Modeling and Design of Spin Torque Transfer Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory

This thesis presents the modeling and design of memory cells for Spin Torque Transfer Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory (STT-MRAM). The theory of operation of STT-MRAM cells is explored, and a model to predict the transient behaviour of STT-MRAM cells is presented. A novel three-terminal Magnetic Tunneling Junction (MTJ) and its associated cell structure is also presented. The proposed cell is shown to have guaranteed read-disturbance immunity, as during a read operation the net torque acting on the storage cell always acts to refresh the stored data in the cell. A simulation study is conducted to compare the merits of the proposed device against a conventional 1 Transistor, 1 MTJ (1T1MTJ) cell, as a well as a differential 2 Transistors, 2 MTJs (2T2MTJ) cell. Simulation results confirm that the proposed device offers disturbance-free read operation while still offering performance advantages over conventional cells.MAS