A vertical Hall sensor structure having a substrate layer, a semiconductor area of a first conductivity type, at least a first, a second and a third semiconductor contact area of the first conductivity type extending from an upper surface of the semiconductor area into the semiconductor area, and at least a first semiconductor contact area of a second conductivity type, wherein the semiconductor contact areas of the first conductivity type are spaced apart from each other and a metal connection contact layer is arranged on each semiconductor contact area of the first conductivity type. The first semiconductor contact area of the second conductivity type is adjacent to the first semiconductor contact area of the first conductivity type or is spaced at a distance of at most 0.2 μm from the first semiconductor contact area of the first conductivity type.

A spin-orbit torque device 100 is described. In an embodiment, the spin-orbit torque device 100 comprises: a first pinning region 106 having a first fixed magnetization direction; a second pinning region 108 having a second fixed magnetization direction which is in a different direction to the first fixed magnetization direction; a magnetic layer 102 having a switchable magnetization direction; and a spin source layer 104 configured to generate a spin current for propagating a domain wall between the first and second pinning regions 106, 108 to switch the switchable magnetization direction of the magnetic layer 102 between the first and second fixed magnetization directions.

A spin-orbit torque (SOT)-MRAM comprising a first magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) having a first diameter and having a first critical voltage. A second MTJ having a second diameter and having a second critical voltage, wherein the first diameter and the second diameter are different, wherein the first critical voltage and the second critical voltages are different. A metal rail in direct contact with the first MTJ and the second MTJ, wherein the metal rail injects a spin current in to both the first MTJ and the second MTJ.

The present invention comprises Magnetic Tunnel Junctions and Bit-Patterned Media with a warped geometry with the purpose of attaining large thermal stability factors and dramatically increasing the scalability of the magnetic bits while still allowing the reduction of switching current density and switching magnetic field, and also increasing switching speed. The warped shape allows providing thermal stability to the bits through dynamic exchange energy barrier and also by providing additional net magnetic anisotropy through shape-induced reduction of the demagnetization field. The dynamic exchange energy barrier in turn allows engineering the damping torque and the free-layer's magnetic parameters to a much larger extent than the current planar technology. It also allows much faster magnetic-field-induced switching of patterned bits than it is possible with current hard disk drive technology, through the use of precession torque instead of conventional damping torque.

This spin current magnetization rotational type magnetoresistive element includes a magnetoresistive effect element having a first ferromagnetic metal layer having a fixed magnetization orientation, a second ferromagnetic metal layer having a variable magnetization orientation, and a non-magnetic layer sandwiched between the first ferromagnetic metal layer and the second ferromagnetic metal layer, and spin-orbit torque wiring which extends in a direction that intersects the stacking direction of the magnetoresistive effect element, and is connected to the second ferromagnetic metal layer, wherein the electric current that flows through the magnetoresistive effect element and the electric current that flows through the spin-orbit torque wiring merge or are distributed in the portion where the magnetoresistive effect element and the spin-orbit torque wiring are connected.

Example implementations include an electronic memory device with a metallic layer having a first planar crystalline structure, a first encapsulating layer including an encapsulating material having a second planar crystalline structure, and disposed adjacent to a first planar surface of the metallic layer, and a second encapsulating layer including the encapsulating material, and disposed adjacent to a second planar surface of the metallic layer. Example implementations also include a method of depositing graphite crystals onto a substrate to form a gate bottom layer, depositing BN crystals onto the graphite bottom layer to form a BN bottom layer, depositing tungsten ditelluride (WTe.sub.2) crystals onto the BN bottom layer to form a metallic layer, depositing the BN crystals onto the BN bottom layer and the metallic layer to form a BN top layer, and depositing the graphite crystals onto the BN top layer to form a gate top layer.

A thin film heterostructure of a topological insulator (TI) with a normal metal (NM) is used as a highly energy efficient and low power dissipation spin Hall Material (SHM). The TI material is sputter deposited onto a substrate and cooled in high vacuum, and an NM material is sputter deposited onto the TI film. The structure and method is compatible with complementary metal oxide (CMOS) processes, and with growth of large-area TI films for wafer-level device fabrication.

A spin orbit torque (SOT) memory device includes an SOT electrode on an upper end of an MTJ device. The MTJ device includes a free magnet, a fixed magnet and a tunnel barrier between the free magnet and the fixed magnet and is coupled with a conductive interconnect at a lower end of the MTJ device. The SOT electrode has a footprint that is substantially the same as a footprint of the MTJ device. The SOT device includes a first contact and a second contact on an upper surface of the SOT electrode. The first contact and the second contact are laterally spaced apart by a distance that is no greater than a length of the MTJ device.

A non-volatile data retention circuit includes a complementary latch configured to generate and store complementary non-volatile spin states corresponding to an input signal when in a write mode, and to concurrently generate a first charge current signal and a second charge current corresponding to the complementary non-volatile spin states when in read mode, and a differential amplifier coupled to the complementary latch and configured to generate an output signal based on the first and second charge current signals.

A latching system with a hall-effect sensor as described herein. A vehicle latch, including: a component movably secured to the latch; a magnet secured to the component; and a hall effect sensor positioned to detect a polarity of the magnet as the component moves, wherein the magnet is arranged with respect to the hall effect sensor so that a direction of the magnet's polarity (North and South) is parallel to the hall effect sensor as the component moves with respect to the hall effect sensor.