| abstract |
Provided is an MTJ element that exhibits a high MR ratio and has few defects in manufacturing. An MTJ element 31 includes an antiferromagnetic layer 26, a SyAF pinned layer 27 composed of an AP2 layer, a coupling layer, and an AP1 layer, a tunnel barrier layer 28 composed of AlOx, a free layer 29, and NiFeM (M Includes a cap layer 30 including metal atoms having an oxidation potential higher than that of nickel atoms and iron atoms. The AP1 layer in the SyAF pinned layer 27 includes a two-layer structure of an amorphous CoFeB layer and a crystalline CoFe layer that are sequentially stacked from the antiferromagnetic layer 26 side. Since the cap layer 30 has a high adsorption capability for oxygen atoms, the oxygen atom content in the adjacent free layer 29 is reduced. Further, the phenomenon that the constituent atoms of the cap layer 30 diffuse into the free layer 29 is suppressed. Furthermore, the presence of the crystalline CoFe layer provides a homogenized tunnel barrier layer with few defects such as pinholes. [Selection] Figure 1 |