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US 2010/0136713 A1Published application
Hafnium doped cap and free layer for mram device
AssigneeMaglC Technologies, Inc.
InventorsCheng T. Horng, Ru-Ying Tong, Chyu-Jiuh Torng, Witold Kula
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Abstract
A high performance MTJ, and a process for manufacturing it, are described. A capping layer of NiFeHf is used to getter oxygen out of the free layer, thereby increasing the sharpness of the free layer-tunneling layer interface. The free layer comprises two NiFe layers whose magnetostriction constants are of opposite sign, thereby largely canceling one another.
Claims4
A process for the manufacture of an MTJ device, that includes a free layer having a magnetic moment, comprising:
- providing a substrate and depositing thereon a magnetic pinning layer;
- depositing a magnetically pinned layer on said pinning layer;
- depositing a tunnel barrier layer on said pinned layer;
- depositing on said tunnel barrier layer a free layer of NiFe and a first cap layer of NiFeHf;
- depositing on said first cap layer a second cap layer of Ru on Ta;
- and
- then heating said device for a time and at a temperature that are sufficient for oxygen trapped in said NiFe free layer to diffuse into said NiFeHf layer, thereby sharpening an interface between said tunnel barrier layer and said NiFe layer.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.