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United States Patent6275411
Daughton , ; et al.August 14, 2001
Title
Spin dependent tunneling memory
Abstract
A digital data memory having a bit structure in a memory cell based on a dielectric intermediate separating material with two major surfaces having thereon an anisotropic ferromagnetic thin-film of differing thicknesses. These bit structures are fabricated within structural extent limits to operate satisfactorily, and are fabricated as series connected members of storage line structures. A corresponding conductive word line structure adjacent corresponding ones of these memory cells is used for selecting or operating them, or both, in data storage and retrieval operations.
Inventors:Daughton; James M. (Edina, MN), Everitt; Brenda A.  (Minneapolis, MN), Pohm; Arthur V.  (Ames, IA)
Assignee:Nonvolatile Electronics, Incorporated (Eden Prairie, MN)
Appl. No.:435598
Filed:November 8, 1999
Current U.S. Class:365/158 257/E43.004 365/145 365/154 365/157 
Field of Search:365/157,158,145,154,185.07
U.S. Patent Documents
5251088October 1993Coutellier et al.
5251170October 1993Daughton et al.
5343422August 1994Kung et al.
5347485September 1994Taguchi et al.
5390061February 1995Nakatani et al.
5452163September 1995Coffey et al.
5561368October 1996Dovek et al.
5576915November 1996Akiiyama et al.
5629922May 1997Moodera et al.
5636159June 1997Pohm
5640343June 1997Gallagher et al.
5650958July 1997Gallagher et al.
5734605March 1998Zhu et al.
5978257November 1999Zhu et al.
Other References
"Spin Dependent Tunneling Devices Fabricated Using Photolithography" by Beech et al., IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, vol. 32, No. 5, p. 4713-15, Sep. 1996. .
"Conductance and Exchange Coupling of Two Ferromagnets Separated by a Tunneling Barrier" by Slonczewski, 1989 The American Physical Society, p. 6995-7002, Apr. 1989. .
"Electron Tunneling Between Ferromagnetic Films", by Maekawa et al., IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, vol. Mag-18, No. 2, Mar. 1982. .
Electric Tunnel Effect Between Dissimilar Electrodes Separated by a Thin Insulating Film, by Simmons, Theory of Space-Charge-Limited Emission in Gas Diodes, p. 2581-2590. .
"Electrical Conduction in Ferromagnetic Metal Oxide Junctions", by Smeltzer, Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 42, No. 2, Feb. 1971. .
"Electron Tunneling into Ferromagnetic Metals" by Matsumoto et al., Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 20, 1980 pp 11-28. .
"Spin-Dependent Tunneling into Ferromagnetic Nickel", by Tedrow et al., Physical Review Letters, vol. 26, No. 4, Jan. 25, 1971. .
"Tunneling Between Ferromagnetic Films" by Julliere, Physics Letters, vol. 54A, No. 3, Sep. 1975. .
"Spin Polarization of Electrons Tunneling from Films, of Fe, Co, Ni and Gd", by Tedrow et al., Physical Review B, vol. 7, No. 1, Jan. 1, 1973. .
"Large Magnetoresistance Effect in 82NI-FE, Al-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 /Co Magnetic Tunneling Junction" by Miyazaki et al., Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 98 (1999). .
Dependence of Magnetoresistance on Temperature and Applied Voltage in a 82Ni-Fe/Al-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 /Co Tunneling Junction: by Yaoi et al., Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 126, (1993) 430-432. .
Ferromagnetic-Insulator-Ferromagnetic Tunneling: Spin-Dependent Tunneling and Large Magnetoresistance in Trilayer Junctions (Invited), J. Appl. Phys. 79 (8), Apr. 15, 1996. .
"Geometrically Enhanced Magnetoresistance in Ferromagnet-Insulator-Ferromagnet Tunnel Junctions" by Moodera et al., 1996 American Institute of Physics. .
"Optimim, Tunnel Barrier in Ferromagnetic-Insulator-Ferromagnetic Tunneling Structures", by Moodera et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 70 (922) Jun. 2, 1997..~
Primary Examiner: Le; Vu A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm:Kinney & Lange, P.A.
Parent Case Text


CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/679,183, filed Jul. 12, 1996 for "Magnetic Structure with Stratified Layers" which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/096,765, filed Jul. 23, 1993; and is also a division of application Ser. No. 08/965,333, filed Nov. 6, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,065, granted Feb. 1, 2000, that claims priority from Provisional Patent Application No. 60/030,236, filed Nov. 8, 1996 for "Spin Dependent Tunneling Memory", and is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/704,315, filed Sep. 6, 1996 for "Giant Magnetoresistive Effect Memory Cell", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,949,707, granted Sep. 7, 1999 said application Ser. No. 08/679,183, filed Jul. 12, 1996, abandoned.
Claims

What is claimed is:
1. A ferromagnetic thin-film based digital memory, said memory comprising:
a plurality of bit structures electrically interconnected with information retrieval circuitry, said bit structures comprising:
an electrically insulative intermediate layer of a selected thickness, said intermediate layer having two major surfaces on opposite sides thereof; and
a memory film of an anisotropic ferromagnetic material on each of said intermediate layer major surfaces of thicknesses differing from one another outwardly from those surfaces by at least 5% to thereby primarily provide switching thresholds for magnetizations of said film adjacent each of said intermediate layer major surfaces that differ in value for a switching of these magnetizations from both being directed initially at least in part in substantially a common direction to being directed at least in part in substantially opposite directions versus a switching from being directed initially at least in part in substantially opposite directions to both being directed at least in part in substantially a common direction, said intermediate layer major surfaces adjacent said memory film having a surface area which with said intermediate layer thickness, together provide a time constant for electrical energizations of said bit structures that is less than 35 .mu.s: and
a plurality of word line structures each having a pair of word line end terminal regions adapted to conduct electrical current in at least one direction therethrough, each of said pairs of word line end terminal regions having an electrical conductor electrically connected therebetween which is located across an electrical insulating layer from said memory film on one of said major surfaces of said intermediate layer of a corresponding one of said bit structures.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a said bit structure has a length along a selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length, said memory film in a said bit structure being characterized by an anisotropy field, and said width being sufficiently small that demagnetization fields arising in said memory film in response to its saturation magnetization being oriented along that said width exceed in magnitude said anisotropy field.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a said bit structure has a length along a selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length and has a shaped end portion extending over a portion of said length in which said width gradually reduces to zero at an end thereof.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said memory film at each of said major surfaces of said intermediate layer of at least one of said bit structures is arranged such that there are two separate films with one of said separate films on each of said major surfaces.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said plurality of word line structures each has corresponding positional relationships with plural ones of said plurality of bit structures.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said plurality of bit structures are interconnected with said information retrieval circuitry so as to have plural ones thereof electrically connected in parallel with one another.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said plurality of bit structures are interconnected with said information retrieval circuitry so as to have an electrical isolation device electrically coupled thereto that substantially prevents current in at least one direction along a current path through at least some set of said plurality of bit structures in which such current would otherwise occur during an information retrieval from a said bit structure if said plurality of bit structures were interconnected with said information retrieval circuitry to permit information retrievals therefrom without said electrical isolation device being coupled thereto.

8. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said bit structure has a length along selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length, said width being less than about two curling lengths of said separate films from edges thereof substantially perpendicular to said width.

9. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said memory film at each of said major surfaces is a composite film having a thinner stratum of higher magnetic saturation induction adjacent the intermediate material and a thicker stratum of lower magnetic saturation induction.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said plurality of bit structures each has a different said electrical isolation device electrically coupled thereto.

11. A ferromagnetic thin-film based digital memory, said memory comprising:
a plurality of bit structures electrically interconnected with information retrieval circuitry, said bit structures comprising:
an electrically insulative intermediate layer of a selected thickness said intermediate layer having two major surfaces on opposite sides thereof; and
a memory film of an anisotropic ferromagnetic material on each of said intermediate layer major surfaces of thicknesses differing from one another outwardly from those surfaces sufficiently greatly, for a selected current being conducted through said bit structure, to prevent magnetizations of said memory film adjacent those surfaces, oriented initially at least in part in a direction substantially opposite that of a word line field generated in a word line field direction by a subsequently supplied current due to a relatively rapid current change initiated through said word line, from both pointing in said word line field direction as a result of such current change initiation even though said word line field magnitude, after expiration of transients therein following such generation thereof, is less than that switching threshold characterizing said thicker memory film if switched by a word line field resulting from a relatively slowly changing word line current, said intermediate layer, major surfaces adjacent said memory film having a surface area which with said intermediate layer thickness, together provide a time constant for electrical energizations of said bit structures that is less than 35 .mu.s; and
a plurality of word line structures each having a pair of word line end terminal regions adapted to conduct electrical current in at least one direction therethrough, each of said pairs of word line end terminal regions having an electrical conductor electrically connected therebetween which is located across an electrical insulating layer from said memory film on one of said major surfaces of said intermediate layer of a corresponding one of said bit structures.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein a said bit structure has a length along a selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length, said memory film in a said bit structure being characterized by an anisotropy field, and said width being sufficiently small that demagnetization fields arising in said memory film in response to its saturation magnetization being oriented along that said width exceed in magnitude said anisotropy field.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein a said bit structure has a length along a selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length and has a shaped end portion extending over a portion of said length in which said width gradually reduces to zero at an end thereof.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said memory film at each of said major surfaces of said intermediate layer of at least one of said bit structures is arranged such that there are two separate films with one of said separate films on each of said major surfaces.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said plurality of word line structures each has corresponding positional relationships with plural ones of said plurality of bit structures.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said plurality of bit structures are interconnected with said information retrieval circuitry so as to have plural ones thereof electrically connected in parallel with one another.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said plurality of bit structures are interconnected with said information retrieval circuitry so as to have an electrical isolation device electrically coupled thereto that substantially prevents current in at least one direction along a current path through at least some set of said plurality of bit structures in which such current would otherwise occur during an information retrieval from a said bit structure if said plurality of bit structures were interconnected with said information retrieval circuitry to permit information retrievals therefrom without said electrical isolation device being coupled thereto.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said bit structure has a length along selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length, said width being less than about two curling lengths of said separate films from edges thereof substantially perpendicular to said width.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said memory film at each of said major surfaces is a composite film having a thinner stratum of higher magnetic saturation induction adjacent the intermediate material and a thicker stratum of lower magnetic saturation induction.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said plurality of bit structures each has a different said electrical isolation device electrically coupled thereto.

