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SOFT: Shape controlled spin-Orbit memories: Fabrication process and Technology transfer



​Mihai Miron at the IRIG, receives an ERC Proof of Concept grant for his SOFT project. The aim of this project is to develop an innovative fabrication technique, adapted to complex shapes, based on ion irradiation. This project will benefit from 18 months of financial support.

Published on 14 September 2020
Non-volatility is the main physical feature that fast memories, such as SRAM, are still lacking. Such memories could increase computing performance while reducing significantly the power consumption. The only viable option for sub – nanosecond nonvolatile memory is the Spin Orbit Torque Magnetic Random Access Memory (SOT-MRAM). The main roadblock towards the integration of the SOT-MRAM is that the reproducible bipolar switching requires the application of a static in plane magnetic field. “Zero-field” SOT switching is still a challenge, which motivates active research on this topic.

Within the “SMART Design” ERC-StG project, we are developing an innovative approach for this problem. We discovered that it is possible to determine the switching polarity by the shape of the magnetic free layer. This approach meets all the physical requirements for the SRAM replacement (scalability, switching time, switching current…), but the nano-fabrication of devices with complex shapes using standard u-v lithography tools is difficult and expensive.

Within the SOFT project, funded by ERC-POC, we propose to develop an innovative fabrication technique, adapted for complex shapes, based on ion irradiation. The technology provider, Spin-Ion, is also directly involved in the project.
Created in 2017 as a spin-off from the centre for nanosciences and nanotechnologies (C2N) in Palaiseau, the start-up Spin Ion is developing a promising process for treating magnetoresistive stacks, which consists of bombarding these materials with a beam of helium ions to improve their atomic arrangement, paving the way for a significant increase in the density of magnetic memories.

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