Method of Manufacturing Magnetoresistance Effect Element and Apparatus for Manufacturing the Same

• US 20090148595A1
• Filed: 02/26/2007
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Anelva Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Anelva Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsunekawa, Koji, Djayaprawira, David Djulianto, Nagamine, Yoshinori, Maehara, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 10,629,804 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/131
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/081 of aluminium, magnesium or beryllium
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/16 on metallic substrates or on substrates of boron or silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/568 Transferring the substrates through a series of coating stations C23C14/562 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32458 Vessel
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32633 Baffles
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/34 operating with cathodic sputtering H01J37/36 takes precedence ; methods of cathodic sputtering C23C14/34
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3429 Plural materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3447 Collimators, shutters, apertures
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/01 Manufacture or treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/10 Magnetoresistive devices

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element having a high MR ratio even with a low RA and an apparatus of the same are provided. The magnetoresistance effect element having an MgO (magnesium oxide) layer provided between a ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer is manufactured by forming a film of the MgO layer in a film forming chamber in which a substance whose getter effect with respect to the oxidizing gas such as oxygen or water is large is adhered to the surfaces of components (an inner wall 37 of a film forming chamber in the interior of a first film forming chamber 21, inner walls of an adhesion preventing shield 36, a partitioning plate 22, a shutter or the like) provided in the chamber for forming the MgO layer. The substance having a large getter effect must simply be a substance whose value of oxygen gas adsorption energy is 145 kcal/mol or higher and, in particular, Ta (tantalum) as a substance which constitutes the magnetoresistance effect element is preferable.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element having an MgO layer between a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer comprising:

a step of forming the first ferromagnetic layer;

a step of forming the MgO layer; and

a step of forming the second ferromagnetic layer in this order,

characterized in that the step of forming the MgO layer is carried out in a film forming chamber including a component having a substance whose getter effect with respect to oxidizing gas is larger than MgO adhered to the surface thereof.

2. The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1, characterized in that the film forming chamber for forming the MgO layer includes at least one film forming means for a substance whose getter effect with respect to the oxidizing gas is larger than MgO, and adhesion of the substance whose getter effect with respect to the oxidizing gas is larger than MgO to the component is carried out by the at least one film forming means.

3. The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the substance whose getter effect with respect to the oxidizing gas is larger than MgO includes at least one element which is included in the substance which constitutes the magnetoresistance effect element.

10. The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 4, claim 5, claim 7, claim 8 or claim 9, characterized in that the step of forming the MgO layer forms the MgO layer by a spattering method.

4. A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element having an MgO layer between a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer comprising:

a step of forming the first ferromagnetic layer, a step of forming the MgO layer, and a step of forming the second ferromagnetic layer in this order,

characterized in that the step of forming the MgO layer is carried out in a film forming chamber including a component having a substance whose getter effect with respect to oxidizing gas is larger than the substance which constitutes the first ferromagnetic layer adhered to the surface thereof.

5. The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 4, characterized in that the film forming chamber for forming the MgO layer includes at least one film forming means for a substance whose getter effect with respect to the oxidizing gas is larger than the substance which constitutes the first ferromagnetic layer, and adhesion of the substance whose getter effect with respect to the oxidizing gas is larger than the substance which constitutes the first ferromagnetic layer to the component is carried out by the film forming means.

6. The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 4 or claim 5, characterized in that the substance whose getter effect with respect to the oxidizing gas is larger than the substance which constitutes the first ferromagnetic layer includes at least one element which is included in the substance which constitutes the magnetoresistance effect element.

7. A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element having an MgO layer between a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer comprising:

a step of forming the first ferromagnetic layer, a step of forming the MgO layer, and a step of forming the second ferromagnetic layer in this order,

characterized in that the step of forming the MgO layer is carried out in a film forming chamber including a component having a substance whose getter effect with respect to oxidizing gas the largest among substances which constitute the magnetoresistance effect element adhered to the surface thereof.

8. A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element having an MgO layer between a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer comprising:

a step of forming the first ferromagnetic layer, a step of forming the MgO layer, and a step of forming the second ferromagnetic layer in this order,

characterized in that the step of forming the MgO layer is carried out in a film forming chamber having a component including a component having a substance whose value of oxygen gas adsorption energy is 145 kcal/mol or higher adhered to the surface thereof.

9. A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element having an MgO layer between a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer comprising:

a step of forming the first ferromagnetic layer, a step of forming the MgO layer, and a step of forming the second ferromagnetic layer in this order,

characterized in that the step of forming the MgO layer is carried out in a film forming chamber having a component including metal or a semiconductor including at least one of Ta, Ti, Mg, Zr, Nb, Mo, W, Cr, Mn, Hf, V, B, Si, Al and Ge adhered to the surface thereof.

11. A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element using an apparatus having a plurality of film forming chambers including a first film forming chamber connected to a carrier chamber via a valve being capable of transferring substrates through the plurality of film forming chambers without impairing vacuum, comprising:

a first step for adhering a substance whose getter effect with respect to oxidizing gas is larger than MgO to the surface of a component in the first film forming chamber;

a third step carried out after the first step for forming an MgO layer on the substrate in the first film forming chamber; and

a second step for carrying out from a next step of the first step to a step before the third step in the film forming chamber other than the first film forming chamber,

characterized in that the first step, the second step and the third step are carried out continuously in this order.

14. The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element according to any one of claims 11 to 13,

characterized in that the first step adheres the substance whose getter effect with respect to the oxidizing gas is large to the surface of the component in the first film forming chamber and, simultaneously, forms a film on the substrate.

