TY - JOUR
T1 - Electric-Field-Controlled Magnetoelectric RAM
T2 - Progress, Challenges, and Scaling
AU - Amiri, Pedram Khalili
AU - Alzate, Juan G.
AU - Cai, Xue Qing
AU - Ebrahimi, Farbod
AU - Hu, Qi
AU - Wong, Kin
AU - Grèzes, Cécile
AU - Lee, Hochul
AU - Yu, Guoqiang
AU - Li, Xiang
AU - Akyol, Mustafa
AU - Shao, Qiming
AU - Katine, Jordan A.
AU - Langer, Jürgen
AU - Ocker, Berthold
AU - Wang, Kang L.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 IEEE.
PY - 2015/11/1
Y1 - 2015/11/1
N2 - We review the recent progress in the development of magnetoelectric RAM (MeRAM) based on electric-field-controlled writing in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). MeRAM uses the tunneling magnetoresistance effect for readout in a two-terminal memory element, similar to other types of magnetic RAM. However, the writing of information is performed by voltage control of magnetic anisotropy (VCMA) at the interface of an MgO tunnel barrier and the CoFeB-based free layer, as opposed to current-controlled (e.g., spin-transfer torque or spin-orbit torque) mechanisms. We present results on voltage-induced switching of MTJs in both resonant (precessional) and thermally activated regimes, which demonstrate fast (<1 ns) and ultralow-power (<40 fJ/bit) write operations at voltages ∼1.5-2 V. We also discuss the implications of the VCMA-based write mechanism on memory array design, highlighting the possibility of crossbar implementation for high bit density. Results are presented from a 1 kbit MeRAM test array. Endurance and voltage scaling data are presented. The scaling behavior is analyzed, and material-level requirements are discussed for the translation of MeRAM into mainstream memory applications.
AB - We review the recent progress in the development of magnetoelectric RAM (MeRAM) based on electric-field-controlled writing in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). MeRAM uses the tunneling magnetoresistance effect for readout in a two-terminal memory element, similar to other types of magnetic RAM. However, the writing of information is performed by voltage control of magnetic anisotropy (VCMA) at the interface of an MgO tunnel barrier and the CoFeB-based free layer, as opposed to current-controlled (e.g., spin-transfer torque or spin-orbit torque) mechanisms. We present results on voltage-induced switching of MTJs in both resonant (precessional) and thermally activated regimes, which demonstrate fast (<1 ns) and ultralow-power (<40 fJ/bit) write operations at voltages ∼1.5-2 V. We also discuss the implications of the VCMA-based write mechanism on memory array design, highlighting the possibility of crossbar implementation for high bit density. Results are presented from a 1 kbit MeRAM test array. Endurance and voltage scaling data are presented. The scaling behavior is analyzed, and material-level requirements are discussed for the translation of MeRAM into mainstream memory applications.
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U2 - 10.1109/TMAG.2015.2443124
DO - 10.1109/TMAG.2015.2443124
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84946550381
VL - 51
JO - IEEE Transactions on Magnetics
JF - IEEE Transactions on Magnetics
SN - 0018-9464
IS - 11
M1 - 7120957
ER -