21. A ferromagnetic thin-film based digital memory, said memory comprising: a plurality of bit structures electrically interconnected with information retrieval circuitry, said bit structures comprising: an electrically insulative intermediate layer of a selected thickness, said intermediate layer having two major surfaces on opposite sides thereof; and
a memory film of an anisotropic ferromagnetic material on each of said intermediate layer major surfaces of thicknesses differing from one another outwardly from those surfaces by at least 5%, said memory film in a said bit structure being characterized by an anisotropy field, and said width being sufficiently small that demagnetization fields arising in said memory film in response to its saturation magnetization being oriented along that said width exceed in magnitude said anisotropy field, said intermediate layer major surfaces adjacent said memory film having a surface area which with said intermediate layer thickness, together provide a time constant for electrical energizations of said bit structures that is less than 35 .mu.s; and
a plurality of word line structures each having a pair of word line end terminal regions adapted to conduct electrical current in at least one direction therethrough, each of said pairs of word line end terminal regions having an electrical conductor electrically connected therebetween which is located across an electrical insulating layer from said memory film on one of said major surfaces of said intermediate layer of a corresponding one of said bit structures.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein a said bit structure has a length along a selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length and has a shaped end portion extending over a portion of said length in which said width gradually reduces to zero at an end thereof.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said memory film at each of said major surfaces of said intermediate layer of at least one of said bit structures is arranged such that there are two separate films with one of said separate films on each of said major surfaces.

24. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said plurality of word line structures each has corresponding positional relationships with plural ones of said plurality of bit structures.

25. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said plurality of bit structures are interconnected with said information retrieval circuitry so as to have plural ones thereof electrically connected in parallel with one another.

26. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said plurality of bit structures are interconnected with said information retrieval circuitry so as to have an electrical isolation device electrically coupled thereto that substantially prevents current in at least one direction along a current path through at least some set of said plurality of bit structures in which such current would otherwise occur during an information retrieval from a said bit structure if said plurality of bit structures were interconnected with said information retrieval circuitry to permit information retrievals therefrom without said electrical isolation device being coupled thereto.

27. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein said bit structure has a length along selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length, said width being less than about two curling lengths of said separate films from edges thereof substantially perpendicular to said width.

28. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein said memory film at each of said major surfaces is a composite film having a thinner stratum of higher magnetic saturation induction adjacent the intermediate material and a thicker stratum of lower magnetic saturation induction.

29. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said plurality of bit structures each has a different said electrical isolation device electrically coupled thereto.

30. A ferromagnetic thin-film based digital memory, said memory comprising:
a first storage line structure having a first storage line pair of end terminal regions suited to conduct electrical current in at least one direction therethrough, said storage line end terminal regions having electrically connected in parallel therebetween a plurality of bit structures, each said bit structure comprising:
an electrically insulative intermediate layer, said intermediate layer having two major surfaces on opposite sides thereof; and
a memory film of an anisotropic ferromagnetic material on each of said intermediate layer major surfaces having switching thresholds for magnetizations of said film adjacent each of said intermediate layer major surfaces that differ in value for a switching of these magnetizations from both being directed initially at least in part in substantially a common direction to being directed at least in part in substantially opposite directions versus a switching from being directed initially at least in part in substantially opposite directions to both being directed at least in part in substantially a common direction, and
a plurality of word line structures each having a pair of word line end terminal regions adapted to conduct electrical current in at least one direction therethrough, each of said pairs of word line end terminal regions having an electrical conductor electrically connected therebetween which is located across an electrical insulating layer from said memory film on one of said major surfaces of said intermediate layer of a corresponding one of said bit structures.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein a said bit structure has a length along a selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length, said memory film in a said bit structure being characterized by an anisotropy field, and said width being sufficiently small that demagnetization fields arising in said memory film in response to its saturation magnetization being oriented along that said width exceed in magnitude said anisotropy field.

32. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein a said bit structure has a length along a selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length and has a shaped end portion extending over a portion of said length in which said width gradually reduces to zero at an end thereof.

33. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein said memory film at each of said major surfaces of said intermediate layer of at least one of said bit structures is arranged such that there are two separate films with one of said separate films on each of said major surfaces.

34. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein said plurality of word line structures each has corresponding positional relationships with plural ones of said plurality of bit structures.

35. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein said plurality of bit structures are interconnected with said information retrieval circuitry so as to have an electrical isolation device electrically coupled thereto that substantially prevents current in at least one direction along a current path through at least some set of said plurality of bit structures in which such current would otherwise occur during an information retrieval from a said bit structure if said plurality of bit structures were interconnected with said information retrieval circuitry to permit information retrievals therefrom without said electrical isolation device being coupled thereto.

36. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein said b it structure has a length along selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length, said width being less than about two curling lengths of said separate films from edges thereof substantially perpendicular to said width.

37. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein said memory film at each of said major surfaces is a composite film having a thinner stratum of higher magnetic saturation induction adjacent the intermediate material and a thicker stratum of lower magnetic saturation induction.

38. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein said plurality of bit structures each has a different said electrical isolation device electrically coupled thereto.

39. A ferromagnetic thin-film based digital memory, said memory comprising:
a plurality of bit structures interconnected with information retrieval circuitry so as to have a transistor electrically coupled thereto that selectively substantially prevents current in at least one direction along a current path through at least some set of said plurality of bit structures in which such current would otherwise occur during an information retrieval from a said bit structure if said plurality of bit structures were interconnected with said information retrieval circuitry to permit information retrievals therefrom without said transistor being coupled thereto, each said bit structure comprising:
an electrically insulative intermediate layer of a selected thickness said intermediate layer having two major surfaces on opposite sides thereof; and
a memory film of an anisotropic ferromagnetic material on each of said intermediate layer major surfaces having switching thresholds for magnetizations of said film adjacent each of said intermediate layer major surfaces that differ in value for a switching of these magnetizations from both being directed initially at least in part in substantially a common direction to being directed at least in part in substantially opposite directions versus a switching from being directed initially at least in part in substantially opposite directions to both being directed at least in part in substantially a common direction, said intermediate layer major surfaces adjacent said memory film having a surface area which, with said intermediate layer thickness, together provide a time constant for electrical energizations of said bit structures that is less than 35 .mu.s, and a plurality of word line structures each having a pair of word line end terminal regions adapted to conduct electrical current in at least one direction therethrough, each of said pairs of word line end terminal regions having an electrical conductor electrically connected therebetween which is located across an electrical insulating layer from said memory film on one of said major surfaces of said intermediate layer of a corresponding one of said bit structures.

40. The apparatus of claim 39 wherein a said bit structure has a length along a selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length, said memory film in a said bit structure being characterized by an anisotropy field, and said width being sufficiently small that demagnetization fields arising in said memory film in response to its saturation magnetization being oriented along that said width exceed in magnitude said anisotropy field.

41. The apparatus of claim 39 wherein a said bit structure has a length along a selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length and has a shaped end portion extending over a portion of said length in which said width gradually reduces to zero at an end thereof.

42. The apparatus of claim 39 wherein said memory film at each of said major surfaces of said intermediate layer of at least one of said bit structures is arranged such that there are two separate films with one of said separate films on each of said-major surfaces.

43. The apparatus of claim 39 wherein said plurality of word line structures each has corresponding positional relationships with plural ones of said plurality of bit structures.

44. The apparatus of claim 42 wherein said bit structure has a length along selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length, said width being less than about two curling lengths of said separate films from edges thereof substantially perpendicular to said width.

45. The apparatus of claim 42 wherein said memory film at each of said major surfaces is a composite film having a thinner stratum of higher magnetic saturation induction adjacent the intermediate material and a thicker stratum of lower magnetic saturation induction.

46. The apparatus of claim 42 wherein said separate memory films at each of said major surfaces has differing magnetic moments because of thickness differences therein.

47. A ferromagnetic thin-film based digital memory, said memory comprising:
a plurality of bit structures each connected between corresponding interconnection conductors that are interconnected with information storage and retrieval circuitry so as to have an electrical isolation device electrically coupled thereto that substantially prevents current in at least one direction along a current path through at least some set of said plurality of bit structures in which such current would otherwise occur during an information retrieval from a said bit structure if said plurality of bit structures were interconnected with said information storage and retrieval circuitry to permit information retrievals therefrom without said electrical isolation device being coupled thereto, each said bit structure comprising:
an electrically insulative intermediate layer of a selected thickness, said intermediate layer having two major surfaces on opposite sides thereof; and a memory film of an anisotropic ferromagnetic material on each of said intermediate layer major surfaces having switching thresholds for magnetizations of said film adjacent each of said intermediate layer major surfaces that differ in value for a switching of these magnetizations from both being directed initially at least in part in substantially a common direction to being directed at least in part in substantially opposite directions versus a switching from being directed initially at least in part in substantially opposite directions to both being directed at least in part in substantially a common direction, said intermediate layer major surfaces adjacent said memory film having a surface area which with said intermediate layer thickness, together provide a time constant for electrical energizations of said bit structures that is less than 35 .mu.s; and
a plurality of word line structures each having a pair of word line end terminal regions adapted to conduct electrical current in at least one direction therethrough, each of said pairs of word line end terminal regions having an electrical conductor electrically connected therebetween which is located across an electrical insulating layer from said memory film on one of said major surfaces of said intermediate layer of a corresponding one of said bit structures.

48. The apparatus of claim 47 wherein a said bit structure has a length along a selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length, said memory film in a said bit structure being characterized by an anisotropy field, and said width being sufficiently small that demagnetization fields arising in said memory film in response to its saturation magnetization being oriented along that said width exceed in magnitude said anisotropy field.

49. The apparatus of claim 47 wherein a said bit structure has a length along a selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length and has a shaped end portion extending over a portion of said length in which said width gradually reduces to zero at an end thereof.

50. The apparatus of claim 47 wherein said memory film at each of said major surfaces of said intermediate layer of at least one of said bit structures is arranged such that there are two separate films with one of said separate films on each of said major surfaces.

51. The apparatus of claim 47 wherein said plurality of word line structures each has corresponding positional relationships with plural ones of said plurality of bit structures.

52. The apparatus of claim 47 wherein said electrical isolation device is a transistor.

53. The apparatus of claim 47 wherein said electrical isolation device is a diode.

54. The apparatus of claim 50 wherein said bit structure has a length along selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length, said width being less than about two curling lengths of said separate films from edges thereof substantially perpendicular to said width.

55. The apparatus of claim 50 wherein said memory film at each of said major surfaces is a composite film having a thinner stratum of higher magnetic saturation induction adjacent the intermediate material and a thicker stratum of lower magnetic saturation induction.

56. The apparatus of claim 50 wherein said separate memory films at each of said major surfaces has differing magnetic moments because of thickness differences therein.
This Preliminary Amendment is submitted for entry in the above-identified application prior to an Examiner undertaking a first Action in connection therewith.

