Method of fabricating magnetic memory device
AssigneeHeFeChip Corporation Limited
InventorGeeng-Chuan Chern
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Abstract
A method for forming a magnetic memory device is disclosed. At least one magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) stack is formed on the substrate. The MTJ stack comprises a reference layer, a tunnel barrier layer and a free layer. A top electrode layer is formed on the MTJ stack. A patterned sacrificial layer is formed on the top electrode layer. The MTJ stack is then subjected to a MTJ patterning process in a high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDPCVD) chamber, thereby sputtering off the MTJ stack not covered by the patterned sacrificial layer. During the MTJ patterning process, sidewalls of layers or sub-layers of the MTJ stack are simultaneously passivated in the HDPCVD chamber by depositing a sidewall protection layer.
Claims5
A method for forming a magnetic memory device, comprising:
- providing a substrate;
- forming at least a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) stack on said substrate, wherein said MTJ stack comprises a reference layer, a tunnel barrier layer, and a free layer;
- forming a top electrode layer on the MTJ stack;
- forming a patterned sacrificial layer on said top electrode layer;
- subjecting said MTJ stack to a MTJ patterning process in a high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDPCVD) chamber, thereby sputtering off said MTJ stack not covered by said patterned sacrificial layer;
- and
- simultaneously passivating sidewalls of layers or sub-layers of said MTJ stack during said MTJ patterning process in said HDPCVD chamber by depositing a non-conformal sidewall protection layer, wherein a thickness of the non-conformal sidewall protection layer decreases from top to bottom.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.