MAGNETO-RESISTIVE ELEMENT AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20150069542A1
• Filed: 01/16/2014
• Published: 03/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Daisuke Watanabe, Kazuya Sawada, Koji Ueda, Makoto Nagamine, Toshihiko Nagase
• Inventors: NAGAMINE, Makoto, EEH, Youngmin, UEDA, Koji, WATANABE, Daisuke, SAWADA, Kazuya, NAGASE, Toshihiko
• Granted Patent: US 9,209,386 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/421
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3909 Arrangements using a magnetic tunnel junction
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/01 Manufacture or treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/10 Magnetoresistive devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/85 Magnetic active materials

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a method of manufacturing a magneto-resistive element, includes forming a first ferromagnetic layer on a substrate, forming a tunnel barrier layer on the first ferromagnetic layer, forming a second ferromagnetic layer containing B on the tunnel barrier layer, exposing a laminate of the first ferromagnetic layer, the tunnel barrier layer, and the second ferromagnetic layer under a pressurized atmosphere, and annealing the laminate while being exposed to the pressurized atmosphere, thereby promoting the orientation of the second magnetic layer.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a magneto-resistive element, comprising:

forming a first ferromagnetic layer on a substrate;

forming a tunnel barrier layer on the first ferromagnetic layer;

forming a second ferromagnetic layer containing B on the tunnel barrier layer;

exposing a laminate of the first ferromagnetic layer, the tunnel barrier layer, and the second ferromagnetic layer under a pressurized atmosphere; and

annealing the laminate after exposing to the pressurized atmosphere.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pressurized atmosphere contains any of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe and N₂.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the pressurized atmosphere is a high-pressure atmosphere of 100 MPa or higher.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the annealing process in the pressurized atmosphere is carried out while the surface of the second ferromagnetic layer being exposed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the tunnel barrier layer and the first and second ferromagnetic layers are processed after the annealing of the second ferromagnetic layer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tunnel barrier layer and the first and second ferromagnetic layers are processed after the forming of the second ferromagnetic layer before the annealing thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second ferromagnetic layer contains Co, Fe and B.

8. A method of manufacturing a magneto-resistive element, comprising:

forming a first ferromagnetic layer on a substrate;

forming a tunnel barrier layer on the first ferromagnetic layer;

forming a second ferromagnetic layer containing B on the tunnel barrier layer; and

annealing a laminate of the first ferromagnetic layer, the tunnel barrier layer, and the second ferromagnetic layer under a pressurized atmosphere after forming the second ferromagnetic layer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the pressurized atmosphere contains any of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe and N₂.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the pressurized atmosphere is a high-pressure atmosphere of 100 MPa or higher.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the annealing process in the pressurized atmosphere is carried out while the surface of the second ferromagnetic layer being exposed.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the tunnel barrier layer and the first and second ferromagnetic layers are processed into a pattern of the element after the annealing of the second ferromagnetic layer.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the tunnel barrier layer and the first and second ferromagnetic layers are processed after the forming of the second ferromagnetic layer before the annealing thereof.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the second ferromagnetic layer contains Co, Fe and B.

15. A magneto-resistive element comprising:

a first ferromagnetic layer formed on a substrate;

a tunnel barrier layer formed on the first ferromagnetic layer;

a second ferromagnetic layer containing B formed on the tunnel barrier layer, the second magnetic layer containing therein, any of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe and N₂.

16. The magneto-resistive element of claim 15, wherein a concentration of any of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe and N₂ contained in the second magnetic layer is 1% or higher in a central portion of the second magnetic layer in a depth direction thereof, and the concentration in an upper surface of the second magnetic layer is less than 1%.

17. The element of claim 15, wherein one of the first and second ferromagnetic layers is a magnetization fixed layer in which a direction of magnetization is fixed to be unchanged, an other is a magnetization free layer in which the direction of magnetization is easily reversible, and the magneto-resistive element is used as a memory cell of a magnetic random access memory.

18. The element of claim 15, wherein the second ferromagnetic layer contains Co, Fe and B.