57. A ferromagnetic thin-film based digital memory, said memory comprising:
a plurality of bit structures electrically interconnected with information retrieval circuitry, said bit structures comprising:
an electrically insulative intermediate layer of a selected thickness, said intermediate layer having two major surfaces on opposite sides thereof; and
a memory film of an anisotropic ferromagnetic material on each of said intermediate layer major surfaces having magnetizations which can be switched from both being directed initially at least in part in substantially a common direction to being directed at least in part in substantially opposite directions and can be switched from being directed initially at least in part in substantially opposite directions to both being directed at least in part in substantially a common direction to provide output signals to said information retrieval circuitry, said intermediate layer major surfaces adjacent said memory film having a surface area sufficiently large to provide at least that signal-to-noise ratio needed by said information retrieval circuitry to permit determinations thereby of directions of magnetizations of said memory film on each of said intermediate layer surfaces; and
a plurality of word line structures each having a pair of word line end terminal regions adapted to conduct electrical current in at least one direction therethrough, each of said pairs of word line end terminal regions having an electrical conductor electrically connected therebetween which is located across an electrical insulating layer from said memory film on one of said major surfaces of said intermediate layer of a corresponding one of said bit structures.

58. The apparatus of claim 57 wherein a said bit structure has a length along a selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length, said memory film in a said bit structure being characterized by an anisotropy field, and said width being sufficiently small that demagnetization fields arising in said memory film in response to its saturation magnetization being oriented along that said width exceed in magnitude said anisotropy field.

59. The apparatus of claim 57 wherein a said bit structure has a length along a selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length and has a shaped end portion extending over a portion of said length in which said width gradually reduces to zero at an end thereof.

60. The apparatus of claim 57 wherein said memory film at each of said major surfaces of said intermediate layer of at least one of said bit structures is arranged such that there are two separate films with one of said separate films on each of said major surfaces.

61. The apparatus of claim 57 wherein said plurality of word line structures each has corresponding positional relationships with plural ones of said plurality of bit structures.

62. The apparatus of claim 60 wherein said bit structure has a length along selected direction and a width substantially perpendicular thereto that is smaller in extent than said length, said width being less than about two curling lengths of said separate films from edges thereof substantially perpendicular to said width.

63. The apparatus of claim 60 wherein said memory film at each of said major surfaces is a composite film having a thinner stratum of higher magnetic saturation induction adjacent the intermediate material and a thicker stratum of lower magnetic saturation induction.

64. The apparatus of claim 60 wherein said separate memory films at each of said major surfaces has differing magnetic moments because of thickness differences therein.

65. A magnetoresistive thin-film layered structure, said structure comprising:
a substrate having a major surface portion; and
a magnetic field responsive structure supported on said substrate having an electrically insulative intermediate layer with two major surfaces on opposite sides thereof and memory films of ferromagnetic material on each of said intermediate layer major surfaces with at least one of said memory films being a composite thin-film having therein a magnetoresistive first ferromagnetic thin-film and a magnetoresistive second ferromagnetic thin-film with a magnetic moment differing from said first ferromagnetic thin-film.

66. The structure of claim 65 wherein said second ferromagnetic thin-film is in contact with both said electrically insulative layer and said first ferromagnetic thin-film and has a lower magnetic moment than does said first ferromagnetic thin-film.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to ferromagnetic thin-film structures exhibiting relatively large magnetoresistive characteristics and, more particularly, to such structures used for the storage and retrieval of digital data Many kinds of electronic systems make use of magnetic devices including both digital systems, such as memories, and analog systems such as magnetic field sensors. Digital data memories are used extensively in digital systems of many kinds including computers and computer systems components, and digital signal processing systems. Such memories can be advantageously based on the storage of digital symbols as alternative states of magnetization in magnetic materials provided in each memory storage cell, the result being memories which use less electrical power and do not lose information upon removals of such electrical power.

Such memory cells, and magnetic field sensors also, can often be advantageously fabricated using ferromagnetic thin-film materials, and are often based on magnetoresistive sensing of magnetic states, or magnetic conditions, therein. Such devices may be provided on a surface of a monolithic integrated circuit to provide convenient electrical interconnections between the device and the operating circuitry therefor.

Ferromagnetic thin-film memory cells, for instance, can be made very small and packed very closely together to achieve a significant density of information storage, particularly when so provided on the surface of a monolithic integrated circuit. In this situation, the magnetic environment can become quite complex with fields in any one memory cell affecting the film portions in neighboring memory cells. Also, small ferromagnetic film portions in a memory cell can lead to substantial demagnetization fields which can cause instabilities in the magnetization state desired in such a cell.

These magnetic effects between neighbors in an array of closely packed ferromagnetic thin-film memory cells can be ameliorated to a considerable extent by providing a memory cell based on an intermediate separating material having two major surfaces on each of which an anisotropic ferromagnetic memory thin-film is provided. Such an arrangement provides significant "flux closure," i.e. a more closely confined magnetic flux path, to thereby confine the magnetic field arising in the cell to affecting primarily just that cell. This result is considerably enhanced by choosing the separating material in the ferromagnetic thin-film memory cells to each be sufficiently thin. Similar "sandwich" structures are also used in magnetic sensors.

In the recent past, reducing the thicknesses of the ferromagnetic thin-films and the intermediate layers in extended "sandwich" structures, and adding possibly alternating ones of such films and layers, i.e. superlattices, have been shown to lead to a "giant magnetoresistive effect" being present in some circumstances. This effect yields a magnetoresistive response which can be in the range of up to an order of magnitude or more greater than that due to the well known anisotropic magnetoresistive response.

In the ordinary anisotropic magnetoresistive response, varying the difference occurring between the direction of the magnetization vector in a ferromagnetic thin-film and the direction of sensing currents passed through that film leads to varying effective electrical resistance in the film in the direction of the current. The maximum electrical resistance occurs when the magnetization vector in the field and the current direction therein are parallel to one another, while the minimum resistance occurs when they are perpendicular to one another. The total electrical resistance in such a magnetoresistive ferromagnetic film can be shown to be given by a constant value, representing the minimum resistance, plus an additional value depending on the angle between the current direction in the film and the magnetization vector therein. This additional resistance has a magnitude characteristic that follows the square of the cosine of that angle.

Operating magnetic fields imposed externally can be used to vary the angle of the magnetization vector in such a film portion with respect to the easy axis of that film. Such an axis comes about in the film because of an anisotropy therein typically resulting from depositing the film during fabrication in the presence of an external magnetic field oriented in the plane of the film along the direction desired for the easy axis in the resulting film. During subsequent operation of the device having this resulting film, such operational magnetic fields imposed externally can be used to vary the angle to such an extent as to cause switching of the film magnetization vector between two stable states which occur for the magnetization being oriented in opposite directions along the film's easy axis. The state of the magnetization vector in such a film can be measured, or sensed, by the change in resistance encountered by current directed through this film portion. This arrangement has provided the basis for a ferromagnetic, magnetoresistive anisotropic thin-film to serve as a memory cell.

In contrast to this arrangement, the resistance in the plane of a ferromagnetic thin-film is isotropic for the giant magnetoresistive effect rather than depending on the direction of the sensing current therethrough as for the anisotropic magnetoresistive effect. The giant magnetoresistive effect involves a change in the electrical resistance of the structure thought to come about from the passage of conduction electrons between the ferromagnetic layers in the "sandwich" structure, or superlattice structure, through the separating nonmagnetic layers with the resulting scattering occurring at the layer interfaces, and in the ferromagnetic layers, being dependent on the electron spins. The magnetization dependant component of the resistance in connection with this effect varies as the sine of the absolute value of half the angle between the magnetization vectors in the ferromagnetic thin-films provided on either side of an intermediate nonmagnetic layer. The electrical resistance in the giant magnetoresistance effect through the "sandwich" or superlattice structure is lower if the magnetizations in the separated ferromagnetic thin-films are parallel and oriented in the same direction than it is if these magnetizations are antiparallel, i.e. oriented in opposing or partially opposing directions. Further, the anisotropic magnetoresistive effect in very thin films is considerably reduced from the bulk values therefor in thicker films due to surface scattering, whereas a significant giant magnetoresistive effect is obtained only in very thin films. Nevertheless, the anisotropic magnetoresistive effect remains present in the films used in giant magnetoresistive effect structures.

As indicated above, the giant magnetoresistive effect can be increased by adding further alternate intermediate nonmagnetic and ferromagnetic thin-film layers to extend a "sandwich" structure into a stacked structure, i.e. a superlattice structure. The giant magnetoresistive effect is sometimes called the "spin valve effect" in view of the explanation that a larger fraction of conduction electrons are allowed to move more freely from one ferromagnetic thin-film layer to another if the magnetizations in those layers are parallel than if they are antiparallel or partially antiparallel to thereby result in the magnetization states of the layers acting as sort of a "valve."

Thus, a digital data memory cell based on the use of structures exhibiting the giant magnetoresistive effect is attractive as compared to structures based on use of an anisotropic magnetoresistive effect because of the larger signals obtainable in information retrieval operations with respect to such cells. Such larger magnitude signals are easier to detect without error in the presence of noise thereby leading to less critical requirements on the retrieval operation circuitry.

A memory cell structure suitable for permitting the storing and retaining of a digital bit of information, and for permitting retrieving same therefrom has been demonstrated based on a multiple layer "sandwich" construction in a rectangular solid. This cell has a pair of ferromagnetic layers of equal thickness and area separated by a conductive nonmagnetic layer of the same shape and area parallel to the ferromagnetic layers but of smaller thickness. These ferromagnetic layers are each a composite layer formed of two strata each of a different magnetic material, there being a relatively thin ferromagnetic stratum in each of the composite layers adjacent the nonmagnetic layer and a thicker ferromagnetic stratum in each of the composite layers adjacent the thin ferromagnetic stratum therein. The ferromagnetic material of the thick stratum in one of the composite layers is the same as that in the thin stratum in the other composite layer, and the ferromagnetic material of the thin stratum in the first composite layer is the same as the ferromagnetic material in the thick stratum of the second composite layer. Each of the composite layers is fabricated in the presence of a magnetic field so as to result in having an easy axis parallel to the long sides of the rectangular solid. The dimensions of the cell structure were 10 .mu.m in length and 5 .mu.m in width with a nonmagnetic layer of thickness 30 .ANG.. The composite ferromagnetic layers are each formed of a 15 .ANG. thin stratum and a 40 .ANG. thick stratum.

