MRAM Applications and Production

Like metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors in the silicon industry, magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) have become the workhorse of the magnetic recording drive industry since the mid-2000s. A decade afterward, MTJ devices are successfully integrated into silicon chip and have become the highest speed nonvolatile memory the magnetic random-access memory (MRAM) memory. This chapter discusses the MTJ intrinsic properties, which manifest as the MRAM unique attributes; some appear as MRAM strength and others as weakness. It describes the opportunities of MRAM in the memory landscape. The chapter shows how the data nonvolatility property of MRAM improves the overall performance and reliability of the nonvolatile dual-in-line memory module applications. To displace DRAM, one needs to invest in a production facility to scale MRAM as aggressive as DRAM so that the two can compete on the same footing. The chapter also describes the status of MRAM manufacturing, which began in 2006.