Degradation and Spintronics

 


Degradation could help the effectiveness of data storage. A new study is being presented from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

Researchers are providing new insights into how next generation electronics break down or degrade over time. The information was featured as a cover article in ACS Nano. 

New technology requires a significant amount of data storage. Spintronic devices are called magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). These are nanostructured devices that use the spin of the electrons to function.  Some examples of spintronic devices are hard drives, sensors and Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM). 

MTJs are the prevailing force behind smart watches, providing non-volatile memory and improving energy efficiency in AI. 

Researchers observed nanopillars through an electron microscope. In these systems, nanopillars are extremely small, transparent layers within the spintronic device. Current was run through the device to see how it operates. As the current was increased, researchers could observe how a device degrades and dies in real time. 

Dr. Hwanhui Yun is first author of this paper and a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Sciences. 

He reports, “ Real-time transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments can be challenging, even for experienced researchers. But after dozens of failures and optimizations, working samples were consistently produced.”

Researchers found over time that layers of the device get pinched and caused malfunctions. Previous research was just theory, this is the first time scientists were able to observe the phenomenon. The early warning sign of degradation is a “pinhole” or pinch. As the scientists added more current, it melts down and burns out completely. 

Andre Mkhoyan is a senior author on this paper, and a professor at the University of Minnesota Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Sciences. He reports, “What was unusual with this discovery is that we observed this burn out at a much lower temperature than what previously research thought was possible. The temperature was almost half of the temperature that had been expected before.”

Researchers looked at these devices on the atomic scale. They observed the tiny materials that have different properties including melting temperatures. Meaning the device will fail in a different time frame than ever observed before. 

Jian Ping Wang is an author of the paper and a professor at rhe University of Minnesota. He reports, “ There has been a high demand to understand the interfaces between layers in real time under real working conditions, such as applying current and voltage, but no one has achieved this level of understanding before. We are very happy to say that the team has discovered something that will be directly impacting the next generation microelectronic devices for our semiconductor industry.”

Researchers hope this understanding will improve the design of computer memory units to increase efficiency. 


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