Radiation effects and hardening strategy for MgO-based MTJs and non-volatile MRAM storage cells: A review

—Non-volatile magnetic random-access memory (MRAM) offers exceptional performance in terms of read/write speed, endurance, retention, and power efficiency, making it highly promising for space radiation environments. This paper systematically reviews recent progress in understanding radiation effects on MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) and corresponding hardening strategies for MRAM storage cells. Key findings reveal that MgO-MTJs exhibit strong immunity to total ionizing dose (TID) effects, while single-event effects (SEEs) remain the primary reliability concern. The underlying mechanisms of radiation-induced degradation, including interfacial mixing, thermal spikes, and defect generation in MgO barriers were summarized. Furthermore, we compile and compare emerging circuit-level hardening techniques for MRAM storage cells. This work provides a comprehensive reference for developing reliable MRAM technology for radiation-intensive applications such as aerospace and nuclear systems.