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As advances in computing technology increase demand for efficient data storage solutions, spintronic magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ)-based magnetic random-access memory (MRAM) devices emerge as promising alternatives to traditional charge-based memory devices. Successful applications of such spintronic devices necessitate understanding not only their ideal working principles but also their breakdown mechanisms. Employing an in situ electrical biasing system, atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) reveals two distinct breakdown mechanisms. Soft breakdown occurs at relatively low electric currents due to electromigration, wherein restructuring of MTJ core layers forms ultrathin regions in the dielectric MgO layer and edge conducting paths, reducing device resistance. Complete breakdown occurs at relatively high electric currents due to a combination of joule heating and electromigration, melting MTJ component layers at temperatures below their bulk melting points. Time-resolved, atomic-scale STEM studies of functional devices provide insight into the evolution of structure and composition during device operation, serving as an innovative experimental approach for a wide variety of electronic devices.

As a promising alternative to the mainstream CoFeB/MgO system with interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), L 1 0 -FePd and its synthetic antiferromagnet (SAF) structure with large crystalline PMA can support spintronic devices with sufficient thermal stability at sub-5 nm sizes. However, the compatibility requirement of preparing L 1 0 -FePd thin films on Si/SiO 2 wafers is still unmet. In this paper, we prepare high-quality L 1 0 -FePd and its SAF on Si/SiO 2 wafers by coating the amorphous SiO 2 surface with an MgO(001) seed layer. The prepared L 1 0 -FePd single layer and SAF stack are highly (001)-textured, showing strong PMA, low damping, and sizeable interlayer exchange coupling, respectively. Systematic characterizations, including advanced X-ray diffraction measurement and atomic resolution-scanning transmission electron microscopy, are conducted to explain the outstanding performance of L 1 0 -FePd layers. A fully-epitaxial growth that starts from MgO seed layer, induces the (001) texture of L 1 0 -FePd, and extends through the SAF spacer is observed. This study makes the vision of scalable spintronics more practical.

Nb and its compounds are widely used in quantum computing due to their high superconducting transition temperatures and high critical fields. Devices that combine superconducting performance and spintronic non-volatility could deliver unique functionality. Here we report the study of magnetic tunnel junctions with Nb as the heavy metal layers. An interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy density of 1.85 mJ/m 2 was obtained in Nb/CoFeB/MgO heterostructures. The tunneling magnetoresistance was evaluated in junctions with different thickness combinations and different annealing conditions. An optimized magnetoresistance of 120% was obtained at room temperature, with a damping parameter of 0.011 determined by ferromagnetic resonance. In addition, spin-transfer torque switching has also been successfully observed in these junctions with a quasistatic switching current density of 7.3 [Formula: see text] A/cm 2 ., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs) switched utilizing bipolar electric fields have extensive applications in energy-efficient memory and logic devices. Voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy linearly lowers the energy barrier of the ferromagnetic layer via the electric field effect and efficiently switches p-MTJs only with a unipolar behavior. Here, we demonstrate a bipolar electric field effect switching of 100 nm p-MTJs with a synthetic antiferromagnetic free layer through voltage-controlled exchange coupling (VCEC). The switching current density, ∼1.1 × 10 5 A/cm 2 , is 1 order of magnitude lower than that of the best-reported spin-transfer torque devices. Theoretical results suggest that the electric field induces a ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic exchange coupling transition of the synthetic antiferromagnetic free layer and generates a fieldlike interlayer exchange coupling torque, which causes the bidirectional magnetization switching of p-MTJs. These results could eliminate the major obstacle in the development of spin memory devices beyond their embedded applications.

Voltage control of magnetic order is desirable for spintronic device applications, but 180° magnetization switching is not straightforward because electric fields do not break time-reversal symmetry. Ferrimagnets are promising candidates for 180° switching owing to a multi-sublattice configuration with opposing magnetic moments of different magnitudes. In this study we used solid-state hydrogen gating to control the ferrimagnetic order in rare earth-transition metal thin films dynamically. Electric field-induced hydrogen loading/unloading in GdCo can shift the magnetic compensation temperature by more than 100 K, which enables control of the dominant magnetic sublattice. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements and ab initio calculations indicate that the magnetization control originates from the weakening of antiferromagnetic exchange coupling that reduces the magnetization of Gd more than that of Co upon hydrogenation. We observed reversible, gate voltage-induced net magnetization switching and full 180° Néel vector reversal in the absence of external magnetic fields. Furthermore, we generated ferrimagnetic spin textures, such as chiral domain walls and skyrmions, in racetrack devices through hydrogen gating. With gating times as short as 50 μs and endurance of more than 10,000 cycles, our method provides a powerful means to tune ferrimagnetic spin textures and dynamics, with broad applicability in the rapidly emerging field of ferrimagnetic spintronics., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)