Fabrication of self-aligned reflective/protective overlays on magnetoresistance sensors, and the sensors
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsWitold Kula, Alexander Michael Zeltser
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A magnetoresistance sensor is fabricated using a sensor structure including a free layer deposited upon a lower layered structure and depositing an oxide structure overlying the free layer. The depositing of the oxide structure includes the steps of depositing a buffer layer overlying the free layer, wherein the buffer layer is a buffer-layer metal when deposited, depositing an overlayer overlying and contacting the buffer layer, the overlayer being an overlayer metallic oxide of an overlayer metal, and oxidizing the buffer layer to form a buffer layer metallic oxide.
Claims21
A method for fabricating a magnetoresistance sensor, comprising the steps of
- providing a sensor structure including a free layer deposited upon a lower layered structure;
- and
- depositing an oxide structure overlying the free layer, the step of depositing the oxide structure including the steps of
- depositing a buffer layer overlying the free layer, the buffer layer being a buffer-layer metal when deposited, thereafter
- depositing an overlayer overlying and contacting the buffer layer, the overlayer being an overlayer metallic oxide of an overlayer metal, and
- oxidizing the buffer layer to form a buffer layer metallic oxide.
A method for fabricating a magnetoresistance sensor, comprising the steps of
- providing a giant magnetoresistance sensor structure including a free layer deposited upon a lower layered structure;
- and
- depositing an oxide structure overlying the free layer and having a thickness of not less than about 25 Angstroms, the step of depositing an oxide structure including the steps of
- depositing a buffer layer overlying the free layer, the buffer layer being a buffer-layer metal when deposited and having a thickness of not less than about 5 Angstroms, thereafter
- depositing an overlayer overlying and contacting the buffer layer, the overlayer being an overlayer metallic oxide of an overlayer metal, and simultaneously
- oxidizing the buffer layer to form a buffer layer metallic oxide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.