Thus, this memory cell structure has a pair of ferromagnetic layers of matching geometries but different magnetic materials in the strata therein to result in one such layer having effectively a greater saturation magnetization and a greater anisotropy field than the other to result in different coercivities in each. In addition, the structure results in a coupling of the magnetization between the two ferromagnetic layers therein due to exchange coupling between them leading to the magnetizations in each paralleling one another in the absence of any applied magnetic fields. As a result, the electrical resistance of the cell along its length versus applied magnetic fields in either direction parallel thereto is represented by two characteristics depending on the magnetization history of the cell. Each of these characteristics exhibits a peak in this resistance for applied longitudinal fields having absolute values that are somewhat greater than zero, one of these characteristics exhibiting its peak for positive applied longitudinal fields and the other characteristic exhibiting its peak for negative applied longitudinal fields. The characteristic followed by the resistance of the cell for relatively small applied longitudinal fields depends on which direction the magnetization is oriented along the easy axis for the one of the two ferromagnetic layers having the larger coercivity. Thus, by setting the magnetization of the layer with the higher coercivity, a bit of digital information can be stored and retained, and the value of that bit can be retrieved without affecting this retention through a determination of which characteristic the resistance follows for a relatively small applied longitudinal field.

Such memory cell behavior for this structure can be modeled by assuming that the ferromagnetic layers therein are each a single magnetic domain so that positioning of the magnetization vectors in the ferromagnetic layers is based on coherent rotation, and that uniaxial anisotropies characterize those layers. The angles of the magnetization vectors in the two ferromagnetic layers with respect to the easy axis in those layers are then found by minimizing the magnetic energy of these anisotropies summed with that due to the applied external fields and to exchange coupling. That total energy per unit volume is then

Here, K.sub.u1 and K.sub.u2 are anisotropy constants, A.sub.12 is the exchange constant, M.sub.s1 and M.sub.s2 are the magnetization saturation values, and H is the externally applied field. As indicated above, once the magnetization vectors have taken an angular position with respect to the easy axis of the corresponding layer at a minimum in the above indicated energy, the effective resistance between the ends of the memory cell structure is determined by the net angle between the magnetization vectors in each of these layers.

Because of the assumption of single domain behavior in the ferromagnetic layers, the above equation would seemingly be expected to improve its approximation of the assistant total magnetic energy as the length and width of that memory cell structure decreased toward having submicron dimensions. However, this mode of operation described for providing the two magnetoresistive characteristics based on the history of the layer magnetizations, in depending on the differing anisotropy fields in the two ferromagnetic layers because of the differing materials used therein, becomes less and less reliable as these dimensions decrease. This appears to occur because decreasing the cell dimensions gives rise to larger and larger demagnetizing fields in the two ferromagnetic layers which, at some point, overwhelm the effects of the anisotropy fields so that the above described behavior no longer occurs as described. In addition, the magnetizations of the two ferromagnetic layers rotate together under the influences of externally applied fields at angles with respect to the corresponding easy axis at angular magnitudes much more nearly equal to one another because of the increasing demagnetization fields in these layers as the dimensions thereof decrease. As a result, these ferromagnetic layers are less and less able to have the magnetizations thereof switch directions of orientation independently of one another as the dimensions thereof decrease so that the structure they are in becomes less able to provide the above described memory function in relying on only these ferromagnetic layer anisotropy differences.

An alternative memory cell structure which is more suited to submicron dimensions is a cell of the kind described above exhibiting "giant magnetoresistive effect" but which has the two composite ferromagnetic layers formed of different thicknesses in the thick strata therein. Thus, the thick strata in one might be on the order of 40 .ANG. while that of the other might be on the order of 55 .ANG. as an example. In this structure, reducing the size to submicron dimensions uses the shape anisotropy introduced by this thickness difference to provide different switching thresholds for each of the ferromagnetic composite layers in response to externally applied operating magnetic fields. The shape anisotropy leads to the effect of the demagnetizing field of one layer affecting the switching threshold of the other after the former layer has switched its magnetization direction. As a result, the thicker ferromagnetic layer has a magnetization which is fixed in orientation for externally applied operating magnetic fields that are just sufficient to switch the thinner ferromagnetic composite layer but not great enough to switch the magnetization of the thicker ferromagnetic composite layer. In effect, the demagnetizing fields as the device becomes sufficiently small dominate the anisotropy fields that result from the deposition of the ferromagnetic layers in the presence of a magnetic field.

In the absence of externally applied operating magnetic field, the two composite ferromagnetic layers have the magnetizations therein pointing in opposite directions, i.e. they are antiparallel to one another, to result in the structure as a whole having relatively small cell demagnetizing fields and small external stray fields to affect the nearby memory cells. The direction of magnetization in the thicker ferromagnetic composite layer is used to store the digital information which can only be changed in direction by externally applied fields great enough to switch magnetization directions in both composite ferromagnetic layers. That is, storing new information in the cell requires that the thicker ferromagnetic layer be capable of having the magnetization direction therein switched to be in accord with the incoming digital data.

Retrieving information from such a memory cell is accomplished by switching the magnetization direction of the thinner ferromagnetic composite layer only as a basis for determining in which direction relative to the tinner layer is the magnetization oriented in the thicker layer. Typically, both such storing and retrieving has meant that there needs to be a pair of external conductors which can coincidentally supply current to result in a field large enough to switch the magnetization of the thicker ferromagnetic composite layer, but with that current in either conductor alone being able to generate fields only sufficient to switch the threshold of the thinner ferromagnetic layer. In some situations, only a single external conductor need be provided for this purpose because the sense current used in retrieving information from the memory cell can provide the coincident current needed with the current in the external conductor to switch the magnetization direction of the thicker ferromagnetic layer. Such a memory cell is described in an earlier filed co-pending application by A. Pohm and B. Everitt entitled "Giant Magnetoresistive Effect Memory Cell" having Ser. No. 08/923,478 assigned to the same assignee as the present application and which is hereby incorporated herein.

Such a cell formed in a "sandwich" structure would typically exhibit an output signal which is on the order of a 5% to 6% change in resistance from the nominal resistance of the cell. The retrieval of data from such a cell typically requires the use of "autozeroing" circuitry which, operated prior to the retrieving step, eliminates retrieval circuit imbalances. This need coupled with the relatively large currents used in this latter kind of memory cell results in slowing the operation of that cell, and such currents also lead to substantial power dissipation. Thus, there is a desire for an alternative arrangement for such a "sandwich" structure having submicron dimensions which provide desirable magnetoresistance versus applied magnetic field characteristics that can be used for storing and retrieving bits of digital data information but which provides a larger signal with less power dissipation so that such retrievals can be done at a greater rate without undue heat generation.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a digital data memory having a bit structure in a memory cell based on a dielectric intermediate separating material with two major surfaces on each of which there is a anisotropic ferromagnetic thin-film but of differing moments including moment differences due to differing thicknesses. The ferromagnetic film at each such surface is a composite film having a thinner stratum of higher magnetic saturation induction adjacent the intermediate material and a thicker stratum of lower magnetic saturation induction. These bit structures are fabricated within structural extent limits to operate satisfactorily, and can be fabricated to be interconnected in various information retrieval output circuitry configurations. A corresponding conductive word line structure for each of such memory cells is positioned adjacent the ferromagnetic film on one of these surfaces but separated therefrom for use in selecting or operating corresponding ones of these memory cells, or both, in data storage and retrieval operations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B represent a plan view of a portion of a monolithic integrated circuit structure embodying the present invention and a layer diagram of a part of this structure,

FIG. 2 represents a fragmentary portion of the layer diagram of FIG. 1B,

FIGS. 3A and 3B represent a plan view of a portion of a monolithic integrated circuit structure embodying an alternative to the invention and the layer diagram of a part of this structure shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B,

FIG. 4 represents a characteristic diagram for structures similar to one of those shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2,

FIGS. 5A and 5B represent a plan view of a structure from FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2, and an approximation thereof,

FIG. 6 represents a graph of responses for a structure similar to one of those shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2,

FIGS. 7A and 7B show graphs of characteristics for a structure similar to one of those shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2,

FIGS. 8A and 8B are a circuit schematic diagram of a portion of a digital memory system based on the structure shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2, and an equivalent circuit of a portion of that circuit schematic diagram,

FIGS. 9A and 9B are a circuit schematic diagram of a portion of an alternative digital memory system based on the structure shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2, and a layer diagram showing additional structure to that shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2,

FIGS. 10A and 10B are a circuit schematic diagram of a portion of an alternative digital memory system based on a structure partly similar to that shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2, and a layer diagram showing that structure, and

FIGS. 11A, 11B and 11C are circuit schematic diagrams of a portion of alternative digital memory systems based on the structure shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A digital data bit storage and retrieval memory cell suited for fabrication with submicron dimensions can be fabricated that provides rapid retrievals of bit data stored therein and low power dissipation by substituting an electrical insulator for a conductor in the nonmagnetic layer. This memory cell can be fabricated using ferromagnetic thin-film materials of similar or different kinds in each of the magnetic memory films used in a "sandwich" structure on either side of an intermediate nonmagnetic layer which ferromagnetic films may be composite films, but this intermediate nonmagnetic layer conducts electrical current therethrough based primarily on a quantum electrodynamic effect "tunneling" current.

This "tunneling" current has a magnitude dependence on the angle between the magnetization vectors in each of the ferromagnetic layers on either side of the intermediate layer due to the transmission barrier provided by this intermediate layer depending on the degree of matching of the spin polarizations of the electrons tunneling therethrough with the spin polarizations of the conduction electrons in the ferromagnetic layers which are set by their magnetization directions to provide a "magnetic valve effect". Such an effect results in an effective resistance or conductance characterizing this intermediate layer with respect to the "tunneling" current therethrough. In addition, shape anisotropy is used in such a cell to provide different magnetization switching thresholds in the two ferromagnetic layers by forming one of the ferromagnetic layers to be thicker than the other. Such devices may be provided on a surface of a monolithic integrated circuit to thereby allow providing convenient electrical connections between each such memory cell device and the operating circuitry therefor.

A "sandwich" structure for such a memory cell, based on having an intermediate thin layer of a nonmagnetic, dielectric separating material with two major surfaces on each of which a anisotropic ferromagnetic thin-film is positioned, exhibits the "magnetic valve effect" if the materials for the ferromagnetic thin-films and the intermediate layers are properly selected and have sufficiently small thicknesses. The resulting "magnetic valve effect" can yield a response which can be several times in magnitude greater than that due to the "giant magnetoresistive effect" in a similar sized cell structure.

