Resonant Spin-Transfer Torque Magnetoresistive Memory

Perpendicularly spin-polarized current in the antiferromagnetic thin-film layer can generate in-plane spin precession. Incorporating this mechanism, a thin-film stack including a layer of antiferromagnetic material is added to the conventional spin-transfer torque (STT) magnetoresistive memory element to generate an additional rotating STT on the free/storage layer. With the chirality and frequency of the rotating STT matching the ferromagnetic resonance condition of the free layer, the switching current threshold, particularly for the switching from parallel to antiparallel states, can be significantly reduced.