• Proceedings of the Korean Magnestics Society Conference
• /
• 2004.06a
• /
• pp.150-151
• /
• 2004

• Journal of Magnetics
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.170-181
• /
• 2006

Spin dependent tunneling has enormously activated the field of magnetism in general, and in particular spin transport studies, in the past ten years. Thousands of articles related to the subject have appeared with many fundamental results. Importantly, there is great interest in their potential for application. There was another surge of activity in this field since the past five years - created by the theoretical prediction of a large tunnel magnetoresistance that arises due to band symmetry matched coherent tunneling in epitaxial magnetic tunnel junctions with (001) MgO barrier and experimentally well demonstrated. This further development in the field has boosted the excitement in both fundamental science as well as the possibility of application in such as magnetic random access memory, ultra sensitive read heads, biosensors and spin torque diodes. This review is a brief coverage of the field highlighting the literature that deals with magnetic tunnel junctions having epitaxial MgO tunnel barriers.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.46 no.4
• /
• pp.436-440
• /
• 2009

The structural and electrical properties of $Al_2O_3/La_2O_3/Al_2O_3$ (ALA) films using a tunnel oxide annealed at various temperatures were investigated. The program/erase properties of the ALA films using the tunnel oxide annealed at $600^{\circ}C$ were superior to others. The program/erase voltage and time of the ALA films using the tunnel oxide annealed at $600^{\circ}C$ were 11 V for 10 ms (program) and -11 V for 100 ms (erase), respectively, and the corresponding memory window was about 1.59 V. In the retention test, the $V_{th}$ distributions of all films were not changed up to about $10^4$ cycles. In this study, all data showed sufficient characteristics to be used in flash memory devices.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.13-17
• /
• 2004

We have investigated the effect of Hf insertion in the Al oxide tunnel barrier on the properties of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). MTJs with Hf inserted barrier show the higher tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio and less temperature and bias voltage dependence of TMR than MTJs with a conventional Al$_2$O$_3$ barrier. The enhancement of TMR ratio and the reduction of the temperature and bias voltage dependence might be due to the reduction of defects in the barrier. Al-Hf oxide was formed by depositing Al and Hf simultaneously, and oxidizing the compound films. The TMR ratio of 36% was almost the same value as that with Hf inserted barrier. This implies that the inserted Hf layers mixed with Al layers during deposition or oxidation, and they might form Al Hf oxide barriers. This compound Al Hf oxide formation may be responsible to reduction of defect concentration which enhanced the TMR ratio and reduced temperature and bias-voltage dependence.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.47 no.5
• /
• pp.461-466
• /
• 2010

In this study, $Al_2O_3/TaAlO_4/SiO_2$ (A/TAlO/S) structures with tantalum aluminate charge trap layer were fabricated for Nand flash memory device. We evaluated the memory window and retention characteristic as the thickness of the tunnel oxide was varied among 3 nm, 4 nm, and 5 nm. All tunnel oxide thicknesses were measured by ellipsometer and TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope). The A/TAlO/S multi-layer film consisted of 5 nm tunnel oxide showed the best result of memory window of 1.57 V and retention characteristics. After annealing the 5 nm tunnel oxide A/TAlO/S multi-layer film at $900^{\circ}C$. The memory window decreased to 1.32 V. Moreover, the TEM images confirmed that the thickness of multi-layer structure decreased 14.3% after annealing and the program conditions of A/TAlO/S multi-layer film decreased from 13 V to 11 V for 100 ms. Retention properties of both as-deposited and annealed films stably maintained until to $10^4$ cycles.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.49 no.6
• /
• pp.631-636
• /
• 2012

Conventional SONOS (poly-silicon/oxide/nitride/oxide/silicon) type memory is associated with a retention issue due to the continuous demand for scaled-down devices. In this study, $Al_2O_3/Y_2O_3/SiO_2$ (AYO) multilayer structures using a high-k $Y_2O_3$ film as a charge-trapping layer were fabricated for nonvolatile memory applications. This work focused on improving the retention properties using a $Y_2O_3$ layer with different tunnel oxide thickness ranging from 3 nm to 5 nm created by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The electrical properties and reliabilities of each specimen were evaluated. The results showed that the $Y_2O_3$ with 4 nm $SiO_2$ tunnel oxide layer had the largest memory window of 1.29 V. In addition, all specimens exhibited stable endurance characteristics (program/erasecycles up to $10^4$) due to the superior charge-trapping characteristics of $Y_2O_3$. We expect that these high-k $Y_2O_3$ films can be candidates to replace $Si_3N_4$ films as the charge-trapping layer in SONOS-type flash memory devices.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.136-139
• /
• 2006

The tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) ratios of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs), in general, decrease abruptly above 250$^{\circ}C$ due to Mn interdiffusion from an antiferromagnet IrMn layer to a ferromagnetic CoFe and/or a tunnel barrier. To improve thermal stability, we prepared MTJs with nano-oxide layers. Using a MTJ structure consisting of underlayer CoNbZr 4/bufferlayer CoFe 10/antiferromaget IrMn 7.5/pinned layer CoFe 3/tunnel barrier AlO/freelayer CoFe 3/capping CoNbZr 2 (nm), we placed a nano-oxide layer (NOL) into the underlayer or bufferlayer. Then, the thermal, structural and magneto-electric properties were measured. The TMR ratio, surface flatness, and thermal stability of the MTJs with NOLs were promoted.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers C
• /
• v.49 no.1
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2000

The SNOSFET memory devices with ultrathin ONO(tunnel oxide-nitride-blocking oxide) gate dielectric were fabricated using n-well CMOS process and investigated its characteristics. The thicknesses of tunnel oxide, nitride and blocking oxide were $23{\AA},\; 53{\AA}\; and\; 33{\AA}$, respectively. Auger analysis shows that the ONO layer is made up of $SiO_2(upper layer of blocking oxide)/O-rich\; SiO_x\N\_y$. It clearly shows that the converting layer with $SiO_x\N\_y(lower layer of blocking oxide)/N-rich SiO_x\N\_y(nitride)/O-rich SiO_x\N\_y(tunnel oxide)$. It clearly shows that the converting layer with $SiO_x\N\_y$ phase exists near the interface between the blocking oxide and nitride. The programming condition of +8 V, 20 ms, -8 V, 50 ms is determined and data retention over 10 years is obtained. Under the condition of 8 V programming, it was confirmed that the modified Fowler-Nordheim tunneling id dominant charge transport mechanism. The programmed threshold voltage is distributed less than 0.1 V so that the reading error of memory stated can be minimized. An $8\times8$ NAND type flash EEPROM with SONOSFET memory cell was designed and simulated with the extracted SPICE parameters. The sufficient read cell current was obtained and the upper limit of $V_{TH}$ for write state was over 2V.

• Proceedings of the Korean Magnestics Society Conference
• /
• 2002.12a
• /
• pp.60-61
• /
• 2002

현재 Magnetic Tunnel Junction는 고밀도 자기저항 헤드 및 비휘발성 메모리(MRAM)등의 자기저항 특성을 이용한 소자에 응용하기 위해 많은 연구가 진행되고 있다[1]. 하지만 Magnetic Tunnel Junction(MTJ)을 실제 소자로서 제작하여 사용하기 위해서는 smooth하고 pinhole이 없으며, 절연층 내부에 disorder나 defect가 없는 절연층을 형성해야 한다. (중략)

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.47-52
• /
• 2003

Ferromagnetic tunnel junctions were fabricated by dc magnetron sputtering and plasma oxidation process. The local transport properties of the ferromagnetic tunnel junctions were studied using contact-mode Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and the local current-voltage analysis. Tunnel junctions with the structure of sub./Ta/Cu/Ta/NiFe/Cu/Mn$\_$75/Ir$\_$25//Co$\_$70/Fe$\_$30//Al-oxide were prepared on thermally oxidized Si wafers. Al-oxide layers were formed with microwave excited plasma using radial line slot antenna (RLSA) for 5 and 7 sec. Kr gas was used as the inert gas mixed with $O_2$ gas for the plasma oxidization. No correlation between topography and current image was observed while they were measured simultaneously. The local current distribution was well identified with the distribution of local barrier height. Assuming the gaussian distribution of the local barrier height, the ferromagnetic tunnel junction with longer oxidation time was well fitted with the experimental results. As contrast, in the case of the shorter time oxidation junction, the current mainly flow through the low barrier height area for its insufficient oxygen. Such leakage current might result in the decrease of tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio.