Researchers exploit the Orbital Hall Effect to increase the performance of SOT-MRAM devices

Researchers from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in Germany, in collaboration with Antaios, have developed a new SOT-MRAM based platform that enables highly efficient and powerful data processing and storage.

By exploiting previously neglected orbital currents, the researchers have developed a unique magnetic material incorporating elements such as Ruthenium as a SOT channel—a fundamental building block of SOT MRAM—to significantly enhance performance. 

Their innovation includes:

• an over 50% reduction in overall energy consumption compared to existing memory technologies on an industrial scale;
• a 30% boost in efficiency, enabling faster and more reliable data storage;
• a 20% reduction in the input current required for magnetic switching to store the data;
• the achievement of a thermal stability factor that ensures data storage longevity of more than 10 years.
  The secret behind efficient memory

The researchers explain that this breakthrough leverages a phenomenon known as the Orbital Hall Effect (OHE), enabling greater energy efficiency without relying on rare or expensive materials. Traditionally, SOT-MRAM relied on the spin property of electrons, where charge current is converted into spin current via the Spin Hall Effect. This process requires elements with high spin-orbit coupling, typically rare and expensive, often environmentally unfriendly, high atomic number materials such as platinum and tungsten. "In contrast, our approach harnesses a novel fundamental phenomenon by utilizing orbital currents derived from charge currents through the Orbital Hall Effect, eliminating the dependency on costly and rare materials," explained Dr. Rahul Gupta.