Highly functional and reliable 8Mb STT-MRAM embedded in 28nm logic

We fabricated 8Mb 1T-1MTJ STT-MRAM macro embedded in 28nm CMOS logic platform by developing novel integration/stack/patterning technologies. MTJ memory cell array was successfully embedded into Cu backend without open fail and severe degradation of magnetic property. Advanced perpendicular MTJ stack using MgO/CoFeB was developed to show high TMR value of 180% after full integration. In addition, ion beam etching (IBE) process was optimized with power, angle, and pressure to reduce a short fail below 1 ppm. Through these novel technologies, we demonstrated highly functional and reliable 8Mb eMRAM macro having a wide sensing margin and strong retention property of 85 0C and 10yrs.

[1]  Y. G. Shin,et al.  On-axis scheme and novel MTJ structure for sub-30nm Gb density STT-MRAM , 2010, 2010 International Electron Devices Meeting.

[2]  J. H. Kim,et al.  Integration of 28nm MJT for 8∼16Gb level MRAM with full investigation of thermal stability , 2011, 2011 Symposium on VLSI Technology - Digest of Technical Papers.

[3]  Yu Lu,et al.  Fully functional perpendicular STT-MRAM macro embedded in 40 nm logic for energy-efficient IOT applications , 2015, 2015 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM).

[4]  Seung H. Kang Embedded STT-MRAM for energy-efficient and cost-effective mobile systems , 2014, 2014 Symposium on VLSI Technology (VLSI-Technology): Digest of Technical Papers.