Claims
- 1. A method of fabricating a magnetic memory cell, comprising:
providing a substrate on which the magnetic memory cell is formed; depositing a first ferromagnetic layer; depositing a dielectric layer over the first ferromagnetic layer; and depositing a second ferromagnetic layer over the dielectric layer, wherein at lease one of the layers is formed by atomic layer deposition (ALD).
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the magnetic memory cell comprises a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ).
- 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the magnetic memory cell is a magnetic random access memory cell.
- 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer is deposited by ALD.
- 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer comprises aluminum oxide.
- 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first ferromagnetic layer is deposited by ALD.
- 7. The method of claim 6, wherein depositing the first ferromagnetic layer by ALD comprises depositing a metal oxide by ALD and subsequently reducing the metal oxide to elemental metal.
- 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the elemental metal comprises cobalt.
- 9. The method of claim 1, wherein depositing the second ferromagnetic layer comprises an ALD process.
- 10. The method of claim 9, wherein depositing the second ferromagnetic layer comprises depositing a metal oxide by ALD and subsequently reducing the metal oxide to elemental metal.
- 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the elemental metal comprises cobalt.
- 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first ferromagnetic layer has a lower magnetic permeability than the second ferromagnetic layer.
- 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first ferromagnetic layer is thinner than the second ferromagnetic layer.
- 14. A method of fabricating a magnetic memory cell, comprising:
providing a substrate on which the magnetic memory cell is formed; depositing a first magnetic layer on the substrate; forming a dielectric layer over the first magnetic layer; depositing a magnetic metal oxide layer over the dielectric layer by atomic layer deposition (ALD); and reducing the magnetic metal oxide layer to a magnetic elemental metal layer.
- 15. A method of fabricating a magnetic memory cell, comprising:
providing a substrate on which the magnetic memory cell is formed; forming a first magnetic layer on the substrate; depositing a first non-magnetic metal oxide layer over the first magnetic layer; converting the first non-magnetic metal oxide layer to a first non-magnetic metal layer; depositing an insulating layer on the first non-magnetic metal layer; depositing a second non-magnetic metal oxide layer by atomic layer deposition (ALD); converting the second non-magnetic metal oxide layer to a second non-magnetic metal layer; and depositing a second magnetic layer on the second non-magnetic metal layer.
- 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first non-magnetic metal oxide layer is deposited by ALD.
- 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first non-magnetic metal oxide layer and the second non-magnetic metal oxide layer are converted to the first and second non-magnetic metal layers by reducing the metal oxide to elemental metal.
- 18. The method of claim 17, wherein reducing comprises exposing the metal oxide layer to a chemical selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydrogen-rich radicals, carbon monoxide, alcohol vapor, aldehyde vapor and carboxylic acid vapor.
- 19. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and the second non-magnetic metal oxide layers comprise copper oxide.
- 20. A method of fabricating a magnetic nanolaminate structure, comprising:
depositing a plurality of metal oxide layers on a substrate by atomic layer deposition (ALD); and converting at least one of the metal oxide layers to elemental metal layers, wherein at least one of the metal oxide layers is magnetic.
- 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the magnetic nanolaminate structure is part of a magnetic memory device.
- 22. The method of claim 20, wherein the magnetic nanolaminate structure is part of a read-head.
- 23. The method of claim 20, wherein the magnetic nanolaminate structure comprises a magnetic tunneling junction.
- 24. The method of claim 20, wherein the magnetic nanolaminate structure is part of a spin valve transistor.
- 25. The method of claim 20, wherein depositing the plurality of metal oxide layers comprises, in order: depositing a first magnetic metal oxide layer, depositing an insulating layer, and depositing a second magnetic metal oxide layer.
- 26. The method of claim 20, wherein depositing the plurality of metal oxide layers comprises, in order: depositing a first magnetic metal oxide layer, depositing a first non-magnetic metal oxide layer, depositing an insulating layer, depositing a second non-magnetic metal oxide layer, and depositing a second magnetic metal oxide layer.
- 27. The method of claim 20, wherein converting comprises reducing a metal oxide layer to elemental metal.
- 28. The method of claim 27, wherein reducing comprises contacting the layer with a compound selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydrogen-rich radicals, carbon monoxide, alcohol vapor, aldehyde vapor and carboxylic acid vapor.
- 29. The method of claim 20, wherein at least one of the metal oxide layers comprises a ferromagnetic oxide selected from the group consisting of magnetite (Fe3O4), CrO2, manganite perovskites doped with alkaline earth metals and metal oxide superlattices.
- 30. The method of claim 20, wherein the magnetic nanolaminate comprises at least one magnetic metal selected from the group consisting of iron (Fe), cobalt (Co) and nickel (Ni).
- 31. The method of claim 20, wherein the magnetic nanolaminate comprises at least one non-magnetic metal.
- 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the non-magnetic metal is copper.
- 33. A method of depositing a metal layer for a magnetic device by atomic layer deposition (ALD), wherein the ALD process comprises alternately contacting a substrate with volatile metal source chemicals and hydrogen-rich plasma.
- 34. The method of claim 33, wherein the ALD process forms a metal oxide.
- 35. The method of claim 34, further comprising reducing the metal oxide.
- 36. The method of claim 34, wherein the metal oxide comprises a magnetic metal.
- 37. The method of claim 36, wherein the magnetic metal is selected from the group consisting of iron (Fe), cobalt (Co) and nickel (Ni).
- 38. The method of claim 34, wherein the metal oxide comprises a non-magnetic metal.
- 39. The method of claim 33, wherein the magnetic device comprises an integrated MRAM magnetic tunnel junction.
- 40. The method of claim 33, wherein the magnetic device comprises a spin valve transistor.
- 41. The method of claim 33, wherein, the magnetic device comprises a pseudo spin valve.
- 42. A method of manufacturing a magnetic element in an integrated circuit, comprising:
providing a substrate comprising a hard magnetic material; cleaning the substrate surface; depositing an aluminum oxide tunneling dielectric by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on the substrate; depositing cobalt oxide over the aluminum oxide by ALD; and reducing the cobalt oxide to cobalt metal.
- 43. The method of claim 42, wherein cleaning comprises sputter-etching.
- 44. The method of claim 42, wherein cleaning comprises contacting the substrate surface with a gas selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydrogen-rich radicals, carbon monoxide, alcohol vapor, aldehyde vapor and carboxylic acid vapor.
- 45. The method of claim 42, wherein reducing the cobalt oxide comprises contacting the substrate with a gas selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydrogen-rich radicals, carbon monoxide, alcohol vapor, aldehyde vapor and carboxylic acid vapor. A method of reducing oxidized ferromagnetic metal in a magnetic structure into elemental metal comprising contacting the oxidized metal with a volatile organic compound selected from the group consisting of alcohols, aldehydes and carboxylic acids.
- 46. A method of fabricating a sensing element of a read-head comprising:
providing a substrate on which the sensing element is to be formed; depositing a first ferromagnetic layer by atomic layer deposition (ALD); depositing a conductive layer over the first ferromagnetic layer; and depositing a second ferromagnetic layer over the conductive layer.
- 47. The method of claim 46, wherein the conductive layer is deposited by atomic layer deposition.
- 48. The method of claim 46, wherein the second ferromagnetic layer is deposited by atomic layer deposition.
- 49. The method of claim 46, wherein the first ferromagnetic layer comprises NiFe and the second ferromagnetic layer comprises Co.
- 50. The method of claim 46, wherein the conductive layer comprises Cu.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to provisional application No. 60/250,533, filed Nov. 30, 2000.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60250533 |
Nov 2000 |
US |