Bio-resorbable magnetic tunnel junctions

TL;DR

This paper explores bio-resorbable magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs), demonstrating their controlled dissolution in physiological conditions and potential for secure, transient bio-integrated memory devices.

Contribution

It introduces bio-resorbable MTJs with tunable dissolution times, combining spintronics with transient electronics for biomedical applications.

Findings

MTJs dissolve within 10 hours in PBS solution.

Dissolution behavior can be controlled by material and thickness choices.

Bio-resorbable MTJs can serve as secure, temporary data storage solutions.

Abstract

Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) play a crucial role in spintronic applications, particularly data storage and sensors. Especially as a non-volatile memory, MTJs have received substantial attention due to its CMOS compatibility, low power consumption, fast switching speed, and high endurance. In parallel, bio-resorbable electronics have emerged as a promising solution for systems requiring temporary operation and secure data disposal, especially in military, intelligence, and biomedical systems where devices must safely disintegrate under physiological conditions. In this study, we investigate the bio-resorbability of MTJ by analyzing the dissolution behavior of its nanometer-thick constituent layers in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution at pH 7.4, simulating physiological environments. The MTJ structures, composed of bio-resorbable materials, exhibit well-controlled degradation behaviors. Critically, as one of the ferromagnetic layers dissolves, binary information is irreversibly lost, within 10 hours of immersion. These findings highlight the potential of MTJs not only as high-performance memory elements but also as secure, transient data storage platforms. The ability to modify the dissolution lifetime by materials and thickness selection offers unique advantages for short-lived implantable devices, paving the way for integrating spintronic functionality into next-generation bioresorbable electronics.