FIG. 1A shows a plan view of an example of such memory cells as part of a digital memory formed as a portion of a monolithic integrated circuit, including a supporting semiconductor chip as part of the memory substrate, which can have conveniently provided therein the operating circuitry for this memory. FIG. 1B provides a fragmentary view of a portion of the view shown in FIG. 1A to show the layered structure thereof, and also has parts thereof broken out to show some of the structure therebelow, again for greater clarity. The protective layer provided over portions of the structure shown in FIG. 1A in actual use has been omitted in this view for clarity, but that layer is shown in part in FIG. 1B. Certain other portions of some layers have been omitted, again for clarity, so that the structure portions present are shown in solid line form if they are exposed in the absence of some layer thereover now omitted, but with other structure portions beneath the solid line form portions appearing in these figures being shown in dashed line form.

Corresponding to FIGS. 1A and 1B is FIG. 2 which is a layer diagram of a corresponding portion of the structures shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. this layer diagram gives an indication of the structural layers leading to portions of the structures shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, but FIGS. 1B and 2 are not true cross section views in that many dimensions therein are exaggerated or reduced for purposes of clarity.

As indicated above, the memory cell structures in these figures are typically provided on a semiconductor chip, 10, having suitable operating circuitry for the memory provided in the resulting monolithic integrated circuit structure. An electrical insulating layer, 11, formed on semiconductor chip 10 by a sputter deposition of silicon nitride, supports the memory cell "sandwich" structures thereon each of which comprises a pair of ferromagnetic thin-film layers that are separated from one another by a nonmagnetic, electrically nonconductive or dielectric intermediate layer, or barrier layer, as will be described in more detail below. A portion of just layer 11 is shown in the high resolution drawing of FIG. 2. Typically, layer 11 is formed by this silicon nitride deposited to a thickness of about 10,000 .ANG.. Photoresist is spread over layer 11 and patterned to provide via openings therethrough and through appropriate ones of the insulating layers in integrated circuit 10.

A first interconnection, 11', for the above indicated memory cell "sandwich" structures is next provided on insulating layer 11 as both this interconnection and as a further substrate portion for supporting the memory cell "sandwich" structures to be subsequently provided. Thus, a metal deposition is made on layer 11 of aluminum alloyed with 2% copper to cover that layer and fill the via openings therein for electrical interconnections to the integrated circuitry in and on the semiconductor substrate below. This metal layer is typically deposited to a thickness of 1000 .ANG.. Photoresist is then spread thereover with openings therein where the unwanted portions of that metal layer are to be eliminated, and reactive ion etching is undertaken to provide this elimination of unwanted metal layer portions. Interconnection and support structure 11' resulting from this elimination is shown in FIGS. 1B and 2.

Thereafter, the "sandwich" structures just mentioned are provided on interconnection support layer 11' with each of the ferromagnetic thin-film layers and the intermediate layer being provided, or at least initially provided, through sputter deposition as a basis for forming a magnetoresistive memory cell. This multilayer structure will have a vertical direction effective resistivity based on the quantum electrodynamic effect tunneling current passing therethrough which might range from
0.01 to 10,000 M.OMEGA.-.mu.m.sup.2 because of the extreme sensitivity of this effective resistivity to the thickness of the barrier layer. In addition, the structure will typically exhibit an effective capacitance and a magnetically controlled tunneling effect response exceeding 20% between the minimum effective resistance value and the maximum effective resistance value achievable under such control.

In this structure, the first layer provided is a composite ferromagnetic thin-film layer sputter deposited onto interconnection and support 11' with the result shown in FIG. 2. A first stratum, 12, of this composite ferromagnetic thin-film layer is formed of an alloy of 65% nickel, 15% iron and 20% cobalt deposited to a thickness of 40 .ANG., which has a magnetic saturation induction of typically about 10,000 Gauss, and this process results in the deposited film having a face-centered cubic structure. The deposition of this layer occurs in the presence of an external magnetic field in the plane of the film oriented along a direction parallel to the extended direction of interconnection and support 11' in FIG. 1B This fabrication magnetic field will leave the easy axis of the film similarly directed. Alternatively, the deposition field may be provided at an angle to the extended direction of interconnection and support 11' to provide a bias rotation of the layer magnetization to facilitate switching the direction of that magnetization.

A second stratum, 13, is also provided in a sputter deposition step in the presence of a similar fabrication magnetic field. Second stratum 13 is formed of 5% iron and 95% cobalt to a thickness of 15 .ANG. resulting in this material having a magnetic saturation induction of approximately 16,000 Gauss which is a higher value than that of the magnetic saturation induction of first stratum 12. This higher saturation material is provided adjacent the intermediate or barrier layer, which is the next layer to be formed, to thereby obtain a greater magnetically controlled tunneling effect, but the lower saturation value in stratum 12 is provided to keep the -composite film more sensitive to smaller fields than it would be in its absence. This composite layer is designated 12, 13 in FIG. 1B.

Thereafter, an intermediate or barrier layer, 14, is provided by sputter deposition and oxidation onto layer 13, this intermediate layer being a dielectric. Layer 14 is begun typically by sputter depositing 12 .ANG. of aluminum onto layer 13, and continuing to provide two further angstroms of this material using the aluminum sputtering target but also introducing oxygen into the sputtering chamber. The result is to convert the already deposited aluminum layer substantially into aluminum oxide which expands its thickness by a factor of about 1.3, and to add another two angstroms of aluminum oxide thereto giving an intermediate layer or barrier layer thickness of approximately 17.5 .ANG. with the layer being formed primarily of aluminum oxide. Any portion of the previously deposited aluminum metal unoxidized in this process will result in a very thin layer of that aluminum on and between ferromagnetic layer 12,13 and the aluminum oxide dielectric barrier layer which can be advantageous.

The provision of layer 14 is followed by providing a second composite ferromagnetic thin-film layer that is provided on layer 14, and its structure matches that of the first composite ferromagnetic layer comprising strata 12 and 13, except for being thinner and reversed in strata order, because of the use of essentially the same deposition steps. As a result, the stratum having the greater magnetic saturation induction is again adjacent to layer 14 in the second composite layer, and the lesser magnetic saturation induction stratum is provided thereon but with a thickness of only 25 .ANG.. Since the strata are otherwise the same, they have been designated in FIG. 2 as 13' and 12' in correspondence to strata 13 and 12.

After completing this "sandwich" structure, a 2000 .ANG. layer of tantalum or tantalum nitride is sputter deposited on stratum 12' to passivate to protect stratum 12' therebelow, and to allow electrical connections thereto for circuit purposes. The resulting layer, 15, is shown in broken form in FIG. 2 because of its significantly greater thickness compared to the ferromagnetic composite layers and the nonmagnetic intermediate or barrier layer.

Similarly, a further layer, 16, is deposited on layer 15, and is shown in broken from in FIG. 2 because of its relatively greater thickness of 100 .ANG.. Layer 15 is first sputter cleaned which removes around 75 .ANG. thereof. Then, layer 16
is sputter deposited on cleaned layer 15 as a chrome silicon layer with 40% chrome and 60% silicon to serve as an etch stop for the subsequent etching of a layer to be provided thereover as a milling mask.

That is, another layer of silicon nitride is next sputter deposited on layer 16 to a depth of 1000 .ANG. to be used as a milling mask, but this layer is not shown in FIG. 2 because its remnants will be incorporated in a further insulating layer to be provided later. On this silicon nitride mask layer, photoresist is deposited and patterned in such a way as to form a pattern for an etching mask which is to be formed following that pattern by leaving the mask portions of the silicon nitride layer therebelow after etching. This last masking pattern in the silicon nitride is to result, after milling therethrough to remove the exposed ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic layers therebelow, in a substantial number of separated bit structures to serve as the memory cells in the digital memory each with a "sandwich" construction. Reactive ion etching is used with the patterned photoresist to remove the exposed portions of the silicon nitride masking layer down to chrome silicon layer 16 serving as an etch stop. The remaining portions of the silicon nitride layer protected by the photoresist serve as the above mentioned milling mask for the subsequent ion milling step which removes the exposed portions of chrome silicon layer 16, and thereafter, also the then exposed portions of layer 15, the next exposed portions of the second composite ferromagnetic thin-film layer formed as strata 13' and 12', the subsequently exposed portions of intermediate nonmagnetic layer 14' and, finally, the resultingly exposed portions of the first composite ferromagnetic thin-film layer formed as strata 13 and 12 down to interconnection and support 11'.

A portion of one of the resulting memory cells, 17, from FIG. 1A is shown in FIG. 2, as indicated above, and has counterparts thereof shown in FIG. 1B (where they are designated again by numeral 17) with only some of the layers in each such cell being represented as distinct in this latter figure. The full multilayer structure that is shown in FIG. 2 with the distinct strata in the composite ferromagnetic layers is not shown in that manner in FIG. 1B because of the larger scale used in that figure. Some of these memory cells can also be seen in the plan view of FIG. 1A, and each of such structures is also designated by numeral 17 in that figure. The easy axes of the ferromagnetic thin-film composite layers in each of memory cells 17 are parallel to the direction of the longest extent of those structures. Each memory cell 17 is formed with a rectangular central portion in this plan view continuing into triangular portions tapering away from opposite ends of the rectangular portion along the easy axis to form the ends of the cell.

Following the completion of memory cell or bit structure 17, another layer of silicon nitride is sputter deposited over those structures and the exposed portions of interconnection and support 11' to a thickness of 7500 .ANG. to form an insulating layer, 19. Photoresist is provided over insulating layer 19 as an etching mask to provide via openings therethrough, and through silicon nitride layer 11 and appropriates ones of insulating layers in integrated circuit 10.

On insulating layer 19, so prepared, a further metal deposition is made, again of aluminum alloyed with 2% copper, to cover that layer and fill the via openings therein, and in silicon nitride layer 11 and the insulating layers in integrated circuit 10. This metal layer is typically deposited to a thickness of 1000 .ANG.. Photoresist is spread thereover with openings therein where the unwanted portions of that metal layer are to be eliminated, and reactive ion etching is undertaken to provide this elimination of unwanted metal layer portions. The structures that result from this elimination is shown in FIG. 1B, and in FIG. 1A, as a plurality of upper interconnections, 20, for interconnecting memory cell structure 17 in parallel to one another in conjunction with interconnection and support 11'. As a result of the via openings in silicon nitride layer 11, upper interconnections 20 are also interconnected with electronic circuitry in the integrated circuits in semiconductor substrate 10 therebelow.

The completion of upper interconnection structures 20 is followed by depositing another layer of typically 7500 .ANG. of silicon nitride thereover, and over the exposed portions of silicon nitride layer 20 to form a further insulating layer, 21. Photoresist is provided over insulating layer 21 as an etching mask to provide via openings therethrough, and through silicon nitride insulating layers 19 and 11 as well as though appropriate ones of the insulating layers in integrated circuit 10.

