Crossed-anisotropy films for magnetic tunnel junctions and magnetic memory applications

A prototype of magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) based on magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) was fabricated with crossed-anisotropy of magnetic layers on either side of the tunnelling barrier layer. It is demonstrated that the introduction of crossed-anisotropy results in smaller switching fields and better switching times compared to the conventional case of aligned anisotropies. The magnetoresistive properties of fabricated devices are in good agreement with the micromagnetic model.