Abstract: An electronic system includes a three terminal device having a light emitting portion and a magnetically sensitive portion. The magnetically sensitive portion is for modulating light emission from the light emitting portion. The device is a spin valve transistor having a light-emitting quantum well in its collector. The device can convert a magnetic digital signal to both an electrical digital signal and an optical digital signal, wherein either or both of these signals can be provided as a device output. The magnetically sensitive portion of the device is formed of a pair of magnetically permeable layers. When the layers are aligned electron current can pass through with sufficient energy to reach a quantum well where they recombine, generating light. The device may be used to read a magnetic storage medium, such as a disk drive. Or it can be used to provide a display or a memory array composed of single device magnetic write, optical read memory cells.

Abstract: An MTJ (magnetic tunneling junction) MRAM (magnetic random access memory) cell is formed on a conducting lead and magnetic keeper layer that is capped by a sputter-etched Ta layer. The Ta layer has a smooth surface as a result of the sputter-etching and that smooth surface promotes the subsequent formation of a lower electrode (pinning/pinned layer) with smooth, flat layers and a radical oxidized (ROX) Al tunneling barrier layer which is ultra-thin, smooth, and to has a high breakdown voltage. A seed layer of NiCr is formed on the sputter-etched layer of Ta. The resulting device has generally improved performance characteristics in terms of its switching characteristics, GMR ratio and junction resistance.