On insulating layer 21, prepared in this manner, a further metal deposition is made, again of aluminum alloyed with 2% copper, to cover that layer and fill the openings therein, and in silicon nitride layers 19 and 11 as well as the insulating layers in integrated circuit 10. This metal layer is typically deposited to a thickness of 3500 .ANG.. Photoresist is spread thereover with openings therein where the unwanted portions of that metal layer are to be eliminated, and reactive ion etching is undertaken to provide this elimination of unwanted metal layer portions. The structures that result from this elimination are shown in FIG. 1B, and in FIG. 1A, as a plurality of word lines, 22, for the memory each positioned across insulating layer
21, upper interconnection structures 20, and insulating layer 19 from corresponding memory cell structures 17 supported on and interconnected to interconnections and supports 11'. As a result of the via openings, these word lines are also interconnected with electronic circuitry in the integrated circuits in semiconductor substrate 10 therebelow. A further insulator layer, 23, is provided by sputter depositing 7500 .ANG. of silicon nitride over word lines 22 and the exposed portions of insulator 21. Insulator 23 serves as a passivation and protection layer for the device structure therebelow. Layer 23 is seen in FIG. 1B but is not shown in FIG. 1A to avoid obscuring that figure.

A memory cell or bit structure 17 of the structure described resulting from the just described process for fabricating same will have a relatively linear change in the quantum electrodynamic effect "tunneling" current therethrough from one ferromagnetic layer to the other with respect to the voltage provided across the cell, i.e. between these ferromagnetic layers, for relatively lower voltages but the current magnitude increases more than linearly for higher values of voltage across the cell. As the voltage across the cell increases, the fractional change in the in the "tunneling" current through the cell, for the ferromagnetic layers having magnetizations changing from parallel to one another to antiparallel, decreases to being only half as great with several hundred millivolts across the cell as occurs in the situation with a hundred or less millivolts across the cell so that this fractional change with cell voltage will range from a few percent to 20% or more. The fractional change in the resistance of the cell for the ferromagnetic layers having magnetizations changing from parallel to one another to antiparallel increases to about one and one-half the room temperature values when the cell is cooled to 77.degree. K, but the "tunneling" current through the cell increases by only about 10% to 20% indicating that the effective resistivity of the cell is relatively insensitive to temperature (around 500 to 1000 ppm/.degree. C.).

The effective resistivity of a cell 17 is set by the amount of "tunneling" current through the cell permitted by barrier layer 14 for the voltage across the cell. The high sensitivity of the "tunneling" current to the thickness of the barrier layer leads to a wide range of cell resistivities which have been observed to be from 0.01 to 1000 M.OMEGA.-.mu.m.sup.2. On the other hand, barrier layer 14 appears to permit relatively little magnetic coupling between the ferromagnetic layers thereacross with the coupling fields typically being only a few Oe.

One structural arrangement alternative to that shown in FIG. 1 that is possible is shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. In this alternative, the word lines, now designated 22', are deposited directly on silicon nitride layer 11 with an insulating layer, now designated 23', deposited thereover to provide the supporting substrate for interconnection and support 11' and memory cells 17. Memory cells 17 are again connected parallel using interconnection and support 11' on the lower side thereof and upper interconnection 20 on the upper side thereof to provide the interconnections with memory cells 17 if connected in parallel therebetween. Insulating layer 21 now becomes the protective and passivating layer for the device. A further alternative, not shown, would be to provide word lines above and below memory cells or bit structures 17 at some angle with respect to each other, typically at right angles, for providing magnetic fields to affect the corresponding cell provided between each crossover of such word lines so that current for this purpose need not be carried in interconnection and support 11'.

The fabrication steps just described are, of course, applied to semiconductor material wafers having many integrated circuit chips therein to serve as memory substrates so that many such digital memories can be fabricated simultaneously in and on such wafers. Once all memory cell structures 17 are fabricated on each chip substrate, along with all of the associated interconnection structures and word line structures as protected by the final insulating layer, the wafers are then ready for wafer testing, for the separating of the individual devices into separate chips, and the housing of them in "packages".

The plan view of the shapes of bit structures 17, i.e. having a rectangular center portion tapering into triangular end portions at opposite ends thereof, are not the only plan view geometrical shapes which can be used. An alternative would be to form memory cell structure 17 with a plan view geometry following a parallelogram. There may be other alternative plan view shapes for memory cell structures 17 which can improve the packing density of those structures on an integrated circuit chip substrate.

A representation of a pair of typical magnetoresistance characteristics of a memory cell or bit structure 17 versus external magnetic fields applied along its length, i.e. along its easy axis, is shown in FIG. 4 for an individual bit structure example of relatively larger size rather than a smaller structure taken from a parallel string thereof as a more easily understood example. A fixed quantum effect tunneling a current of 2.0 .mu.A is used as the operating current through the device between the upper interconnection and the lower interconnection to that device. This known current, along with the measured voltage across the cell, provides the resistance of that cell.

The characteristic, 30, having the peak on the left in FIG. 4 develops from initially having a sufficiently large magnetic field parallel to the easy axis (shown as a positive field on the plot) applied via current in the adjacent word line 22
and via interconnection and support 11' to force the magnetizations of each of the ferromagnetic thin-films 12, 13 and 13', 12' in the memory cell or bit structure 17 to be oriented in the direction of the field. These magnetizations will thus be parallel to one another pointing in an initial common direction to thereby leave the electrical resistance of the cell at a minimum (here, approximately 31 k.OMEGA.).

This initial condition is followed by continually reducing this field toward zero and then reversing the field direction, after which the magnitude of the field is continually increased (shown as a negative field on the plot). As can be seen in the plot, this action begins to increase the resistance of the cell as the magnetization of thinner layer 13', 12' begins to rotate toward the opposite direction to a greater degree than does the magnetization of thicker layer 12, 13. This difference occurs because of the shape anisotropy which, as structure 17 becomes sufficiently small, dominates the material anisotropy induced by deposition of the ferromagnetic layers thereof in a magnetic field or by layer material choice or both.

As a result, these magnetizations begin to be directed more and more away from one another as the field gets increasingly negative, thereby increasing the cell resistance, until the magnetization of the thinner layer is rotated just past
90.degree. from the easy axis, whereupon it abruptly switches (at approximately -10 Oe) to being significantly directed in the opposite direction from that of the thicker layer as it attempts to align with the fields provided by the word line and interconnection line currents. At that point, the resistance value correspondingly increases abruptly to the peak value shown of approximately 37 k.OMEGA.. The switching field threshold value is set by the bit width and the net magnetic moment of the ferromagnetic layer which in turn is set by magnitude of the saturation magnetization and the volume of that layer. Since the volume, and so the moment, can be chosen by selecting a suitable and different layer thickness with respect to that of the other layer to provide shape anisotropy, these ferromagnetic layers, even if otherwise identical, can have different switching threshold values.

As memory cells 17 are fabricated sufficiently small to be considered as having the composite layer ferromagnetic thin-films used therein to be single magnetic domain structures, the critical magnetic field magnitude (-10 Oe), or threshold, for the thinner layer at which such switching occurs (a threshold found much like the well known Stoner Wohlfarth threshold which is defined for larger area films not subject to exchange coupling and edge effects) is determined from layer magnetic energy considerations including the magnitude of the magnetic fields established by the interconnection structure current in addition to that established by the word line current. (The field due to the operating current across the intermediate layer can be neglected because this current is so relatively small). Further magnitude increases in the negative field do not, however, cause the magnetization of the thicker layer to switch to being directed in the opposite direction at the expected Stoner Wohlfarth threshold therefor because the previous switching of the magnetization direction of the thinner layer inhibits the switching of the magnetization of the thicker layer. The change in the direction of magnetic field occurring in the thicker layer due to the magnetization of the thinner layer coupled thereto, because of having been previously switched in direction, acts against the switching of the magnetization of the thicker layer to effectively increase its switching threshold.

The magnitude of the magnetic field in the thicker layer due to the magnetization of the tinner layer (and vice versa) depends on the demagnetization fields in these layers, thus allowing, by selecting the interconnection structure current magnitude and the memory cell geometry to achieve an appropriate demagnetization factor value, the setting of the degree of switching inhibition. That is, the width of the peak in characteristic 30 can effectively be set by the cell design in operating conditions. Once this elevated magnitude threshold value (approximately -70 Oe) for the thicker layer is exceeded by the magnitude of the applied field to force its magnetization direction past 90.degree. from the easy axis, the magnetization of this layer also switches to result in the magnetizations of the two ferromagnetic thin-film layers again be oriented in a common direction (although opposite to the initial direction) to thereby sharply lower the resistance value from the peak value of approximately 37 k.OMEGA. to the relatively lower value of again about 31 k.OMEGA.. Further increases in the magnitude of the negative field do not significantly further change the resistance value as the magnetization directions in each layer are forced slightly closer and closer to a common direction. Since the direction of the magnetization of thicker layer 12, 13 can only be switched by fields having magnitudes greater than those that switch the magnetization direction of thinner layer 13',
12', the direction of magnetization of thicker layer 12, 13 effectively determines the binary value, "0" or "1", of the data bits stored in the cell.

Hence, traversing this large portion of characteristic 30 shown in FIG. 4 by changing the externally applied magnetic field due to word line current from a relatively large positive magnitude to a relatively large negative magnitude in the presence of a sufficient interconnection structure current is equivalent to changing the magnetic state of both layers from pointing in one direction to pointing in the opposite direction, i.e. to storing a new data bit by changing the previously stored data therein based on the direction of the magnetization from its initial direction and binary value to another direction and value. If the initially stored data bit value was the same as the new value to be stored, the corresponding increase in the externally applied field magnitude in the opposite direction to store this new data bit, i.e. the increasing of the field in a positive direction rather than in the negative direction as described above, would not cause traversing the peak in characteristic 30 thus leaving the layer magnetization's direction and the data bit value unchanged.

The remaining characteristic, 31, in FIG. 4 develops just as did characteristic 30 if started from where the development of characteristic 30 terminated as described above, that is, by applying a positively increasing magnitude field in the presence of a sufficient interconnection structure current based field magnitude after the occurrence of a large magnitude negative field. Again, the peak in the cell resistance arises in this characteristic by first encountering a threshold like and near to a Stoner Wohlfarth threshold for switching thinner ferromagnetic layer 13', 12' (approximately 8 Oe) to increase the cell resistance from again about 31 k.OMEGA. to around 37 k.OMEGA., and thereafter encountering the elevated magnitude threshold for switching thicker layer 12, 13 (approximately 58 Oe) to decrease the cell resistance back to about 31 k.OMEGA.. Thus, storing a data bit of either a "0" or "1" binary value in a memory cell 17 having the characteristics shown in FIG. 4, as represented by the orientation direction of the magnetization of thicker layer 12, 13 along its easy axis in the scheme just described, requires the application of a sufficient magnitude word line field in the corresponding direction along that axis in the presence of a sufficient magnitude interconnection and support structure field.

