Abstract
We investigate an energy barrier E that determines the thermal stability factor of nanoscale CoFeB-MgO magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with a perpendicular easy axis as a function of temperature between 298 and 393 K. For the MTJs with a junction diameter above 43 nm, Ε is much smaller and less sensitive to the temperature than the magnetic anisotropy energy of the total recording volume. For the MTJ with a diameter of 33 nm, E and the anisotropy energy take about the same value and show similar temperature dependence. The results can be explained by considering a crossover of magnetization reversal mode from nucleation type to single-domain like type, as the device dimensions reduce.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 152405 |
Journal | Applied Physics Letters |
Volume | 107 |
Issue number | 15 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2015 Oct 12 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)