Hynix Semiconductor

Hynix, Toshiba team up on MRAM

七月 14, 2011
By

Hynix, Toshiba team up on MRAM

Peter Clarke  7/13/2011 8:31 AM EDT

http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4217803/Hynix-Toshiba-MRAM?cid=NL_EETimesDaily

LONDON – Hynix Semiconductor Inc. and Toshiba Corp. have agreed to develop spin-transfer torque magnetoresistence RAMs together with both saying that the technology is an important next-generation non-volatile memory.
Once the technology development is completed the companies plan to form a joint venture to produce STT-MRAMs.

As part of the strategic collaboration Hynix and Toshiba have extended their patent cross licensing.
MRAM is non-volatile memory, it is also power efficient and operates at ultra-high speed, the companies said in a joint statement. The initial applications for the technology are expected to be in mobile applications where power efficiency is highly valued.
The companies did not disclose what memory capacities they intend to manufacture first or a timetable for when they expect to be in commercial manufacturing.
Many established semiconductor companies have made MRAMs and it has also been the stimulus for spin-offs and startups including Everspin Technologies Inc. Grandis Inc. and Crocus Technology Inc. However, the commitment by two of the world’s largest manufacturers of NAND flash and DRAM memory to MRAM marks a significant change. The highest capacity MRAMs on the the market are at about 16-Mbit which is considerably behind the 64-Gbit achieved with NAND flash memory using 20-nm class manufacturing processes. However, many developers are seeing MRAM as replacement for DRAM with the benefits of superior scaling and non-volatility.
Toshiba has reportedly said that a recently developed perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device can be the basic element of gigabit SST-MRAMs that it would expect to be commercial within three or four years. Hynix and Toshiba said they are merging the necessary resources and expertise from the two companies to minimize risk and to accelerate the pace of MRAM commercialization.
"MRAM is a rare gem full of exciting properties, like ultra high-speed, low power consumption, and high capacity, and it will play the role of key factor in driving advances in memories. It will also be a perfect fit for growing consumer demand in more sophisticated smart phones. MRAM is our next growth platform," said Oh Chul Kwon, CEO of Hynix, in a statement.
"We believe that MRAM has huge potential as highly scalable non-volatile RAM," said Kiyoshi Kobayashi, corporate senior vice president of Toshiba Corp. and president and CEO of Toshiba’s semiconductor and storage products subsidiary. "We will strongly promote initiatives in integration of storage solutions including MRAM, NAND, and HDD. The MRAM joint development program with Hynix is one of the key steps to support our efforts."

Related links and articles:
Crocus claims technology allows NAND MRAM
NEC, university make CAM-on-MRAM progress
Russia backs MRAM startup in $300 million deal
IBM, Hynix, Samsung roll STT RAM
MRAM startup MagSil tips technology
Hitachi tips STT-RAM, mulls memory spinoff
Grandis: STT-RAM to replace DRAM, flash
Everspin rocks SRAM boat with 16-Mbit MRAM
Crocus enters STT-MRAM race

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IBM, Hynix, Samsung roll STT RAM

十二月 10, 2010
By

 

IBM, Hynix, Samsung

roll STT RAM

http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4211326/IBM–Hynix–Samsung-roll-STT-RAM-?cid=NL_EETimesDaily

Mark LaPedus   12/7/2010 2:38 PM EST

Spin torque MRAM is a nonvolatile memory technology

said to combine high speed operations with low power.

SAN FRANCISCO –

Spin torque MRAM is a nonvolatile memory technology said to  combine high speed operations with low power.

During the International Electron Device Meeting (IEDM) here, IBM, Samsung and the Hynix-Grandis duo presented papers on the topic. Spin torque MRAM, or STT RAM, is a next-generation MRAM technology.

At IEDM, the IBM-MagIC MRAM Alliance-the joint MRAM venture between IBM and TDK Corp.-disclosed details of its technology-a perpendicular spin torque MRAM. "We report data from 4-kbit spin torque MRAM arrays using tunnel junctions (TJs) with magnetization perpendicular to the wafer plane," according to the paper.

"We show for the first time the switching distribution of perpendicular spin torque junctions," according to the paper. "The percentage switching voltage width, alpha(Vc)/<Vc> = 4.4 percent, is sufficient to yield a 64-Mb chip," according to the paper.
"Furthermore we report switching probability curves down to error probabilities of 5×10-9 per pulse which do not show the anomalous switching seen in previous studies of in-plane magnetized bits," according to the paper. "We have examined in detail the requirements for a 64 Mb MRAM in 90-nm technology with 2-bit error correction code (ECC). Write currents need to be limited to of order 350 µA in order to keep the cell size reasonable."

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is taking another approach. "Feasibility of STT-MRAM as next generation nonvolatile memory has been tested for the replacement of DRAM and NOR flash," according to Samsung.

"We report that the cell characteristics of on-axis STT-MRAM with 6 ~ 8F2 are similar to those of off-axis STT-MRAM with 12 ~ 16F2. In addition, we suggest a novel MTJ (magnetic tunnel junction) with the operation current density of 0.8 MA/cm2," according to the company. "These results open a way to scale STT-MRAM down to sub-30-nm technology node using present technology. By further material engineering of ferromagnetic electrode and MTJ structure design, the usage of present technology could be extended down to sub-20-nm node."

The team of Hynix Semiconductor Inc. and Grandis Inc. are taking another approach. "A compact STT (spin-Transfer Torque)-RAM with a 14F2 cell was integrated using modified DRAM processes at the 54-nm technology node," according to the firms. ‘The basic switching performance (RH and R-V) of the MTJs and current drivability of the access transistors were characterized at the single bit cell level."

Unlike IBM, Hynix and Grandis "used in-plane MTJs rather than PMA (perpendicular magnetic anisoatropy) MTJs. Although many research groups have tried to develop productive PMA MTJs, the PMA MTJ still has several technical hurdles such as difficult PMA  film growth and high damping constant. Also, we do not yet have confidence that PMA MTJs can have better scalability than in-plane MTJs in terms of thermal stability and switching current."

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