Fabricating an electroconductive contact on a top layer of a tunneling magnetoresistance element using two hard masks

A method, comprising:

• depositing magnetoresistance (MR) layers of a MR element on a semiconductor structure, the MR layers comprising a top MR layer, a middle MR layer, and a bottom MR layer;
• depositing a first hard mask on the MR layers;
• depositing and patterning a first photoresist on the first hard mask using photolithography to expose portions of the first hard mask;
• etching the exposed portions of the first hard mask;
• etching a portion of the top MR layer and a portion of the middle MR layer using the first hard mask;
• depositing a first capping layer on the bottom MR layer and on the first hard mask;
• depositing a second hard mask on the first capping layer;
• depositing and patterning a second photoresist on the second hard mask using photolithography to expose portions of the second hard mask;
• etching the exposed portions of the second hard mask;
• etching a portion of the bottom MR layer using the second hard mask;
• depositing a second capping layer;
• depositing and patterning a third photoresist on the second capping layer using photolithography to expose portions of the second capping layer;
• etching the exposed portions of the second capping layer down to the first hard mask;
• depositing and patterning a fourth photoresist using photolithography to expose portions of the first hard mask;
• etching the portions of the first hard mask not covered by the fourth photoresist down to the top MR layer;
• and
• depositing a conducting material on the top MR layer to form an electroconductive contact.