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US 11,963,458 B2Granted
Magnetic tunnel junction device, method for manufacturing magnetic tunnel junction device, and magnetic memory
AssigneeTohoku University
InventorsKoichi Nishioka, Tetsuo Endoh, Shoji Ikeda, Hiroaki Honjo, Hideo Sato, Sadahiko Miura
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Abstract
Provided are a magnetic tunnel junction dement suppressing diffusion and penetration of constituent elements between a hard mask film, and a magnetic tunnel junction film and a protection layer, and a method for manufacturing the magnetic tunnel junction element. The magnetic tunnel junction element has a configuration in which a non-magnetic insertion layer (7) including Ta or the like is inserted beneath a hard mask layer (8).
Claims10
A magnetic tunnel junction element, comprising:
- a reference layer having a magnetization direction that is fixed;
- a tunnel barrier layer disposed adjacent to the reference layer;
- a recording layer having a magnetization direction that is variable, and disposed adjacent to the tunnel barrier layer on an opposite side thereof to the reference layer;
- a first protection layer disposed adjacent to the recording layer on an opposite side thereof to the tunnel barrier layer;
- a second protection layer disposed adjacent to the first protection layer on an opposite side thereof to the recording layer;
- a non-magnetic insertion layer disposed adjacent to the second protection layer on an opposite side thereof to the first protection layer;
- and
- a hard mask layer disposed in a direct contact with the non-magnetic insertion layer on an opposite side thereof to the second protection layer,
- wherein
- the reference layer includes a ferromagnetic body,
- the tunnel barrier layer includes O,
- the recording layer includes a ferromagnetic body including at least any of Co, Fe, or Ni,
- the first protection layer includes O,
- the second protection layer includes at least one from the group consisting of Ru, Co, Fe, CoB, FeB, CoFe, or CoFeB,
- the non-magnetic insertion layer includes at least one from the group consisting of Ta, Nb, Mo, Hf, W, or Pt, and a film thickness of the non-magnetic insertion layer is 1 nm or more, and 10 nm or less,
- the hard mask layer is a metal material including Ti or N, and
- the reference layer, the tunnel barrier layer, and the recording layer configure a magnetic tunnel junction film (M) and a magnetization direction of each of the reference layer and the recording layer is perpendicular to a film surface.
14 more elements
A method for manufacturing a magnetic tunnel junction element, the method comprising:
- sequentially laminating a magnetic tunnel junction film (M) including at least a reference layer, a tunnel barrier layer, and a recording layer, a first protection layer, a second protection layer, a non-magnetic insertion layer, and a hard mask layer;
- annealing the laminated film;
- laminating a sacrificial layer including at least Si on the hard mask layer subjected to annealing;
- forming a photoresist having, on a part of the sacrificial layer, a processed pattern shape of the magnetic tunnel junction film (M) in a top view;
- performing etching using the photoresist as a mask and processing the sacrificial layer;
- performing etching using the sacrificial layer as a mask and processing the hard mask layer;
- performing etching using the hard mask layer as a mask and processing the magnetic tunnel junction film (M);
- and
- removing the sacrificial layer,
- wherein:
- the reference layer includes a ferromagnetic body,
- the tunnel barrier layer includes O,
- the recording layer includes a ferromagnetic body including at least any of Co, Fe, or Ni,
- the first protection layer includes O,
- the second protection layer includes at least one from the group consisting of Ru, Co, Fe, CoB, FeB, CoFe, or CoFeB,
- the non-magnetic insertion layer includes at least one from the group consisting of Ta, Nb, Mo, Hf, W, or Pt, and a film thickness of the non-magnetic insertion layer is 1 nm or more, and 10 nm or less,
- the hard mask layer is a metal material including Ti or N, and
- a magnetization direction of each of the reference layer and the recording layer is perpendicular to a film surface.
15 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.