Method and system for making TMR junctions
AssigneeWestern Digital (Fremont), LLC
InventorsKyusik Sin, Kristian M. Bjelland, Benjamin Chen, Hugh C. Hiner, Xizeng Shi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and system for providing a tunneling magnetoresistive sensor is disclosed. The method and system include providing a pinned layer, a free layer and an insulating layer between the pinned and free layers. The pinned and free layers are ferromagnetic. The method and system also include providing a hard mask layer to be used in defining the sensor at the top of the tunneling magnetoresistive sensor. The method and system also include using the hard mask layer to define the tunneling magnetoresistive sensor. Thus, the pinned layer, the free layer and the insulating layer are capable of having a minimum dimension of less than 0.2 μm.
Claims12
A tunneling magnetoresistive sensor comprising:
- a pinned layer, the pinned layer being a first ferromagnetic layer;
- a free layer, the free layer being a second ferromagnetic layer;
- and
- an insulating layer between the pinned layer and the free layer;
- wherein the pinned layer, the free layer and the insulating layer have a less than 0.2 μm minimum dimension in a plane of the free layer, the pinned layer, and the insulating layer.
A method for providing a tunneling magnetoresistive sensor comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a pinned layer, the pinned layer being a first ferromagnetic layer;
- (b) providing a free layer, the free layer being a second ferromagnetic layer;
- (c) providing an insulating layer between the pinned layer and the free layer;
- and
- (d) providing a hard mask layer at the top of the tunneling magnetoresistive sensor, the hard mask layer being used in defining the tunneling magnetoresistive sensor;
- (e) using the hard mask layer to define a length of the tunneling magnetoresistive sensor in a plane of the free layer, the pinned layer, and the insulating layer;
- wherein the pinned layer, the free layer and the insulating layer are capable of having a less than 0.2 μm minimum dimension for the length.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.