Characterization, Modeling and Test of Synthetic Anti-Ferromagnet Flip Defect in STT-MRAMs

Understanding the manufacturing defects in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs), which are the data-storing elements in STT-MRAMs, and their resultant faulty behaviors are crucial for developing high-quality test solutions. This paper introduces a new type of MTJ defect: synthetic anti-ferromagnet flip (SAFF) defect, wherein the magnetization in...

Characterization and Fault Modeling of Intermediate State Defects in STT-MRAM

Understanding the defects in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) and their faulty behaviors are paramount for developing high-quality tests for STT-MRAM. This paper characterizes and models intermediate (IM) state defects in MTJs; IM state manifests itself as an abnormal third resistive state, apart from the two bi-stable states of MTJ. We...

Impact of Magnetic Coupling and Density on STT-MRAM Performance

As a unique mechanism for MRAMs, magnetic coupling needs to be accounted for when designing memory arrays. This paper models both intra- and inter-cell magnetic coupling analytically for STT-MRAMs and investigates their impact on the write performance and retention of MTJ devices, which are the data-storing elements of STT-MRAMs. We present...