Patent ID: 8830736
Filing Date: 2014-09-09
Classification: G11C,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method to initialize a MRAM element comprising: a. a plurality of patterned magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structures that are used for storing information; b. at least one magnetic free layer (FL) with magnetization perpendicular to the film plane exists in said MTJ; c. at least one magnetic reference layer (RL) with magnetization perpendicular to the film plane exists in said MTJ; d. at least one magnetic pinned layer (PL) with magnetization perpendicular to the film plane exists in said MTJ, wherein information is stored in the form of the magnetization orientation of said free layer, further wherein the magnetization orientation of said free layer may switch its perpendicular direction when an electric current is applied through the MTJ in different directions in a write operation; e. at least one of the said MTJs is a data bit that stores information by its FL magnetization orientation; f. at least one of the said MTJs is a reference bit that is compared with said data bit by electrical properties, including, but not limited to, resistance, voltage, or current, in read operation to retrieve the stored information in the data bit; and g. a junction layer (JL) exists between the FL and the RL that produces a magneto-resistance change when FL magnetization direction changes orientation relative to the RL magnetization direction.