Sub-lithographic patterning of magnetic tunneling junction devices
AssigneeQUALCOMM Incorporated
InventorYu LU
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for fabricating a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device includes creating a recess within a second patterning layer, in which a first patterning layer overhangs the recessed second patterning layer. Such a method further includes depositing a film into the recess to create a keyhole pattern within the deposited film. The method further includes transferring the keyhole pattern through a hard mask layer to an MTJ stack. The method also includes depositing a conductive material into the transferred keyhole pattern and on an MTJ stack. The method also includes removing the hard mask layer to create a conductive hard mask pillar.
Claims30
A method for fabricating a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device, comprising:
- creating a recess within a second patterning layer, in which a first patterning layer overhangs the recessed second patterning layer;
- depositing a film into the recess to create a keyhole pattern within the deposited film;
- transferring the keyhole pattern through a hard mask layer to an MTJ stack;
- depositing a conductive material into the transferred keyhole pattern and on the MTJ stack;
- and
- removing the hard mask layer to create a conductive hard mask pillar.
A magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) array, comprising:
- a plurality of MTJ stacks;
- a plurality of conductive hard mask pillars, each of the plurality of conductive hard mask pillars electrically coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of MTJ stacks, each of the plurality of conductive hard mask pillars comprising an interface with the corresponding one of the plurality of MTJ stacks that has a smaller cross section than a cross section of a central region of the corresponding one of the plurality of MTJ stacks.
A magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) array, comprising:
- a plurality of MTJ stacks;
- means for conducting, the conducting means being electrically coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of MTJ stacks, in which the conducting means includes an interface with corresponding one of the plurality of MTJ stacks that has a smaller cross section than a cross section of a central region of the corresponding one of the plurality of MTJ stacks.
A computer program product for fabricating a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) array, comprising:
- a non-transitory computer readable medium having encoded thereon program code, the program code comprising:
- program code to create a recess within a second patterning layer, in which a first patterning layer overhangs the recessed second patterning layer;
- program code to deposit a film into the recess to create a keyhole pattern within the deposited film;
- program code to transfer the keyhole pattern through a hard mask layer to an MTJ stack;
- program code to depositing a conductive material into the transferred keyhole pattern and on the MTJ stack;
- and
- removing the hard mask layer to create a conductive hard mask pillar.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.