A nonvolatile memory cell includes: a layered structure body 11 formed by layering a storage layer 20 that stores information in accordance with a magnetization direction and a magnetization fixed layer 30 that defines a magnetization direction of the storage layer 20; and a heating layer 40 that heats the magnetization fixed layer 30 to control a magnetization direction of the magnetization fixed layer 30.

A computer program product according to one embodiment includes a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith. The program instructions area executable by a data processing system having at least one processor to cause the data processing system to apply, by the data processing system, a current to a lead of a tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) sensor for inducing joule heating of the lead or a heating layer, the level of joule heating being sufficient to anneal a magnetic layer of the sensor; and maintain, by the data processing system, the current at the level for an amount of time sufficient to anneal the sensor.

A magnetoresistive sensor includes a magnetic reference layer. The magnetic reference layer includes a permanent closed flux magnetization pattern of a predetermined rotational direction. Furthermore, the magnetoresistive sensor includes a magnetic free layer. The magnetic free layer has a total lateral area that is smaller than a total lateral area of the magnetic reference layer. A centroid of the magnetic free layer is laterally displaced with respect to a centroid of the magnetic reference layer.

MTJ material stacks, pSTTM devices employing such stacks, and computing platforms employing such pSTTM devices. In some embodiments, perpendicular MTJ material stacks include one or more electrode interface material layers disposed between a an electrode metal, such as TiN, and a seed layer of an antiferromagnetic layer or synthetic antiferromagnetic (SAF) stack. The electrode interface material layers may include either or both of a Ta material layer or CoFeB material layer. In some Ta embodiments, a Ru material layer may be deposited on a TiN electrode surface, followed by the Ta material layer. In some CoFeB embodiments, a CoFeB material layer may be deposited directly on a TiN electrode surface, or a Ta material layer may be deposited on the TiN electrode surface, followed by the CoFeB material layer.

Determining a Curie temperature (Tc) distribution of a sample comprising magnetic material involves subjecting the sample to an electromagnetic field, heating the sample over a range of temperatures, generating a signal representative of a parameter of the sample that changes as a function of changing sample temperature while the sample is subjected to the electromagnetic field, and determining the Tc distribution of the sample using the generated signal and a multiplicity of predetermined parameters of the sample.

A permanent magnet including, at least once per group of ten consecutive ferromagnetic layers, a growth layer directly interposed between a top antiferromagnetic layer of a previous pattern and a bottom antiferromagnetic layer of a following pattern. This growth layer is entirely realized in a nonmagnetic material chosen from the group made up of the following metals: Ta, Cu, Ru, V, Mo, Hf, Mg, NiCr and NiFeCr, or it is realized by a stack of several sublayers of nonmagnetic material disposed immediately on one another, at least one of these sublayers being entirely realized in a material chosen from the group. The thickness of the growth layer is greater than 0.5 nm.

A method for magnetizing at least one region of a semiconductor device. The method includes: heating at least one antiferromagnetic layer of the at least one region to at least a threshold temperature of the antiferromagnetic layer using a first light beam and applying a first external magnetic field in a first direction of the magnetization to be produced in a ferromagnetic layer of the at least one region at least during a cooling of the antiferromagnetic layer of the at least one region which was previously heated at least to the threshold temperature. Before heating at least the antiferromagnetic layer of the at least one region to at least the threshold temperature of the antiferromagnetic layer, at least one absorption and/or antireflection layer is disposed on and/or in at least one first subvolume of the semiconductor device which includes the at least one region.

A method for fabricating a magnetic device comprises providing a layer stack, the layer stack comprising a substrate, a first ferromagnetic layer disposed above the substrate, the first ferromagnetic layer comprising a uniaxial magnetic anisotropy including an easy axis, a non-magnetic layer disposed on the first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer disposed on the non-magnetic layer, the second ferromagnetic layer comprising a unidirectional anisotropy, and an antiferromagnetic layer disposed on the second ferromagnetic layer, the antiferromagnetic layer comprising a Nel temperature T.sub.N; heating the layer stack above the Nel temperature T.sub.N of the antiferromagnetic layer; applying a magnetic field H.sub.CL to the layer stack, the magnetic field H.sub.CL comprising a magnetic field direction having an arbitrary angle with respect to the easy axis; cooling the layer stack below the Nel temperature T.sub.N of the antiferromagnetic layer with the magnetic field H.sub.CL applied; and removing the magnetic field H.sub.CL.

A method provides a read sensor stack including an antiferromagnetic (AFM) layer, a pinned layer on the AFM layer, a free layer, and a nonmagnetic layer between the free and pinned layers. Providing the AFM layer includes depositing an AFM layer first portion at a first elevated temperature and at a rate of at least 0.1 Angstrom/second. This AFM layer first portion is annealed in-situ at at least one hundred degrees Celsius. An AFM sublayer is deposited at an elevated temperature and at a sublayer deposition rate of less than 0.1 Angstrom/second. The already-deposited portion of the AFM layer is annealed in-situ at at least one hundred degrees Celsius and less than five hundred degrees Celsius. The sublayer depositing and annealing steps may be repeated in order at least once to provide an AFM layer second portion that has multiple sublayers and is thinner than the AFM layer first portion.

Disclosed are magnetic structures, including on-chip inductors comprising laminated layers comprising, in order, a barrier and/or adhesion layer, a antiferromagnetic layer, a magnetic growth layer, a soft magnetic layer, an insulating non-magnetic spacer, a soft magnetic layer, a magnetic growth later, an antiferromagnetic layer. Also disclosed are methods of making such structures.