Temperature dependence of energy barrier in CoFeB-MgO magnetic tunnel junctions with perpendicular easy axis

We investigate an energy barrier E that determines the thermal stability factor of nanoscale CoFeB-MgO magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with a perpendicular easy axis as a function of temperature between 298 and 393 K. For the MTJs with a junction diameter above 43 nm, E is much smaller and less sensitive to the temperature than the magnetic anisotropy energy of the total recording volume. For the MTJ with a diameter of 33 nm, E and the anisotropy energy take about the same value and show similar temperature dependence. The results can be explained by considering a crossover of magnetization reversal mode from nucleation type to single-domain like type, as the device dimensions reduce. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.