SBIR Phase I: Structures for reduced critical current to enable Spin Torque MRAM

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is aimed at developing a spin torque magnetoresistive random access memory (ST-MRAM) that has significantly reduced write current. The highest bit density is possible if the switching current is low enough to be passed by a minimum sized access transistor beneath each magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) storage device. Reducing the write current also improves reliability because the smaller current density through the MTJ during the write operation reduces the stress on the thin dielectric tunnel barrier. ST-MRAM has the potential to provide non-volatility, high density, high speed, low power, and unlimited endurance in a single memory. ST-MRAM technology has the potential to meet the need for a high-performance, scalable semiconductor memory while providing benefits in power consumption that are critical in portable electronics and increasingly valued in many other areas, such as enterprise computing. Conventional semiconductor memories like Static RAM, Flash, and Dynamic RAM are facing significant scaling challenges in the coming years and none of them have the unique set of attributes provided by MRAM.