Retrieving the stored data without disrupting the value of that data is easily done in a memory cell or bit structure 17 having characteristics 30 and 31, the current one of these characteristics that the cell resistance will follow upon application of interconnection support current and word line current based fields having been determined by the direction of orientation of the last external field applied to the cell sufficiently large to switch the magnetizations of both cell ferromagnetic thin-film layers in the presence of the chosen interconnection and support line current. A limited externally applied field, the limit imposed by limiting the corresponding word line current and possibly the interconnection and support line current in the presence of the interconnection and support line current chosen is initially provided having a value capable of placing the resistance of the cell at one of its peak values in either one or the other of characteristics 30 and 31, and the cell structure voltage measuring circuitry may be concurrently "autozeroed" to thereby measure a zero value in these circumstances.

Such "autozeroing" circuitry and processing need not be used for a single cell because of the relatively large signal change provided thereby, but the use of several such cells in parallel with one another in the circuit to which the voltage measuring circuitry is applied will reduce the output signal of a cell because of the parallel conduction paths to a value sufficiently small so as to require "autozeroing" if the individual cells in that circuit are not electrically isolated from one another such as by use of a switching arrangement or other electrical isolating means. Of course, the ability to dispense with the need to perform an "autozeroing" step and to eliminate the circuitry therefor can significantly increase the information retrieval rate in the memory cell circuit as well as allowing an increase in the density thereof in a monolithic integrated circuit chip. This initial field is limited in magnitude so as to be unable to switch the direction of magnetization of thicker layer 12, 13 in the presence of chosen interconnection and support line current magnitude.

To complete retrieving the stored cell information, the limited externally applied field is then reversed from its initial direction to a final limited value in the opposite direction that is capable of placing the resistance of the cell at its other characteristic resistance peak, but not capable of switching the direction of magnetization of thicker layer 12, 13 in the presence of the chosen interconnection and support line current magnitude. If the cell resistance is actually at a resistance peak initially in following one of characteristics 30 or 31 because of the direction of the last previously applied word line current base field of a magnitude sufficient to switch magnetizations of both ferromagnetic layers, the resistance after the field reversal will decrease as the magnetization of the thinner layer switches to be oriented in the same direction as the direction of magnetization of the thicker layer. If the cell resistance is instead following the other characteristics so that it exhibits a relatively low resistance initially, the resistance after the field reversal will increase as the magnetization of the thinner layer switched to be oriented in the direction opposite to the direction of the magnetization of the thicker layer.

Thus, the resistance change on the reversal from a field oriented in one direction of a magnitude limited to be at a resistance characteristic peak to a limited field oriented in the opposite direction will indicate which of the characteristics
30 and 31 the cell followed, and so in what direction the last sufficiently large externally applied magnetic field was oriented to thereby indicate the binary value of the data bit represented thereby. The change in the resistance value, .DELTA.R, is equal to the fill change in resistance between the peak resistance value, representing the ferromagnetic layers magnetizations being opposed in direction to one another, to the relatively low resistance value representing the layer magnetizations being oriented in the same direction as one another. This retrieval process provides a bipolar output indication since an increase of this magnitude indicates one stored data bit value and a decrease indicates the opposite stored data bit value. Thus, the difference between the magnetic state indication representing by an increase in resistance, +.DELTA.R, and the magnetic state indication represented by a decrease in resistance, -.DELTA.R, is +.DELTA.R-(-.DELTA.R)=2.DELTA.R, or twice the resistance change value to give the voltage measuring circuitry across the cell structure a readily detectable state differentiating output signal to measure from its "auto-zeroed" initial measuring point.

The rapidity at which such a binary data retrieval operation can be performed in such a memory cell or bit structure 17 is initially limited by the rise time of the currents in interconnection and support 11' and in word line 22, and by the time required to rotate the magnetization vectors in the ferromagnetic layers in response to such a current. However, such a minimum data retrieval time limit on the duration required to retrieve the data can be further lengthened by the response time of the memory cell orbit structure 17 due to the capacitive nature of that cell in having a pair of ferromagnetic conductors on either side of a dielectric layer yielding an effective capacitance. An important parameter for memory cell or bit structure 17 is the intrinsic resistance-capacitance time constant of the device due to that barrier layer 14 resulting therein from the fabrication process of the cell. The cell capacitance, C, can be approximately determined for the cell from

where A is the area in square microns and s is the thickness of the aluminum oxide portion of barrier layer 14 in microns and a dielectric constant of 8 has been taken as the value appropriate for the aluminum oxide of barrier layer 14. As indicated above, for relatively low voltages across the cell (100 mV or less), the effective resistance through the cell, R, will typically be on the order of 10.sup.4 to 10.sup.9.OMEGA.. The resistance of this portion of the barrier layer can be approximated by

where k.sub.1 and k.sub.2 are constants characterizing the barrier layer material and s again is the thickness of that layer in microns. As a result, the resistance-capacitance time constant which is the product of R and C will then be exponentially dependent on the thickness s of the aluminum oxide portion of barrier layer 14. This time constant product can be reduced by reducing the thickness of the aluminum oxide portion of barrier layer 14 until k.sub.2 s is much smaller than 1, or, as a practical matter, until difficulties in the fabrication process of thin barrier layers prevent further reductions in the thickness thereof

A further lengthening in the minimum time to retrieve data from a memory cell or bit structure 17 will be due to the voltage measuring circuitry across the cell involving a sensing amplifier to detect the change in the output voltage of that cell when the magnetizations of the ferromagnetic layer are changed from parallel to one another to being antiparallel. Such a sensing amplifier will have an input resistance R.sub.a typically equal to the combined resistances of the cells connected thereto to provide approximately the maximum energy transfer from the cell to the amplifier.

If a single cell 17 is operated by a current source providing a current value of I therethrough, the voltage across the cell will increase from I/G.sub.mmax to a value of I/(G.sub.max -.DELTA.G) where G.sub.max =1/R.sub.min if an information retrieval operation results in the cell resistance going from R.sub.min to R.sub.min +.DELTA.R. The effective resistance-capacitance time constant of the cell alone in an information retrieval output circuit having a matching input resistance to provide maximum energy transfer for this increase in voltage forming the cell output signal voltage will be equal to about C/2G where C includes the capacitance of the cell as well as the input capacitance of the sensing amplifier. Alternatively, one may instead choose the amplifier input impedance to minimize the noise generated rather than to maximize the power transfer and, as a result, increase the time constant by as much as two.

If the aluminum oxide portion of barrier layer 14 has a thickness of 2 nm to give a value for C of approximately 0.035 pF (ignoring the input capacitance of the sensing amplifier) from the above expression therefor, and the cell exhibits a resistance value from 10.sup.4 to 10.sup.9.OMEGA. for a cell having an area A of one square micron from the above expression therefor, the value of the resistance-capacitance time constant for the voltage rise on the cell through the sensed amplifier would be between 0.35 ns and 35,000 ns. The need to be competitive with information retrieval times of other kinds of random access memory requires that the effective resistance of a memory cell 17 be much closer to the value of 10.sup.4.OMEGA. then to
10.sup.9.OMEGA. to provide competitive data retrieval times, and so the aluminum oxide portion of barrier layer 14 must be sufficiently thin.

A further parameter to consider with a memory cell or bit structure 17 is the associated electrical noise and its relationship to the available signal voltage change in switching the magnetizations of the ferromagnetic layers therein from anti-parallel to parallel. This signal voltage is, as can be seen from the foregoing, for a cell 17 with a fixed current therethrough that results in approximately 100 mV being dropped across the cell (the value of voltage above which the response to a switching of the ferromagnetic layer magnetizations decreases) will be the cell voltage response to the magnetization direction switching multiplied by 100 mV. If the ferromagnetic layer paralleling switching response is 20%, the voltage change signal from the cell will be 20 mV. The noise voltage, on the other hand, is strongly related to the equivalent resistance R of the cell and the bandwidth, .DELTA.f, effective in the information retrieval output circuitry which noise voltage is known from electrical noise theory to at room temperature, be

where F is the noise factor of the voltage retrieval circuitry system having a minimum value of unity. If the bandwidth .DELTA.f is taken to be 100 .mu.Hz, as is typical in random access memory data retrieval circuitry systems, the foregoing expression can be written as

Clearly, the signal-to-noise ratio can be improved by making a memory cell or bit structure 17 of larger area to give a lower resistance, and therefore a lower noise voltage. For instance, a signal-to-noise ratio of 20, which is a value typically found sufficient for a random access memory to provide a low error rate, the above signal value of 20 mV requires a noise voltage value for V.sub.n which is less than 1 mV for a noise factor value of the minimum value 1. This requires that R.sub.min have a value which is less than 890 k.OMEGA.. If the cell has a resistivity of 1000 .mu..OMEGA.-.mu.m.sup.2, memory cell 17 would have to have an area of 1122 square microns. On the other hand, a cell resistivity of 0.1
.mu..OMEGA.-.mu.m.sup.2 would result in a memory cell needing to have an area of only 0.1 square microns. Again, the aluminum oxide portion of barrier layer 14 must be thin enough to permit use of a memory cell having a sufficiently small area to result in a memory on a monolithic integrated circuit chip having a sufficiently high memory cell density.

