Magnetic random access memories (MRAMs) are a new non-volatile memory technology trying establish itself as a mainstream technology. MRAM cell operation using a thermally assisted writing scheme (TA-MRAM) is described in this review as well as its main design challenges. This approach is compared to conventional MRAM, highlighting the improvements in write selectivity, power consumption and thermal stability. The TA-MRAM writing was tested and validated in the dynamic regime down to 500 ps write pulses. The heating process was investigated for the influence of the voltage pulse width, junction area and lead volume looking at the required write power density. The possibilities to control and reduce the write power density are described. The most promising solution to optimize the heating process and reduce the power consumption is to insert two thermal barrier layers at both ends of the MTJ layer stack, between the junction and the electrical leads, using low thermal conductivity materials. This minimizes the heating losses and improves the heating efficiency.
This work investigates the tunnel junction heating process for micrometer and submicrometer size junctions to be used in a thermally assisted magnetic random access memories write scheme. The time evolution of the heating process was obtained from experimental measurements and numerical thermal simulations. Simulation results show an initial temperature regime at very short pulse widths associated with the intrinsic heating of the junction (adiabatic regime). In this regime, for the same power density, the temperature increase is independent of the junction area. In the studied geometry, for pulse widths around 1ns and higher an additional heating occurs in the electrical leads (diffusion regime). The write power density is in this case lower for large junction areas. The use of thermal barriers is an effective mean to decrease the power density required for writing and to eliminate its junction area dependence.
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