Patent ID: 8268641

Claim:
A method of forming an MTJ MRAM device operating in a CPP configuration and utilizing the transfer of conduction electron spin angular momentum to change a free layer magnetization direction, comprising: providing a substrate; forming an MTJ element on said substrate, said element comprising a vertically stacked lamination formed of horizontal parallel layers including, therein, formed in the following order, forming an antiferromagnetic pinning layer on said substrate, forming a pinned layer on said pinning layer, forming a reference layer on said pinned layer, forming a tunneling barrier layer on said reference layer, forming the free layer on said tunneling barrier layer, forming a first conducting non-magnetic layer on said free layer, forming a pinned drive layer on said first conducting non-magnetic layer, and wherein said free layer is formed as a synthetic exchange coupled laminate further comprising a first layer of ferromagnetic material formed on said tunneling barrier layer and exchange coupled across a first conducting non-magnetic layer to a second layer of ferromagnetic material, and wherein said second layer of ferromagnetic material is exchange coupled to a third ferromagnetic layer across a second conducting, non-magnetic layer, whereby, a current of conduction electrons in the vertical direction can change the direction of magnetization of said free layer by both transmission and reflection, thereby minimizing the strength of the required current.