The heavy ions irradiation effects on advanced spin transfer torque materials

•We investigate the heavy ions irradiation effect on the spin transfer torque film stacks with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy.•The results exhibit that magnetic properties of the synthetic antiferromagnet layer and the ferromagnetic exchange coupling between reference layer and synthetic antiferromagnet layer have changed significantly.•We analysis the irradiation damage by SRIM simulation and give a reasonable explanation for this phenomenon.•Our work demonstrates that perpendicular spin transfer torque MRAM technology itself, the memory element construction, is subject to damage from heavy ions irradiation.