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US 2025/0169372 A1Published application
Protective passivation layer for magnetic tunnel junctions
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsJodi Mari Iwata, Guenole Jan, Ru-Ying Tong
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Abstract
A spin torque oscillator (STO) device includes a main pole, a trailing shield, an STO stack disposed between the main pole and the trailing shield, a passivation layer disposed on a sidewall of the STO stack, and a dielectric layer disposed on the passivation layer. The passivation layer is non-magnetic and includes one or more layers that is selected from the group consisting of a B-containing layer, a C-containing layer, and a Ge-containing layer.
Claims20
A spin torque oscillator (STO) device, comprising:
- a main pole;
- a trailing shield;
- an STO stack disposed between the main pole and the trailing shield, the STO stack having a first sidewall and a second sidewall opposing the first sidewall;
- a passivation layer disposed on the first sidewall of the STO stack, wherein the passivation layer is non-magnetic and includes one or more layers that is selected from the group consisting of a B-containing layer, a C-containing layer, and a Ge-containing layer;
- and
- a dielectric layer disposed on the passivation layer.
3 more elements
A spin torque oscillator (STO) device, comprising:
- a main pole;
- a trailing shield;
- an STO stack sandwiched between the main pole and the trailing shield;
- and
- a passivation layer disposed on a sidewall of the STO stack,
- wherein the passivation layer includes:
- a first layer that includes a first alloy selected from the group consisting of a B-containing alloy, a C-containing alloy and a Ge-containing alloy, wherein the selected first alloy includes a first element selected from the group consisting of Al, P, Ga, In, Tl, Mg, Hf, Zr, Nb, V, Ti, Cr, Mo, W, Sr, and Zn;
- and
- a second layer that includes a second alloy selected from the group consisting of an oxidized B-containing alloy, an oxidized C-containing alloy, an oxidized Ge-containing alloy, a nitridated B-containing alloy, a nitridated C-containing alloy and a nitridated Ge-containing alloy.
6 more elements
A device, comprising:
- a spin torque oscillator (STO) stack having at least a non-magnetic spacer stacked between a spin polarization layer and an oscillation layer;
- and
- a passivation layer disposed on a sidewall of the STO stack,
- wherein the passivation layer includes:
- a first layer disposed directly on the sidewall of the STO stack, the first layer including a first material;
- a second layer that includes a second material selected from the group consisting of a B-containing alloy, a C-containing alloy and a Ge-containing alloy, wherein the selected second material includes a first element selected from the group consisting of Al, P, Ga, In, Tl, Mg, Hf, Zr, Nb, V, Ti, Cr, Mo, W, Sr, and Zn;
- and
- a third layer that includes a third material such that the first, second and third layers each have different material compositions from each other.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.