# US 2014/0190933 A1 · Method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0190933 A1 - Document ID: US20140190933A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/826,658 - Filed: 2013-03-14 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2012-04-26 - Assignees: Everspin Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Sarin Deshpande; Sanjeev Aggarwal; Kerry Nagel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140190933A1 ## CPC - G11B 5/127: Structure or manufacture of heads, e.g. inductive - G11C 11/161: {details concerning the memory cell structure, e.g. the layers of the ferromagnetic memory cell} - H10N 50/01: Manufacture or treatment - Y10T 29/49052: by etching - G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R) - G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B) - H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive-based device includes a metal hard mask that is inert to a top electrode etch chemistry and that has low sputter yield during a magnetic stack sputter. The metal hard mask is patterned by the photo resist and the photo mask is then stripped and the top electrode (overlying magnetic materials of the magnetoresistive-based device) is patterned by the metal hard mask. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive-based device, comprising: providing a magnetic material layer; depositing a metal layer over the magnetic material layer; depositing a patterned photo resist over the metal layer; etching the metal layer not covered by the patterned photo resist to form an electrically conductive electrode; removing the patterned photo resist; and etching the magnetic material layer not covered by the electrically conductive electrode to form a magnetic material stack. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein depositing metal layer comprises: depositing a material that is inert to the etching of the electrically conductive electrode. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 wherein the depositing a material comprises: depositing a material having a selectivity in the etching of the electrically conductive layer that is greater than 10:1. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein depositing the metal layer comprises: depositing the metal layer comprising one or more noble metals, or one or more noble metals and alloys thereof. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein depositing the metal layer comprises: depositing the metal hard mask having a thickness in the range of 15-150 Angstroms. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein depositing the metal hard mask comprises: depositing the metal hard mask comprising at least one of PtMn and IrMn ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein depositing the metal hard mask comprises: depositing the metal hard mask comprising at least one of the elements selected from the group consisting of Pt, Ir, Mo, W, Ru and alloy AB (where A comprises Pt, Ir, Mo, W, Ru and B comprises Fe, Ni, Mn). ### Claim 8 A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive-based device, comprising: providing a magnetic material layer; depositing an electrically conductive layer over the magnetic material; depositing a metal hard mask layer over the electrically conductive layer; depositing a patterned photo resist over the metal hard mask layer; etching the metal hard mask layer not covered by the patterned photo resist to form a metal hard mask; removing the patterned photo resist; etching the electrically conductive layer not covered by the metal hard mask to form an electrically conductive electrode; and etching the magnetic material layer not covered by the electrically conductive electrode to form a magnetic material stack. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 wherein the depositing the metal hard mask layer comprises: depositing a material that is inert to the etching of the electrically conductive layer. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 wherein the depositing the material comprises: depositing a material having a selectivity in the etching of the electrically conductive layer that is greater than 10:1. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 wherein depositing the metal hard mask comprises: depositing the metal hard mask comprising one or more noble metals, or one or more noble metals and alloys thereof. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 wherein depositing the metal hard mask comprises: depositing the metal hard mask having a thickness in the range of 15-150 Angstroms. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 wherein depositing the metal hard mask comprises: depositing the metal hard mask comprising at least one of PtMn and IrMn ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 wherein depositing the metal hard mask comprises: depositing the metal hard mask comprising at least one of the elements selected from the group consisting of Pt, Ir, Mo, W, Ru and alloy AB (where A comprises Pt, Ir, Mo, W, Ru and B comprises Fe, Ni, Mn). ### Claim 15 A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive-based device, comprising: providing a magnetic material layer; depositing a metal material layer over the magnetic material; depositing a patterned photo resist over the metal material layer; etching the metal material layer not covered by the patterned photo resist to form a electrically conductive electrode; removing the patterned photo resist; and etching the magnetic material layer not covered by the electrically conductive electrode to form a magnetic material stack. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein the depositing metal material layer comprises: depositing a material that is inert to the etching of the electrically conductive electrode. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein the depositing a material comprises: depositing a material having a selectivity in the etching of the electrically conductive layer that is greater than 10:1. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein depositing the metal hard mask comprises: depositing the metal hard mask comprising one or more noble metals, or one or more noble metals and alloys thereof. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein depositing the metal hard mask comprises: depositing the metal hard mask having a thickness in the range of 15-150 Angstroms. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein depositing the metal hard mask comprises: depositing the metal hard mask comprising at least one of PtMn and IrMn