# US 8,465,990 B2 · Manufacturing method of magneto-resistance effect element

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- Number: US 8,465,990 B2
- Document ID: US8465990B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/087,054
- Filed: 2011-04-14
- Published: 2011-10-20
- Granted: 2013-06-18
- Earliest claimed: 2010-04-16
- Assignees: Canon Anelva Corporation
- Applicants: Naoko Matsui; Eiji Ozaki; Hiroshi Akasaka
- Inventors: Naoko Matsui; Eiji Ozaki; Hiroshi Akasaka
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8465990B2

## CPC

- H10N 50/01: Manufacture or treatment
- B82Y 25/00: Nanomagnetism, e.g. magnetoimpedance, anisotropic magnetoresistance, giant magnetoresistance or tunneling magnetoresistance
- G01R 33/093: {using multilayer structures, e.g. giant magnetoresistance sensors (thin magnetic films H01F10/00)}
- H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12)

## Abstract

The present invention provides a manufacturing method of a magneto-resistance effect element, in which the step coverage of a formed film can be enlarged and also the film can be deposited in a low temperature range. In an embodiment of the present invention, an insulating protective layer is formed on a multilayered structure by a plasma CVD apparatus in which a plasma source and a film deposition chamber are separated from each other by a partition wall plate. According to the present method, it is possible to deposit the protective layer without inviting the degradation of a magnetic characteristic and also to perform low temperature film deposition even at a temperature lower than 150° C. Hence, it is possible to deposit the protective layer while leaving resist and also to reduce the number of steps in the manufacturing of the magneto-resistance effect element having a multilayered structure.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A manufacturing method of a magneto-resistance effect element comprising a multilayered structure including two ferromagnetic layers and an intermediate layer sandwiched between the ferromagnetic layers,
wherein a partition wall having at least one through-hole is provided between a plasma generation space capable of generating plasma and a film-deposition processing space which is provided separately from the plasma generation space and in which a substrate holding part capable of mounting a substrate to be processed is disposed,
the plasma generation space and the film-deposition processing space are connected to each other by the at least one through-hole, and
the method comprises:
introducing an active species generated from a first source gas in the plasma generation space into the film-deposition processing space through the at least one through-hole; and
causing the reactive species to react with a second source gas in the film-deposition processing space to form an insulating protective layer on a multilayered structure formed in the substrate to be processed mounted on the substrate holding part.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The manufacturing method of a magneto-resistance effect element according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer is any one of a silicon nitride film, a silicon oxide film and a silicon oxynitride film, a stacked film thereof, or a mixed film thereof.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The manufacturing method of a magneto-resistance effect element according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer is deposited on the multilayered structure which has been processed using an organic mask material, at a deposition temperature of less than 150° C.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The manufacturing method of a magneto-resistance effect element according to claim 3, wherein the protective layer is deposited while the organic mask material used in the processing is left on the multilayered structure.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The manufacturing method of a magneto-resistance effect element according to claim 1, wherein electron density of plasma flowing into the film-deposition processing space from plasma generated in the plasma generation space is equal to or lower than 1 ×10+7 cm−3 , in the deposition of the protective layer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The manufacturing method of a magneto-resistance effect element according to claim 1, wherein the processing of the multilayered structure using a mask material and the deposition of the protective layer onto the multilayered structure which has been processed using the mask material are performed continuously under vacuum.