Mo-based perpendicularly magnetized thin films with low damping for fast and low-power consumption magnetic memory

Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy-based magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs) with low Gilbert damping constant (α) are of particular interest for fast and low-power consumption magnetic random-access memory (MRAM). However, obtaining a faster switching speed and lower power consumption is still a big challenge. Herein, we report a Mo-based perpendicular double free layer structure with a low Gilbert damping constant of 0.02 relative to W-based films, as measured by time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect equipment. To show the influence of different film structures on the Gilbert damping constant, we measured the Mo-based single free layer. Thereafter, we deposited the full stacks with the Mo-based double free layer and obtained a high tunneling magnetoresistance of 136.3% and high thermal stability. The results of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) showed that the Mo-based films had better crystallinity, sharper interfaces, and weaker diffusion than the W-based films and thus produced a weaker external contribution of the Gilbert damping constant. As a result of the weak spin-orbit coupling in the Mo-based structure, the intrinsic contribution of the Gilbert damping constant was also weak, thereby leading to the small Gilbert damping constant of the Mo-based stacks. In addition, the macro-spin simulation results demonstrated that the magnetization switching by the spin transfer torque of the Mo-based MTJs was faster than that of the W-based MTJs. These findings help to understand the mechanism behind the good performance of Mo-based p-MTJ films and show the great promise of these structures in low-power consumption MRAM or other spintronic devices.