Method for forming minimally spaced MRAM structures
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorsD. Mark Durcan, Gurtej Sandhu, Trung T. Doan, Roger Lee, Dennis Keller, Ren Earl
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Abstract
A method of forming minimally spaced MRAM structures is disclosed. A photolithography technique is employed to define masking patterns, on the sidewalls of which spacers are subsequently formed to reduce the distance between any of the two adjacent masking patterns. A filler material is next used to fill in the space around the masking patterns and to form filler plugs. The masking patterns and the spacers are removed using the filler plugs as a hard mask. Digit and word lines of MRAM structures are subsequently formed.
Claims54
A method of forming at least one magnetic random access memory cell, said method comprising:
- forming an insulating layer over a substrate;
- forming a mask layer over said insulating layer, said mask layer having a pattern formed of a plurality of first regions containing a mask material and a plurality of second regions which do not contain a mask material, said second regions being located between said adjacent first regions and having a predetermined width between said first regions;
- reducing said predetermined width of said second regions by forming a plurality of spacers on sidewalls of each of said first regions;
- filling said reduced-width second regions with a filler material to form filler plugs;
- removing said first regions and said spacers using said filler plugs as a mask;
- forming a plurality of grooves in said insulating layer using said filler plugs as a mask;
- forming respective conductive layers in said grooves;
- and respectively forming at least one first magnetic layer over said conductive layers.
A method of forming a magnetic random access memory structure, said method comprising;
- forming a plurality of pillars over an insulating layer, said pillars defining a plurality of spaces between adjacent pillars, said spaces having a predetermined width;
- reducing said predetermined width of said spaces by forming a plurality of spacers on sidewalls of each of said pillars;
- filling said reduced-width spaces with a filler material to form filler plugs;
- removing said pillars and said spacers using said filler plugs as a mask;
- forming a plurality of grooves in said insulating layer using said filler plugs as mask;
- and
- forming respective conductive layers in said grooves.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.