As to the cell resistance versus applied external magnetic field characteristics of a cell 17, magnetic structures are known, from thermodynamic considerations, to have stable equilibrium states of magnetization at minimums of the free energies of those structures. The total free energy of a bit structure or memory cell 17 can be given generally as

where the total free energy is represented by E.sub.Tot the self-energy of the first and second layers is represented by E.sub.1 and E.sub.2, respectively, and the interaction energy between the two layers is represented by E.sub.12. As indicated above, a reasonable approximation for the structure of a bit structure 17 is to assume that the ferromagnetic thin-film layers therein are each of a single domain allowing the assumption that the magnetization of a layer changes only by rotation, and that these layers exhibit uniaxial anisotropy. These and further other reasonable approximations, such as assuming there is no magnetic energy at present due to magnetostriction or to other causes and that the operating current through barrier or intermediate layer 14 essentially perpendicular to the ferromagnetic films provides a negligible magnetic field, allows an analytic representation of the behavior of a bit structure or memory cell 17 that rather closely matches the characteristics shown in FIG. 4. The expressions provided for this purpose representing these energies will be based on the bit structure shown in FIG. 5A as taken from bit structures 17 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

The self-energy for this purpose of thicker ferromagnetic thin-film composite layer 12, 13, designated here as the first layer, can be represented as ##EQU1##

and the self-energy of thinner ferromagnetic thin-film composite layer 13', 12' considered the second layer can be similarly written as ##EQU2##

The first term in each of these self-energy expressions represents the anisotropy energy in the corresponding one of the layers due to the anisotropies present therein, primarily the anisotropy brought about by the deposition of these ferromagnetic films in the presence of a magnetic field leading to requiring energy to deviate the magnetization of the film from the easy axis therein established by such deposition. The effects of such anisotropies are cumulatively represented in a well known manner by an effective anisotropy field in each layer, H.sub.k1 and H.sub.k2, respectively, multiplied by the saturation magnetization of that layer which is M.sub.s1 for layer 1 and is M.sub.s2 for layer 2. The angle between the magnetization of the first layer, M.sub.1, shown by a dashed line vector in FIG. 5A, and the average easy axis is represented by .theta..sub.1. The angle between the magnetization of the second layer, M.sub.2, shown by a solid line vector in that figure, and the average easy axis is represented by .theta..sub.2. The volume of each layer, V.sub.1 for layer 1 and V.sub.2 for layer 2, multiply the respective terms to give the total anisotropy energy in each corresponding layer. To provide an initial rotation bias for the magnetizations in the opposite directions in the two ferromagnetic layers, the easy axis of each layer is rotated on angle .theta..sub.s during fabrication. Such a bias reduces switching thresholds in cells 17.

The second and third terms in each of the last two energy expressions represent the demagnetization self-energy for each of the corresponding layers in a form typically written therefor. In these terms, the symbols D.sub.1L and D.sub.2L each represent the demagnetization factor corresponding to the length axis for the pertinent one of the first and second ferromagnetic thin-film layers in bit structure 17. The symbols D.sub.1w and D.sub.2w in these terms each represent the demagnetization factors corresponding to the width axis for the related layer.

The fourth terms of each of these expressions represent the energy of the magnetization in the corresponding layer due to the current applied in the associated word line 22 to generate a magnetic field, H.sub.w, shown directed from right to left in FIG. 5A. Should a meander word line be used, the field contribution from current in that line would be merely added to, and part of, the field H.sub.w supplied by the current through word line 22 over the corresponding bit structure 17.

The last term in each of these expressions represents the energy of the magnetization in the corresponding layer due to an effective bias current being also carried in upper interconnection 20 (which could be instead carried in interconnection and support 11') as described above if any, this field being designated by H.sub.b and represented in FIG. 5A by an upward pointing solid line arrow assuming current flow in that bias line is from left to right. Such a bias field can used to aid in switching the direction of magnetization of the thicker ferromagnetic layer.

The interaction energy between the two ferromagnetic thin-film layers in a bit structure or memory cell 17 is given by ##EQU3##

The first term in this interaction energy expression accounts for the exchange coupling energy and the correlated surface waviness (textural variation) coupling energy which is represented by an effective exchange field, H.sub.e, in the usual manner to cover these couplings between the ferromagnetic thin-film layers. This term is multiplied by the average volume and magnetization of both of these layers, or ##EQU4##

The last two terms in the ferromagnetic layer interaction energy expression represent the effects of the magnetization in one layer upon the magnetization in the other analogous to the well known dipole--dipole interaction through considering the magnetization in each layer as a dipole interacting with the magnetization in the other. Because of the extremely close proximity of the two ferromagnetic layers, the effective field in one layer due to the demagnetization field in the other is taken to be identical to that source demagnetization field, ignoring any effects of the separation. These terms are responsible for the switching inhibition described above (and some rotation aiding) leading to the elevated magnitude threshold faced in switching the direction of magnetization of thicker ferromagnetic layer 12,13 when the magnetization of thinner layer 13',12' is directed oppositely to that of the thicker layer.

Ferromagnetic material masses of general shapes in a magnetic field lead to very complex demagnetization factors characterizing the internal response of that mass to the field. Homogeneous bodies having surfaces characterizable by expressions in the second degree lead to demagnetization factors in uniform fields which are much more tractable, i.e. the magnetization factors for ellipsoids have been determined in analytical closed form. As can be seen in FIG. 5B, an ellipsoid can be provided with corresponding ones of its axes numerically equal to the length, width and thickness of the ferromagnetic thin-film layers in bit structure 17 of FIG. 5A. The resulting ellipsoid can be seen to rather closely approximate those layers in viewing FIGS. 5A and 5B together, at least for thinner composite ferromagnetic layer 13', 12' exposed in FIG. 5A. However, the length and width of thicker ferromagnetic composite thin-film layer 12,13 is the same as that of layer 13',12' and the thickness differences between the two layers are easily accounted for by the different dimensions of the third axis of the ellipsoids used to represent them to reflect the difference between the thicknesses of those layers. The resulting demagnetization factors are ##EQU5##

for the demagnetization factors corresponding to the lengths of the ellipsoids representing the two ferromagnetic thin-film layers of memory cell 17 in FIG. 5A, and ##EQU6##

for the demagnetization factors corresponding to the widths of these ellipsoids for these layers.

In these equations for the demagnetization factors, the various trigonometric terms, cos(.phi.), cos(.zeta..sub.x), and sin(.alpha..sub.x), are defined as ##EQU7##

where L is the length of the ellipsoid, W is the width of the ellipsoid, and T.sub.x represents the thicknesses of either of the two approximating ellipsoids through x being set to either 1 or 2 to indicate the first or second layer. The functions denoted by F(k.sub.x, .zeta..sub.x) and E(k.sub.x, .zeta..sub.x) are elliptic integrals of the first kind and the second kind, respectively, defined as ##EQU8##

These expressions for the demagnetization factors can be further simplified in several situations, including the present situation where the length and width are of comparable magnitudes but each are more than an order of magnitude greater than the thickness, i.e.

In this circumstance, the demagnetization factors can be expressed as ##EQU9##

for the demagnetization factors corresponding to the lengths of the ellipsoids representing the corresponding one of the two ferromagnetic layers, and ##EQU10##

for the demagnetization factors corresponding to the widths of these ellipsoids representing those layers. In these last equations for the demagnetization factors, the symbol e is defined as ##EQU11##

The functions K and E.sub.c are complete elliptic integrals given as ##EQU12##

Using these last expressions for the demagnetization factors, the above expressions for the energy components in the free energy of the bit structures 17 of FIG. 5A can be rewritten to in simplified form. The self-energy of ferromagnetic thin-film layer 12,13 becomes ##EQU13##

The expression for the self-energy of layer 13',12' now is ##EQU14##

Finally, the interaction energy expression becomes ##EQU15##

Some limitations must be satisfied by bit structures 17 to have them behave during digital data storage and retrieval operations as desired. The width dimension W thereof is subject to at least two conditions which limit its extent to being less than certain values. As indicated above in describing the operating process, the switching ofthe directions of the magnetizations of the layers at certain threshold values of the word line current based fields depends on the magnitude of the bias fields due to the bias current since these bias fields affect those thresholds. The ability of the fields generated by the bias currents to affect the thresholds will be diminished and eventually disappear or become negligible as the width dimension of bit structure 17 become increasingly wide. This begins to occur when the width of the bit structure exceeds twice the curling length experienced in that structure for the magnitude of the word line current based field used for switching the directions of the layer magnetizations.

The magnetizations of portions near the sides of a bit structure 17 are pinned there in a direction parallel to the sides to a greater extent than those in the interior of the structure because of demagnetization considerations. Thus, as the structure widens, the applied field will at some point switch the magnetization of the layers in the interior central portions thereof without having switched the magnetizations of the layer portions near the edges thereof. As a result, the fields due to the bias current, which are orthogonal in direction to those induced by the word line currents, tend to interact with the magnetizations of the ferromagnetic layers in two counteracting ways rather than in one supporting way. That is, the fields due to the bias current will cause torques on the magnetizations already rotated in the central interior portions in one direction, but cause torques on the magnetizations at the edges in an opposite direction to thereby in effect cancel out the torques on the magnetizations. The intent is instead to have the torques generated by the bias current fields act in a common direction to aid the switching of the magnetizations under the applied word line current fields. Hence, the width of bit structure 17
should be no greater than twice such curling lengths occurring therein from its sides inward. If the width of a bit structure 17 is less than twice the curling length's characteristic thereof, the magnetizations of the layers, both in the central interior portions and near the outer side portions thereof, rotate together and so are subject to torques from the field generated by the bias current in a common direction.

On the other hand, the bias current can be kept sufficiently small so as not to be a significant factor in determining the magnetization direction switching thresholds, particularly when a meander word line is used. In any event, suitable operation of bit structure 17 as described above requires that demagnetizing fields be of sufficient magnitude to serve to inhibit the switching of he thicker ferromagnetic thin-film layer magnetization once the magnetization of he thinner layer has already been oppositely directed as described above. This inhibition is due primarily to the demagnetizing field components that parallel the width dimension of bit structure 17 since these demagnetizing fields will be considerably greater in magnitude than those along the length of that structure given that the width has significantly smaller extent than does the length. To assure that the demagnetizing fields associated with the width are dominant with respect to the anisotropy fields occurring in the layers, a bit structure 17 is required to have a width sufficiently small to result in the width component demagnetization field being larger than the anisotropy field for the layer, or that H.sub.dx, representing the demagnetization field along the widths, be greater than H.sub.kx leading to

This inequality then yields ##EQU16##

Since K and E.sub.c do not vary much in value with decreasing values of e, the ratio of the width to the length must be kept sufficiently small such that the e.sup.2 factor in the denominator on the left side of the inequality is small enough to make the inequality hold for the choice of thickness of the corresponding ferromagnetic layer material chosen, this material having a particular anisotropy field H.sub.kx and a particular saturation magnetization M.sub.sx.

Aside from its effect on the ratio of width to length in the last equality, there are no significant further limitations on the length of a bit structure 17 beyond practicality limitations. One such limitation is that the need to provide a fairly uniform word line current based magnetic field across a bit structure 17 requires that the word line be approximately as wide as that bit structure. For a desired magnitude of the field generated by the word line current, that current necessary to provide that field magnitude becomes proportional to the width of the word line, that is, equivalently, to the length of the bit structure 17. Thus, there is not only a desire to keep the bit length short to allow as many as possible to be provided in the digital memory to improve its density of storage, there is also a desire to keep the word line currents as small as possible to reduce the heat dissipation in the monolithic integrated circuit which also, as just indicated, requires keeping the bit structure lengths relatively short.

A final limitation on bit structure 17 i