Patent ID: 9502087
Filing Date: 2016-11-22
CPC Classification: G11C,H01L

Claim Text:
1. A device for generating an oscillation signal based on a magnetic tunneling junction in a three-terminal circuit configuration, comprising: a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) that includes (1) a pinned magnetic layer having a fixed magnetization direction in the pinned magnetic layer, (2) a free magnetic layer having a magnetization direction that is in the free magnetic layer and is changeable, and (3) a non-magnetic junction layer between the magnetic free layer and the pinned magnetic layer and formed of an insulator material sufficiently thin to allow tunneling of electrons between the magnetic free layer and the pinned magnetic layer; a spin Hall effect metal layer that is nonmagnetic and includes a metal exhibiting a large spin Hall effect to react to a charge current directed into the spin Hall effect metal layer to produce a spin-polarized current that is perpendicular to the charge current, the spin Hall effect metal layer being parallel to and adjacent to the free magnetic layer to direct the spin-polarized current generated in the spin Hall effect metal layer into the free magnetic layer; a first electrical terminal in electrical contact with the MTJ from a side having the pinned magnetic layer; and second and third electrical terminals in electrical contact with two contact locations of the spin Hall effect metal layer on two opposite sides of the free magnetic layer to supply the charge current in the spin Hall effect metal layer; and a control circuit coupled to the first, second and third electrical terminals to supply (1) a constant current as the charge current via the second and third electrical terminals in the spin Hall effect metal layer to cause a precession of the magnetization of the free magnetic layer due to the spin-polarized current produced by the spin Hall effect metal layer, and (2) a MTJ junction current directed via the first electrical terminal across the MTJ to cause a current tunneling across the MTJ that oscillates due to the precession of the of the magnetization of the free magnetic layer, wherein the control circuit is configured to adjust the MTJ junction current to control an oscillation frequency or an amplitude of the oscillation in the current tunneling across the MTJ.