公开(公告)号：US11374165B2

公开(公告)日：2022-06-28

申请号：US16810697

申请日：2020-03-05

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Lin Xue ,  Sajjad Amin Hassan ,  Mahendra Pakala ,  Jaesoo Ahn

IPC: H01L43/02 ,  H01L27/22 ,  H01L43/08 ,  H01L43/12

Abstract: A process sequence is provided to provide an ultra-smooth (0.2 nm or less) bottom electrode surface for depositing magnetic tunnel junctions thereon. In one embodiment, the sequence includes forming a bottom electrode pad through bulk layer deposition followed by patterning and etching. Oxide is then deposited over the formed bottom electrode pads and polished back to expose the bottom electrode pads. A bottom electrode buff layer is then deposited thereover following a pre-clean operation. The bottom electrode buff layer is then exposed to a chemical mechanical polishing process to improve surface roughness. An magnetic tunnel junction deposition is then performed over the bottom electrode buff layer.

公开(公告)号：US11133460B2

公开(公告)日：2021-09-28

申请号：US15438420

申请日：2017-02-21

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Lin Xue ,  Jaesoo Ahn ,  Mahendra Pakala ,  Chi Hong Ching ,  Rongjun Wang

IPC: H01L43/12 ,  H01L43/08 ,  H01L43/10 ,  H01F10/14 ,  H01F10/32

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide methods and apparatus for fabricating magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structures on a substrate in for spin-transfer-torque magnetoresistive random access memory (STT-MRAM) applications. In one example, a film stack utilized to form a magnetic tunnel junction structure on a substrate includes a pinned layer disposed on a substrate, wherein the pinned layer comprises multiple layers including at least one or more of a Co containing layer, Pt containing layer, Ta containing layer, an Ru containing layer, an optional structure decoupling layer disposed on the pinned magnetic layer, a magnetic reference layer disposed on the optional structure decoupling layer, a tunneling barrier layer disposed on the magnetic reference layer, a magnetic storage layer disposed on the tunneling barrier layer, and a capping layer disposed on the magnetic storage layer.

公开(公告)号：US10998496B2

公开(公告)日：2021-05-04

申请号：US16859350

申请日：2020-04-27

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Lin Xue ,  Chi Hong Ching ,  Xiaodong Wang ,  Mahendra Pakala ,  Rongjun Wang

IPC: H01L27/22 ,  H01L43/12 ,  G11C11/16 ,  H01L27/12 ,  H01L43/08 ,  H01L43/02 ,  H01L43/10 ,  H01L43/04 ,  G11C11/22 ,  H01L43/06 ,  H01L43/14 ,  G11C11/18

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide methods for forming MTJ structures from a film stack disposed on a substrate for MRAM applications and associated MTJ devices. The methods described herein include forming the film properties of material layers from the film stack to create a film stack with a sufficiently high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). An iron containing oxide capping layer is utilized to generate the desirable PMA. By utilizing an iron containing oxide capping layer, thickness of the capping layer can be more finely controlled and reliance on boron at the interface of the magnetic storage layer and the capping layer is reduced.

公开(公告)号：US10468592B1

公开(公告)日：2019-11-05

申请号：US16029844

申请日：2018-07-09

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Lin Xue ,  Chi Hong Ching ,  Xiaodong Wang ,  Rongjun Wang ,  Mahendra Pakala

IPC: H01L43/12 ,  H01F10/32 ,  H01F41/32 ,  H01L43/10 ,  H01L43/02 ,  G11C11/16

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure are for systems and methods for fabrication of a magnetic tunnel junction stack. This fabrication can occur via methods including one or more of (1) heating the substrate after the deposition of a buffer layer on the substrate, prior to deposition of a seed layer; (2) cooling the substrate after the deposition of a second pinning layer, before deposition of a structure blocking layer; (3) heating the substrate during the deposition of a tunnel barrier layer and then cooling it after the deposition of the tunnel barrier layer is complete; (4) heating the substrate after the deposition of a magnetic storage layer on the tunnel barrier layer; and (5) cooling the substrate after the deposition of the magnetic storage layer before a first interlayer of the capping layer is deposited.