公开(公告)号：US20180190419A1

公开(公告)日：2018-07-05

申请号：US15860478

申请日：2018-01-02

Applicant: IMEC VZW

Inventor： Johan Swerts ,  Sebastien Couet

IPC: H01F10/30 ,  H01F10/13 ,  G11B5/39 ,  B82Y25/00

CPC classification number: H01F10/30 ,  B82Y10/00 ,  B82Y25/00 ,  G11B5/3909 ,  H01F10/138 ,  H01F10/3254 ,  H01F41/302 ,  H01L27/222

Abstract: The disclosed technology generally relates to a magnetoresistive device and more particularly to a magnetoresistive device comprising chromium. According to an aspect, a method of forming a magnetoresistive device comprises forming a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structure over a substrate. The MTJ structure includes, in a bottom-up direction away from the substrate, a free layer, a tunnel barrier layer and a reference layer. The method additionally includes forming a pinning layer over the MTJ structure, wherein the pinning layer pins a magnetization direction of the reference layer. The method additionally includes forming capping layer comprising chromium (Cr) over the pinning layer. The method further includes annealing the capping layer under a condition sufficient to cause diffusion of Cr from the capping layer into at least the pinning layer. According to another aspect, a magnetoresistive device is formed according to the method.

公开(公告)号：US20170170390A1

公开(公告)日：2017-06-15

申请号：US15373342

申请日：2016-12-08

Applicant: IMEC VZW

Inventor： Johan Swerts ,  Kiroubanand Sankaran ,  Tsann Lin ,  Geoffrey Pourtois

IPC: H01L43/08 ,  H01L27/22

CPC classification number: H01L43/08 ,  G11C11/161 ,  G11C2211/5615 ,  H01L27/222 ,  H01L43/10 ,  H01L43/12

Abstract: The disclosed technology generally relates to magnetic memory devices, and more particularly to spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) devices having a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), and further relates to methods of fabricating the STT-MRAM devices. In an aspect, a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) device has a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). The MTJ includes a magnetic reference layer comprising CoFeB, a magnetic free layer comprising CoFeB, and a barrier layer comprising MgO. The barrier layer is interposed between the magnetic reference layer and the magnetic free layer. The barrier layer has a thickness adapted to tunnel electrons between the magnetic reference layer and the magnetic free layer sufficient to cause a change in the magnetization direction of the variable magnetization under a bias. The MTJ further comprises a buffer layer comprising one or more of Co, Fe, CoFe and CoFeB, where the buffer layer is doped with one or both of C and N.