Method and system for providing a spin tunneling magnetic element having a crystalline barrier layer
AssigneeWestern Digital (Fremont), LLC
InventorsYong Shen, Qunwen Leng
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The method and system for providing a spin tunneling element are disclosed. The method and system include depositing a pinned layer, a barrier layer, and a free layer. The barrier layer has a first crystal structure and a texture. The free layer includes a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer. The first ferromagnetic is adjacent to the second ferromagnetic layer and between the second ferromagnetic layer and the barrier layer. The first ferromagnetic layer has the first crystal structure and the texture, while the second ferromagnetic layer has a second crystal structure different from the first crystal structure.
Claims12
A method for providing a spin tunneling element comprising:
- providing a pinned layer;
- providing a barrier layer having a first crystal structure, and having a texture;
- and
- providing a free layer having a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer, the first ferromagnetic layer being adjacent to the second ferromagnetic layer and between the second ferromagnetic layer and the barrier layer, the first ferromagnetic layer having the first crystal structure and the texture, the second ferromagnetic layer having a second crystal structure different from the first crystal structure after fabrication of the spin tunneling junction is complete, the step of providing the free layer further including:
- depositing the first ferromagnetic layer having the first crystal structure and the texture;
- performing a rapid thermal anneal on the first ferromagnetic layer such that the first ferromagnetic layer retains the first crystal structure and the texture;
- depositing the second ferromagnetic layer having the second crystal structure after the rapid thermal anneal has been performed.
A method for providing a spin tunneling element comprising:
- providing a barrier layer, the barrier layer being insulating and including MgO, having a first crystal structure, and having a texture;
- and
- depositing a first ferromagnetic layer in a first deposition chamber, the first ferromagnetic layer including CoFe having the first crystal structure and the texture;
- using at least one transfer station to move the spin tunneling element from the deposition chamber to a rapid thermal anneal chamber without exposing the spin tunneling element to an external environment;
- performing a rapid thermal anneal on the first ferromagnetic layer in the rapid thermal anneal chamber without changing the crystal structure and texture of the first ferromagnetic layer;
- using the at least one transfer station to move the spin tunneling element from the rapid thermal anneal chamber to a second deposition chamber without exposing the spin tunneling element to the external environment;
- and
- depositing a second ferromagnetic layer in the second deposition chamber after the rapid thermal anneal has been performed, the second ferromagnetic layer include including NiFe.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.