MTJ based magnetic field sensor with ESD shunt trace

• US 8,058,871 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2008
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Headway Technologies Incorporated (TDK Corporation)
• Original Assignee: MagIC Technologies Inc (TDK Corporation)
• Inventors: Gorman, Grace, Guo, Yimin
• Primary Examiner(s): Aurora; Reena
• Application Number:
  US12/217,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20100007344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 324/260, 324/244
• US Class Current: 324/260
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/205 using magneto-resistance devices, e.g. field plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/098 comprising tunnel junctions, e.g. tunnel magnetoresistance sensors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49075 including permanent magnet or core

Abstract

Presented herein is a shunted MTJ sensor formed of a plurality of electrically connected MTJ cells for measuring magnetic fields and currents and its method of fabrication. To provide stable single domain magnetic moments of the MTJ cells and to ensure that the magnetic moments return to a fixed bias point in the absence of external magnetic fields, the cells are formed of sufficiently small size and with elliptical cross-section of aspect ratio greater than 1.2. To eliminate the possibility of ESD damage to the cells, they are protected by a parallel shunt, formed as a trace of sufficiently high resistance that directs accumulated charges harmlessly to ground while bypassing the cells.

Claims

1. An MTJ sensor for magnetic field and current measurements comprising:

A first plurality of MTJ structures, each structure containing a second plurality of patterned MTJ cells formed between top and bottom electrodes and connected electrically in parallel thereby, each of said MTJ cells having a resistance that varies in accord with the direction and strength of an external magnetic field applied thereto;

electrical connections to said electrodes of each of said MTJ structures whereby a sensing current may be injected and extracted from each of said first plurality of MTJ structures and whereby equal portions of said current passes through each of said second plurality of MTJ cells and whereby a measurable voltage is established across each of said second plurality of MTJ cells in accord with the resistances thereof;

a conducting shunt formed in two portions on each of said first plurality of MTJ structures, each one of said two portions electrically connecting each one of said electrical connections to an external ground connection, said shunt allowing harmless passage of accumulated electrostatic charges on said MTJ structure to ground during manufacture and handling of the sensor, said charges bypassing said MTJ cells in said MTJ structure and averting electrostatic damage thereto;

wherein

said shunt is sufficiently resistive so that no more than approximately 5% of said sensing current passes through said shunt during operation of the sensor.

2. The MTJ sensor of claim 1 further comprising an immediately adjacent conductor not in electrical contact therewith, said conductor having two ends, for carrying a current to be measured, said current entering at one end of said conductor and leaving at said other end and said current producing a magnetic field that causes variations in the resistances of said second plurality of MTJ cells in said first plurality of MTJ structures and, thereby, causes corresponding measurable voltage changes across said MTJ cells, whereby said current can be measured.

3. he MTJ sensor of claim 1 wherein there are two MTJ structures and said immediately adjacent conductor not in electrical contact therewith is shaped in a substantially horseshoe shape with one of said two MTJ structures located approximately at each end of said horseshoe, whereby the said second plurality of MTJ cells in each of said two MTJ structures experiences said magnetic field in a direction opposite to the direction experienced by the other second plurality, whereby a measurement of the difference between voltages across each of said halves yields a measurement of said current while eliminating random effects of thermal noise and stray magnetic fields affecting the two halves of said plurality of MTJ cells.

4. The MTJ sensor of claim 1 wherein all of said MTJ cells are patterned to have an elongated horizontal cross section with an aspect ratio exceeding 1.2, whereby said MTJ cells obtain a single domain of magnetization with a stable and reproducible return point in the absence of an external magnetic field.

5. The MTJ sensor of claim 4 wherein each of said second plurality of MTJ cells in each of said first plurality of MTJ structures is patterned with an elliptical shape with its short axis parallel to the direction of the magnetic field induced by the conduction current to be measured.

6. The MTJ sensor of claim 4 wherein the patterned cells are elliptical in horizontal cross-section with an aspect ratio of at least 1.2 and with a shorter axis of between approximately 0.2 and 0.5 microns.

7. The MTJ sensor of claim 1 wherein each portion of each said shunt is formed as a meandering trace of narrow width and sufficient length to provide a resistance that is approximately 10 times the total resistance of each said MTJ structure.

