Electric breakdown in ultrathin MgO tunnel barrier junctions for spin-transfer torque switching

Applied Physics Letters

Volumn 95, Issue 23, 2009, Pages

  Schafers M ^a   Drewello, V ^a   Reiss, G ^a   Thomas, A ^a   Thiel, K ^b   Eilers, G ^c   Munzenberg M ^c   Schuhmann, H ^c   Seibt, M ^c  

^a BIELEFELD UNIVERSITY   (Germany)

^b FRAUNHOFER INSTITUTE FOR MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY AND ADVANCED MATERIALS IFAM   (Germany)

^c UNIVERSITY OF GÖTTINGEN   (Germany)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

BREAKDOWN MECHANISM; CONSTANT RATE; DIELECTRIC BREAKDOWNS; ENERGY DISPERSIVE X RAY SPECTROSCOPY; HIGH CURRENT DENSITIES; MAGNETIC TUNNEL JUNCTION; PINHOLE FORMATION; SPIN TRANSFER TORQUE; TOMOGRAPHIC RECONSTRUCTION; TRANSMISSION ELECTRON; TRANSPORT MEASUREMENTS; TUNNEL BARRIER; ULTRA-THIN;

ELECTRIC BREAKDOWN; SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS; SPIN DYNAMICS; THREE DIMENSIONAL; TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY; WIND TUNNELS; X RAY SPECTROSCOPY;

TUNNEL JUNCTIONS;

EID: 71949127585     PISSN: 00036951     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1063/1.3272268     Document Type: Article

References (17)

1. Y. Huai, F. Albert, P. Nguyen, M. Pakala, and T. Valet, Appl. Phys. Lett. 0003-6951 84, 3118 (2004). 10.1063/1.1707228
2. G. D. Fuchs, N. C. Emley, I. N. Krivorotov, P. M. Braganca, E. M. Ryan, S. I. Kiselev, J. C. Sankey, D. C. Ralph, R. A. Buhrman, and J. A. Katine, Appl. Phys. Lett. 0003-6951 85, 1205 (2004). 10.1063/1.1781769
3. J. Hayakawa, S. Ikeda, Y. M. Lee, R. Sasaki, T. Meguro, F. Matsukura, H. Takahashi, and H. Ohno, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., Part 2 0021-4922 44, L1267 (2005). 10.1143/JJAP.44.L1267 (Pubitemid 43200691)
4. A. M. Deac, A. Fukushima, H. Kubota, H. Maehara, Y. Suzuki, S. Yuasa, Y. Nagamine, K. Tsunekawa, D. D. Djayaprawira, and N. Watanabe, Nat. Phys. 1745-2473 4, 803 (2008). 10.1038/nphys1036
5. M. Hosomi, H. Yamagishi, T. Yamamoto, K. Bessho, Y. Higo, K. Yamane, H. Yamada, M. Shoji, H. Hachino, and C. Fukumoto, Tech. Dig.-Int. Electron Devices Meet. 0163-1918 2005, 459.
6. J. A. Katine and E. E. Fullerton, J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 0304-8853 320, 1217 (2008). 10.1016/j.jmmm.2007.12.013
7. W. Oepts, H. J. Verhagen, W. J. M. de Jonge, and R. Coehoorn, Appl. Phys. Lett. 0003-6951 73, 2363 (1998). 10.1063/1.122462 (Pubitemid 128673985)
8. A. A. Khan, J. Schmalhorst, A. Thomas, O. Schebaum, and G. Reiss, J. Appl. Phys. 0021-8979 103, 123705 (2008). 10.1063/1.2939571
9. W. Oepts, M. F. Gillies, R. Coehoorn, R. J. M. van de Veerdonk, and W. J. M. de Jonge, J. Appl. Phys. 0021-8979 89, 8038 (2001). 10.1063/1.1375805
10. B. Oliver, Q. He, X. Tang, and J. Nowak, J. Appl. Phys. 0021-8979 91, 4348 (2002). 10.1063/1.1459608 (Pubitemid 34435582)
11. J. Schmalhorst, H. Brückl, M. Justus, A. Thomas, G. Reiss, M. Vieth, G. Gieres, and J. Wecker, J. Appl. Phys. 0021-8979 89, 586 (2001). 10.1063/1.1329352 (Pubitemid 33703422)
12. H. Kubota, A. Fukushima, Y. Ootani, S. Yuasa, K. Ando, H. Maehara, K. Tsunekawa, D. D. Djayaprawira, N. Watanabe, and Y. Suzuki, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., Part 2 0021-4922 44, L1237 (2005). 10.1143/JJAP.44.L1237 (Pubitemid 43200683)
13. S. Serrano-Guisan, K. Rott, G. Reiss, and J. Langer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 0031-9007 101, 087201 (2008). 10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.087201
14. See EPAPS supplementary material at http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3272268 E-APPLAB-95-082949 for the switching characteristic with applied bias fields of a similar junction on the same wafer, for a tomographic reconstruction of the broken tunnel junction, and for a tomographic reconstruction of the intact tunnel junction.
15. A. Thomas, V. Drewello, M. Schaefers, A. Weddemann, G. Reiss, G. Eilers, M. Muenzenberg, K. Thiel, and M. Seibt, Appl. Phys. Lett. 0003-6951 93, 152508 (2008). 10.1063/1.3001934
16. P. S. Ho and T. Kwok, Rep. Prog. Phys. 0034-4885 52, 301 (1989). 10.1088/0034-4885/52/3/002
17. K. Shimazawa, N. Kasahara, J. Sun, S. Araki, H. Morita, and M. Matsuzaki, J. Appl. Phys. 0021-8979 87, 5194 (2000). 10.1063/1.373292