Techniques for electrically characterizing tunnel junction film stacks with little or no processing
US8027185B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 11, 2009 |
| Grant date | Sep 27, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 12, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S977/854
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Probes are electrically connected to a surface of a tunnel junction film stack comprising a free layer, a tunnel barrier, and a pinned layer. Resistances are determined for a variety of probe spacings and for a number of magnetizations of one of the layers of the stack. The probe spacings are a distance from a length scale, which is related to the Resistance-Area (RA) product of the tunnel junction film stack. Spacings from as small as possible to about 40 times the length scale are used. Beneficially, the smallest spacing between probes used during a resistance measurement is under 100 microns. A measured in-plane MagnetoResistance (MR) curve is determined from the “high” and “low” resistances that occur at the two magnetizations of this layer. The RA product, resistances per square of the free and pinned layers, and perpendicular MR are determined through curve fitting.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.