8. The MTJ sensor of claim 7 wherein said trace is a patterned portion of the layer of conducting material used to form said bottom electrode of each said MTJ structure.

9. The MTJ sensor of claim 7 wherein said trace is a patterned layer of conducting material different from a layer used to form said bottom electrode.

10. The MTJ sensor of claim 7 wherein said shunt is formed of Ta or TaN.

11. The MTJ sensor of claim 1 wherein each said bottom electrode is a high resistance layer of Ta, NiCr or TaN.

12. The MTJ sensor of claim 1 wherein said top electrode of each of said first plurality of MTJ structures is formed as two collinear and coplanar separated rectangular strips, wherein lateral ends of said strips are connected to said electrical connections and sensing current is injected and extracted thereat and said bottom electrode is formed as a single substantially rectangular strip centered beneath and parallel to said top electrode and wherein an equal portion of said second plurality of MTJ cells is formed between each of said two collinear and coplanar strips and said bottom electrode.

13. The MTJ sensor of claim 12 wherein one portion of said trace is formed between each of said electrical connections and said ground connection.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said shunt is formed of Ta or TaN.

15. A method of fabricating an MTJ sensor for measuring magnetic fields and electrical currents comprising:

providing a conductor for carrying a current to be measured, wherein said current produces a measurable magnetic field;

forming adjacent to said conductor a first plurality of MTJ structures, wherein each of said structures has two electrical contacts, one contact for injecting a sense current, the other contact for extracting said current, wherein each of said structures includes a second plurality of identical patterned MTJ cells having single domain magnetic moments, substantially elliptical horizontal cross-sections with aspect ratio greater than approximately 1.2 and with a long axis parallel to said conductor;

forming a shunt around each said MTJ structure, said shunt being formed as two substantially identical traces of high resistance wherein each said trace connects one of said electrical contacts to a ground connection, said shunt thereby harmlessly directing accumulated electrostatic charges to said ground connection thereby avoiding electrostatic damage to said MTJ cells.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein each of said first plurality of MTJ structures is formed by a method further comprising:

deposit a layer of high resistivity conductive material;

form on a first portion of said material a multilayer MTJ configuration, leaving a remaining second portion as-deposited;

in a first patterning, pattern said first portion, including said multilayer configuration and said layer of high resistivity conductive material to form a substantially rectangular region of uniform dimension;

in a second patterning, pattern said multilayer configuration to form a second plurality of substantially identical, separated MTJ cells of elliptical cross-section, the layer of high resistivity conducting material now forming a bottom electrode for each of said second plurality of MTJ cells;

form a refill layer of dielectric conformally over said MTJ cells;

planarize said dielectric layer forming a smooth coplanar surface including said dielectric and exposed tops of said MTJ cells;

form two connecting pads, wherein each pad is laterally disposed a distance away from a lateral end of said bottom electrode;

form a grounding pad adjacent to said bottom electrode;

using the remaining portion of said conductive layer, or by depositing an additional conductive layer high resistivity, pattern two traces, wherein each trace connects one of said connecting pads to said grounding pad;

form an upper electrode over the tops of said MTJ cells in two symmetric portions, wherein each said portion covers half of said second plurality of MTJ cells and extends laterally to contact a connecting pad.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein each portion of each said shunt is formed as a meandering trace of narrow width and sufficient length to provide a resistance that is approximately 10 times the total resistance of each said MTJ structure.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein there are two MTJ structures and said adjacent conductor is shaped in a substantially horseshoe shape with one of said two MTJ structures located approximately at each end of said horseshoe, whereby said second plurality of MTJ cells in each of said two MTJ structures experiences said magnetic field in a direction opposite to the direction experienced by the other second plurality, whereby a measurement of the difference between voltages across each of said halves yields a measurement of said current while eliminating random effects of thermal noise and stray magnetic fields affecting the two halves of said plurality of MTJ cells.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein each cell is patterned as an ellipse with a shorter axis between approximately 0.2 and 0.5 microns.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein each said bottom electrode is a high resistance layer of Ta, NiCr or TaN.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein each of said second plurality of MTJ cells in each of said first plurality of MTJ structures is patterned with an elliptical shape with its short axis parallel to the direction of the magnetic field induced by the conduction current to be measured.