15. The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element according to any one of claims 11 to 13,

characterized in that the first step is carried out in parallel with the step of forming a film on the substrate in the film forming chamber other than the first film forming chamber.

16. The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element according to any one of claims 11 to 13,

characterized in that the third step forms the MgO layer by a spattering method.

12. A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element using an apparatus having a plurality of film forming chambers including a first film forming chamber connected to a carrier chamber via a valve being capable of transferring substrates through the plurality of film forming chambers without impairing vacuum, comprising:

a first step of adhering a substance whose value of oxygen gas adsorption energy is 145 kcal/mol or higher to the surface of a component in the first film forming chamber;

a third step carried out after the first step for forming an MgO layer on the substrate in the first film forming chamber; and

a second step for carrying out from a next step of the first step to a step before the third step in the film chamber other than the first film forming chamber,

characterized in that the first step, the second step and the third step are carried out continuously in this order.

13. A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element using an apparatus having a plurality of film forming chambers including a first film forming chamber connected to a carrier chamber via a valve being capable of transferring substrates through the plurality of film forming chambers without impairing vacuum, comprising:

a first step for adhering metal or a semiconductor including at least one of Ta, Ti, Mg, Zr, Nb, Mo, W, Cr, Mn, Hf, V, B, Si, Al and Ge to the surface of a component in the first film forming chamber;

a third step carried out after the first step for forming an MgO layer on the substrate in the first film forming chamber; and

a second step for carrying out from a next step of the first step to a step before the third step in the film forming chamber other than the first film forming chamber,

characterized in that the first step, the second step and the third step are carried out continuously in this order.

17. A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element using an apparatus having a plurality of film forming chambers including a first film forming chamber connected to a carrier chamber via a valve being capable of transferring substrates through the plurality of film forming chambers without impairing vacuum, comprising:

a step of transferring the substrate to the first film forming chamber, spattering Mg in the first film forming chamber and forming an Mg layer on the substrate and, simultaneously, adhering Mg to the surface of a component in the first film forming chamber; and

a subsequent step of forming an MgO layer in the first film forming chamber.

18. An apparatus for manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element,

characterized in that a film forming chamber for forming an MgO layer includes means for adhering a substance whose getter effect with respect to oxidizing gas is larger than MgO to the surface of a component in the film forming chamber provided therein.

20. The apparatus of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 18 or claim 19, characterized in that the substance whose getter effect with respect to the oxidizing gas is large is a substance having the largest getter effect with respect to the oxidizing gas among the substances which constitute the magnetoresistance effect element.

23. The apparatus of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 18, claim 19, claim 21 or claim 22, comprising:

a plurality of film forming chambers including the film forming chamber for forming the MgO layer connected to a carrier chamber via a valve being capable of transferring substrates through the plurality of film forming chambers without impairing vacuum.

24. The apparatus of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element according to any one of claim 18, claim 19, claim 21 or claim 22,

characterized in that a target of MgO is provided in the film forming chamber for forming the MgO layer, and an electric power supply unit for supplying an electric power to the target is provided.

19. An apparatus of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element having an MgO layer between a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer comprising:

means for adhering a substance whose getter effect with respect to oxidizing gas is larger than the substance which constitutes a first ferromagnetic layer to the surface of a component in the film forming chamber in the film forming chamber for forming the MgO layer.

21. An apparatus of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element comprising:

means for adhering a substance whose value of oxygen gas adsorption energy is 145 kcal/mol or higher to the surface of a component in the film forming chamber in the film forming chamber for forming an MgO layer.

22. An apparatus of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element comprising:

means for adhering metal or a semiconductor including at least one of Ta, Ti, Mg, Zr, Nb, Mo, W, Cr, Mn, Hf, V, B, Si, Al and Ge to the surface of a component in the film forming chamber in the film forming chamber for forming an MgO layer.

25. A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element having an MgO layer between a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer, comprising:

a step of forming the first ferromagnetic layer, a step of forming the MgO layer, and a step of forming the second ferromagnetic layer,

characterized in that the step of forming the MgO layer is carried out in a state in which a substrate is at a floating potential.

26. A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element having a substrate, a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer and an MgO layer formed between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer, comprising:

a step of forming the first ferromagnetic layer on the substrate;

a step of forming the MgO layer; and

a step of forming the second ferromagnetic layer,

characterized in that the step of forming the MgO layer is carried out by placing the substrate on a substrate placing bed having a portion which comes into contact with the substrate formed of the insulating substance.

27. The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 26, characterized in that the substrate is placed on the substrate placing bed on which the insulating substance is sprayed.

28. The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 26, characterized in that the substrate is placed on the substrate placing bed formed of an insulating substance.

29. The method of manufacturing the magnetoresistance effect element according to any one of claim 26 to claim 28, characterized in that the step of forming the MgO layer is carried out in a state in which a mask is arranged on a peripheral portion of the substrate so as to be apart from the substrate.

30. A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element having an MgO layer between a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer, comprising:

a step of forming the first ferromagnetic layer, a step of forming the MgO layer and a step of forming the second ferromagnetic layer,

characterized in that the step of forming the MgO layer is carried out in a state in which the substrate and a substrate holding holder for holding the substrate are electrically insulated.

31. The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 30, characterized in that the step of forming the MgO layer is carried out in a state in which a mask electrically insulated from the substrate is arranged in the peripheral portion of the substrate.

32. An apparatus of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element having an MgO layer between a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer comprising:

means for bringing a substrate into a state of being at a floating potential in a film forming chamber for forming the MgO layer.

33. An apparatus of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element having an MgO layer between a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer comprising:

means for electrically insulating a substrate and a substrate holder for holding the substrate in a film forming chamber for forming the MgO layer.