Crocus announced that they have successfully integrated their Thermally Assisted Switching (TAS)-based MRAM technology into TowerJazzâs 0.13-micron CMOS process. Crocus hopes to get samples manufactured in the "very near future", with mass production starting in 2H 2011. The first chips will probably offer 1-Mbit of storage. TowerJazz and Crocus have been working towards TAS-MRAM production since June 2009.
To achieve this milestone, a number of critical technological problems were solved, particularly in the areas of deep submicron lithography of magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stacks and the selection of materials for high device reliability. The newly developed technology adds only four masks to conventional CMOS manufacturing flows and is suitable for both standalone and embedded memory applications. The integration into TowerJazzâs copper-based 130nm CMOS logic process sets the stage for the market introduction of leading edge single chip memory products and embedded MRAM IP blocks to be used in complex Systems-On-Chip (SOC) for microcontroller, automotive and communications applications.