Spacer Stack For Magnetic Tunnel Junctions
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsJoung-Wei LIOU, Chin Kun LAN
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure describes an exemplary method that forms spacer stacks with metallic compound layers. The method includes forming magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structures on an interconnect layer and depositing a first spacer layer over the MTJ structures and the interconnect layer. The method also includes disposing a second spacer layer—which includes a metallic compound—over the first spacer material, the MTJ structures, and the interconnect layer so that the second spacer layer is thinner than the first spacer layer. The method further includes depositing a third spacer layer over the second spacer layer and between the MTJ structures. The third spacer is thicker than the second spacer.
Claims20
A semiconductor device, comprising:
- an interconnect layer comprising a conductive structure;
- a ferromagnetic structure disposed on the interconnect layer;
- a nitride layer disposed on a sidewall of the ferromagnetic structure;
- and
- a metal-based layer disposed on the nitride layer,
- wherein the nitride layer and the metal-based layer extends into the interconnect layer and below a top surface of the conductive structure.
A semiconductor device, comprising:
- an interconnect layer comprising a first dielectric layer and a conductive structure;
- first and second magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structures disposed on the interconnect layer, wherein the first and second MTJ structures comprise first and second sidewalls, respectively, facing each other;
- and
- a spacer stack disposed between the first and second MTJ structures, wherein the spacer stack comprises:
- first and second nitride layers disposed on the first and second sidewalls, respectively;
- a continuous metal-based layer disposed on the first and second nitride layers;
- and
- a second dielectric layer disposed on the continuous metal-based layer.
A method, comprising:
- forming, on an interconnect layer, first and second magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structures comprising first and second sidewalls, respectively, wherein the first and second sidewalls face each other;
- depositing a nitride layer on the first and second MTJ structures;
- etching the nitride layer to form first and second spacers on the first and second sidewalls, respectively, and to expose a top surface of the interconnect layer;
- depositing a metal-based layer on the first and second spacers and on the top surface of the interconnect layer;
- and
- etching the metal-based layer to form a continuous metal-based spacer on the first and second spacers and on the top surface of the interconnect layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.