METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING MAGNETIC TUNNEL JUNCTION ELEMENT AND MAGNETIC TUNNEL JUNCTION DEVICE

Japanese Patent JP3918612

B2

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing a magnetic tunnel junction element (TMR element) to enhance a production yield.
SOLUTION: A laminated layer composed of a first conductive material layer, an antiferromagnetic layer, a first ferromagnetic layer, a tunnel barrier layer, a second ferromagnetic layer and a second conductive material layer in this order from below is formed on an insulating film 22 coating a substrate 20. Thereafter, the second conductive material layer is subjected to a selective etching process to form a hard mask, and an isolated trench 38 is formed in a laminated layer by an ion milling process with this mask as a selective mask. After the residual hard mask is subjected to the selective etching process to form hard masks 34a to 34c, a residual part of the laminated layer is etched until reaching the antiferromagnetic layer (or the first conductive material layer) by the ion milling process with the masks 34a to 34c as the selective mask to form an isolated trench 42 to obtain TMR elements Ta to Tc. An assembly in a side wall of the isolated trenches 38, 42 is removed. An end of the tunnel barrier layer is cleaned, thereby preventing an electric short-circuit or a leak.

Masayoshi Omura

JP2002101449A

May 23, 2007

April 03, 2002

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Yamaha Corporation

G11B5/39; H01L43/12; G01R33/09; H01L21/8246; H01L27/105; H01L43/08; (IPC1-7): H01L43/12; G11B5/39; H01L43/08

JP2002359356A
JP2001102659A
JP2000311899A
JP9266200A
JP2001102658A
JP2003124445A
JP2003031772A
JP2002305290A
JP2001274352A
JP7287821A
JP7288347A

Masatake Shiga
Takashi Watanabe

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