Technical / Research

MRAM research or technical information

Kioxia and Hynix co-develop the world's smallest 1Selector-1MTJ cell, that can enable 64Gb MRAM chips

Kioxia Corporation (Toshiba's memory unit that was spun-off in 2021), in collaboration with SK Hynix, announced that it has developed the world's smallest 1Selector-1MTJ cell.

Kioxia says that the two companies have demonstrated a reliable 1 selector-1 MTJ (1S1M) cell read/write operation with low read disturb rate of <1E-6 in 64 Gb cross-point array architecture. They have implemented cross-point 1S1M chips integrated in Half Pitch (HP) of 20.5 nm and MTJ CD of 20 nm using As-doped SiO2 selector and perpendicularly magnetized MTJ (p-MTJ).

Read the full story Posted: Oct 22,2024

Purdue University team to develop energy efficiency AI based on the unique capabilities of MRAM memory

Researchers from  Purdue University were awarded with a new project to advanced AI using research performed at Purdue for over a decade. The CHEETA:CMOS+MRAM project will utilize a CMOS+X approach specifically leveraging the unique capabilities of MRAM memory to design efficient in-memory computing hardware fabrics.

The CHEETA project aims to deliver impactful improvements in energy efficiency and sensor-to-decision latency compared to the current commercial standard. The project received funding from the Applied Research Institute. 

Read the full story Posted: Oct 19,2024

Researchers from IST and Western Digital develop a promising new SOT-MRAM material

Researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo (formerly Tokyo Tech), in collaboration with Western Digital, has developed a new high-performance material suitable for low-power SOT-MRAM.

The researchers are using BiSb material under the CoFeB/MgO, with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. By optimizing the interfacial layer thickness as well as deposition condition of BiSb, the researchers managed to achieve a large effective spin Hall angle and relatively high electrical conductivity. The researchers continued to demonstrate spin–orbit torque-induced magnetization switching driven by a small threshold current density.

Read the full story Posted: Oct 10,2024

Everspin and QuickLogic sign a strategic agreement to bring MRAM technology to radiation hardened FPGAs

In 2022,  Everspin Technologies signed a contract to provide MRAM technology, design, and back end of line manufacturing services to QuickLogic Corporation for a project funded by the US Department of Defense. 

Everspin Technologies chip photo

Today Everspin announced a new strategic contract with QuickLogic. Everspin will provide its innovative AgILYST MRAM technology, logic design, and back end of line manufacturing services to advance the development and demonstration of a Strategic Radiation Hardened (SRH) high-reliability Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology. 

Read the full story Posted: Jul 25,2024

CEA-Leti and NY CREATES to co-develop STT-MRAM and SOT-MRAM devices on 300 mm wafers

The New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY CREATES) and CEA-Leti announced a two-year strategic R&D partnership, that will initially focus on the research and co-development of MRAM devices.

NY CREATES and CEA-Leti will develop and produce both STT-MRAM and SOT-MRAM devices on 300 mm substrates. CEA-Leti will contribute its expertise in magnetics, spintronics, and the testing of related devices, and NY CREATES will provide the facilities, process integration expertise, and materials process development to run the 300mm silicon hardware.

Read the full story Posted: Jun 27,2024

Numem and IC’ALPS co-develop a custom MRAM-powered AI accelerator

High-performance STT-MRAM developer Numem announced that in collaboration with ASIC/SoC designer IC’ALPS it has developed an integrated circuit with RISC-V processors, 2MBytes of NuRAM and a DSP/AI Custom Datapath Accelerator.

The two companies co-developed the SoC in an advanced technology node, taking advance of the high-performance and low power consumption of Numem's memory technology. The company also details that the physical implementation of this integrated circuit was made in a secure space (isolated location, network, and servers, and encrypted exchanges) to meet with the stringent protection of sensitive data required by this program. Numem and IC’Alps intend to extend their partnership to serve new SoC projects for customers.

Read the full story Posted: May 31,2024

Researchers report the first all-antiferromagnetic tunnel junction device with both electrical switching and electrical readout

Researchers from Northwestern University, led by Prof. Pedram Khalili, report the first all-antiferromagnetic tunnel junction (ATJ) devices with both electrical switching and electrical readout of the antiferromagnetic state. The researchers observed a large room-temperature tunneling magnetoresistance effect that is comparable in size to conventional ferromagnet-based tunnel junctions. 

To create the new devices, the researchers used sputtering to deposit the device films on conventional silicon wafers. The films are compatible with established semiconductor manufacturing processes. 

Read the full story Posted: Mar 23,2024

Renesas developed new STT-MRAM circuit technology, achieves the world's fastest random access speed

Renesas Electronics announced that it has developed circuit technologies for embedded STT-MRAM that reduces the energy and voltage of the memory write operation. 

Renesas produced a 22-nm MCU test chip, that includes a 10.8 Mbit embedded MRAM memory cell array. It achieves a random read access frequency of over 200 MHz and a write throughput of 10.4-megabytes-per-second (MB/s).

Read the full story Posted: Feb 24,2024

Tohoku University researchers develop a high performance X nm MTJ

Researchers from Japan's Tohoku University developed a method to produce X nm MTJs, using a CoFeB/MgO stack structure. The researchers report that the extremely small device achieves both high-retention and high-speed. This was enabled by controlling the shape and interfacial anisotropies individually by varying the thickness of each CoFeB layer and the quantity of [CoFeB/MgO] stacks.

The researcher further report that shape anisotropy-enhanced MTJs showed good retention (> 10 years) at 150 °C at single nanometer sizes, whereas interfacial anisotropy-enhanced MTJs exhibited rapid speed switching (10 ns or less) below 1 V.

Read the full story Posted: Jan 19,2024 - 1 comment

ITRI and TSMC announce advances in SOT-MRAM development

In 2022, Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) announced an agreement with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to collaborate on SOT-MRAM R&D. ITRI and TSMC now announced that they have developed SOT-MRAM array chips that boasts a power consumption of merely one percent of a comparable STT-MRAM device. 

ITRI and TSMC published a new research paper that was presented at the 2023 IEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM 2023). ITRI explains that the new unit cell achieves simultaneous low power consumption and high-speed operation, reaching speeds as rapid as 10 nanoseconds. And its overall computing performance can be further enhanced when integrated with computing in memory circuit design. 

Read the full story Posted: Jan 18,2024 - 1 comment