Magnetic tunnel junction design margin exploration for self-reference sensing scheme.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

This work investigates the magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) design requirements for the application of nondestructive self-reference sensing scheme, a novel sensing scheme featuring high tolerance of process variations, fast sensing speed, and no impact on device reliability. Unlike the conventional sensing scheme that requires a large TMR ratio and the uniform antiparallel and parallel resistances for MTJs, the nondestructive self-reference sensing scheme is more sensitive to the roll-off slope of MTJ's R-I or R-V curve. Our purpose is to provide a guidance to facilitate MTJ design used in the nondestructive self-reference scheme. In this work, we comprehensively investigate and analyze the design matrix by considering MTJ device physical properties, such as bias voltage dependent conductance, spin torque, etc. The manuscript suggests the approaches to optimize MTJ design for better trade-off between device properties and circuit design.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Sun, Z; Li, H; Wang, X

Published Date

  • April 2012

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 111 / 7

Start / End Page

  • 7C726 - 7C7263

PubMed ID

  • 22481837

Pubmed Central ID

  • PMC3316674

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1089-7550

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0021-8979

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1063/1.3679647

Language

  • eng