Claims
- 1. A method of fabricating a magnetic tunnel junction device including a plurality of layers configured as a stack of layers, comprising:
depositing on a substrate a material that includes a first portion of the stack; etching the deposited material to define said first portion of the stack; and after said etching step, depositing a second portion of the stack on said first portion of the stack.
- 2. The method of claim 1, including, before said etching step, covering said first portion with a protective cap layer.
- 3. The method of claim 2, wherein said first-mentioned depositing step includes said covering step.
- 4. The method of claim 2, wherein said first portion includes a magnetic layer and a tunnel barrier layer.
- 5. The method of claim 2, including, after said etching step and before said last-mentioned depositing step, etching part of said protective cap layer to expose part of said first portion while maintaining another part of said first portion covered by said protective cap layer.
- 6. The method of claim 5, wherein said last-mentioned etching step includes etching through said protective cap layer an opening having a cross-sectional area that is smaller than a cross-sectional area of said first portion in a plane where said first portion generally adjoins said protective cap layer.
- 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said last-mentioned depositing step includes depositing said second portion into said opening.
- 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said first portion includes a magnetic layer and a tunnel barrier layer.
- 9. The method of claim 6, including, after said first-mentioned etching step and before said last-mentioned etching step, providing a further layer in overlying relationship relative to said protective cap layer and etching through said further layer a further opening having a cross-sectional area approximately equal to said cross-sectional area of said opening in said protective cap layer.
- 10. The method of claim 9, wherein said last-mentioned depositing step includes performing a directional deposition process to deposit said second portion into said further opening.
- 11. The method of claim 9, wherein said further layer is a dielectric layer.
- 12. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of etching said protective cap layer includes performing an in situ etch of said protective cap layer.
- 13. The method of claim 2, wherein said protective cap layer is one of a Ru layer and a DLC layer.
- 14. The method of claim 13, wherein said protective cap layer has a thickness in a range of approximately 50-100 angstroms.
- 15. The method of claim 2, wherein said protective cap layer has a thickness in a range of approximately 50-100 angstroms.
- 16. The method of claim 1, wherein said first portion includes a magnetic layer and a tunnel barrier layer.
- 17. A magnetic tunnel junction device, comprising:
a plurality of layers configured as a stack of layers; a first of said layers having a first cross-sectional area in a corresponding first plane extending generally perpendicular to a height direction of said stack; a second of said layers having a second cross-sectional area in a corresponding second plane extending generally perpendicular to said height direction of said stack; and said first cross-sectional area differing from said second cross-sectional area.
- 18. The device of claim 17, wherein said first and second layers adjoin one another in said stack.
- 19. The device of claim 18, wherein said first layer is a tunnel barrier layer and said second layer is a magnetic layer.
- 20. The device of claim 19, wherein said second cross-sectional area is smaller than said first cross-sectional area.
- 21. The device of claim 19, including a substrate having said stack situated thereon, said magnetic layer and said substrate located on respectively opposite sides of said tunnel barrier layer.
- 22. The device of claim 21, wherein said second cross-sectional area is smaller than said first cross-sectional area.
- 23. The device of claim 17, including a substrate having said stack situated thereon, said second layer and said substrate located on respectively opposite sides of said first layer, and wherein said first cross-sectional area is larger than said second cross-sectional area.
- 24. The device of claim 23, wherein said first layer is a tunnel barrier layer.
- 25. The device of claim 23, wherein said first and second layers adjoin one another in said stack.
- 26. A method of fabricating a magnetic tunnel junction device including a plurality of layers configured as a stack of layers, comprising:
providing on a substrate a first material that includes a first portion of the stack; depositing on said first material a second material that, as deposited, defines a second portion of the stack; and etching said first material to define said first portion of the stack.
- 27. The method of claim 26, wherein said providing step includes depositing on the substrate a third material that includes said first portion of the stack, covering said third material with a protective cap layer, and removing a portion of the protective cap layer to produce said first material.
- 28. The method of claim 27, wherein said step of removing a portion of said protective cap layer includes etching away said portion of the protective cap layer to produce in the protective cap layer an opening for use in defining said second portion of the stack, said second material depositing step including depositing said second portion of the stack into said opening.
- 29. The method of claim 26, wherein said depositing step includes depositing on the first material a photoresist layer that is patterned for use in defining said second portion of the stack.
- 30. The method of claim 29, wherein said second material depositing step includes depositing said second portion of the stack into an opening patterned in said photoresist layer, and including performing a wet etch lift-off operation to remove said photoresist layer.
- 31. The method of claim 26, wherein said providing step includes depositing a third material on the substrate and removing a portion of the third material to produce the first material.
- 32. The method of claim 26, wherein said first portion of the stack includes a magnetic layer and a tunnel barrier layer.
- 33. The method of claim 26, including, after said depositing step and before said etching step, providing on said second portion of the stack and said first material an etch mask covering all of said second portion of the stack and part of said first material.
- 34. The method of claim 33, wherein said etching step includes etching away a remainder of the first material other than said part of the first material.
- 35. The method of claim 33, wherein said step of providing said etch mask includes depositing on said second portion of the stack and said first material a mask layer covering said second portion of the stack and said first material, providing on said mask layer a photoresist mask that covers a portion of said mask layer, and etching away a remainder of said mask layer other than said portion of said mask layer.
- 36. The method of claim 33, wherein said etch mask is one of an oxide etch mask and a nitride etch mask.
- 37. The method of claim 26, including, before said etching step, removing a portion of said second material.
- 38. The method of claim 26, including performing said etching step before said depositing step.
- 39. The method of claim 26, including performing said depositing step before said etching step.
- 40. An article of manufacture comprising a substrate having disposed thereon a, magnetic tunnel junction device formed according to the method of claim 26.
- 41. A method of fabricating a magnetic tunnel junction device including a plurality of layers configured as a stack of layers, comprising:
defining a first portion of the stack on a substrate; defining a second portion of the stack on said first portion of the stack; and performing each of said defining steps independently of the other.
- 42. An article of manufacture comprising a substrate having disposed thereon a magnetic tunnel junction device formed according to the method of claim 41.
- 43. An article of manufacture comprising a substrate having disposed thereon a magnetic tunnel junction device formed according to the method of claim 1.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application claims the priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e)(1) of copending U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/422,200, filed on Oct. 30, 2002 and incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60422200 |
Oct 2002 |
US |