapping phenomena in both MTJ reliability and its 1/f electrical noise power. These results suggest that 1/f noise could be used as a predictive characterization of the MTJ endurance.
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Dates and versions

cea-00852046 , version 1 (19-08-2013)

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S. Amara-Dababi, H. Béa, R. C. Sousa, C. Baraduc, B. Dieny. Correlation between write endurance and electrical low frequency noise in MgO based magnetic tunnel junctions. Applied Physics Letters, 2013, 102, pp.52404. ⟨10.1063/1.4788816⟩. ⟨cea-00852046⟩
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