Emerging memories

What is the structure called that stores one bit in MRAM, consisting of two magnetic layers sandwiching a thin insulating layer?

  1. APN junction
  2. BSchottky junction
  3. CMagnetic tunnel junction (MTJ)
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Answer: C. Magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ)

The storage element of MRAM is a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), with an insulating layer (tunnel barrier) about 1 nm thick between two magnetic layers. Whether the magnetizations of the two layers are aligned changes how easily tunneling current flows (the resistance).

  • A. A PN junction is a junction of p-type and n-type semiconductors.
  • B. A Schottky junction is a metal-semiconductor junction.
  • C. Correct. It is an MTJ with an insulator between magnetic layers.
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More Emerging memories questions

  1. Which correctly describes the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio of an MTJ?
  2. In an MTJ, how do the resistances compare when the magnetizations of the two magnetic layers are parallel versus antiparallel?
  3. Which correctly describes the roles of the two magnetic layers in an MTJ?
  4. In phase-change memory (PCM), how is a cell heated to put it into the low-resistance crystalline state (set)?
  5. On the hysteresis loop (polarization versus electric field) of a ferroelectric, what is the polarization that remains when the field returns to zero called?