2017/04/01 by Andrea Meo, Phanwadee Chureemart, P. Chureemart +6 · 40 citations
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Characterization and Applications of Magnetic Nanoparticles #Computer science #Condensed matter physics #Magnetic anisotropy #Magnetic field #Magnetic properties of thin films #Magnetic storage #Magnetization #Magnetoresistive random-access memory #Materials science #Nanodot #Nanosecond #Nanotechnology #Optoelectronics #Physics #Power (physics) #Power consumption #Random access memory #Reliability (semiconductor) #Scaling #Theoretical and Computational Physics #Tunnel magnetoresistance #cond-mat.mtrl-sci
paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/s41598-017-16911-3
published in Scientific Reports 7(1), 16729 (Nature Portfolio) · 17 pages, 5 figures, and 7 pages of supplementary information and figures
arxiv created 2017/04/01 · openalex publication_date 2017/11/27 · arxiv updated 2019/12/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Power consumption is the main limitation in the development of new high performance random access memory for portable electronic devices. Magnetic RAM (MRAM) with CoFeB/MgO based magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) is a promising candidate for reducing the power consumption given its non-volatile nature while achieving high performance. The dynamic properties and switching mechanisms of MTJs are critical to understanding device operation and to enable scaling of devices below 30 nm in diameter. Here we show that the magnetic reversal mechanism is incoherent and that the switching is thermally nucleated at device operating temperatures. Moreover, we find an intrinsic thermal switching field distribution arising on the sub-nanosecond time-scale even in the absence of size and anisotropy distributions or material defects. These features represent the characteristic signature of the dynamic properties in MTJs and give an intrinsic limit to reversal reliability in small magnetic nanodevices.