Data storage devices and methods for manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10115893-B2
Application number	US-201715606136-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2017
Priority date	Nov 2, 2016
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a data storage device may include forming a magnetic tunnel junction layer on a substrate, irradiating a first ion beam on the magnetic tunnel junction layer to form magnetic tunnel junction patterns separated from each other, irradiating a second ion beam on the magnetic tunnel junction layer, and irradiating a third ion beam on the magnetic tunnel junction layer. The first ion beam may be irradiated at a first incident angle. The second ion beam may be irradiated at a second incident angle that may be smaller than the first incident angle. The third ion beam may be irradiated to form sidewall insulating patterns on sidewalls of the magnetic tunnel junction patterns based on re-depositing materials separated by the third ion beam on the sidewalls of the magnetic tunnel junction patterns.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a data storage device, the method comprising:
forming a magnetic tunnel junction layer on a substrate;
irradiating a first ion beam on the magnetic tunnel junction layer at a first incident angle with respect to a top surface of the substrate and in situ in a first chamber to form a plurality of magnetic tunnel junction patterns from the magnetic tunnel junction layer, the plurality of magnetic tunnel junction patterns separated from each other;
irradiating a second ion beam on the magnetic tunnel junction patterns at a second incident angle with respect to the top surface of the substrate and in situ in the first chamber, subsequently to irradiating the first ion beam on the magnetic tunnel junction layer, the second incident angle smaller than the first incident angle; and
irradiating a third ion beam on the magnetic tunnel junction patterns at a third incident angle with respect to the top surface of the substrate and in situ in the first chamber, subsequently to irradiating the second ion beam on the magnetic tunnel junction patterns, the third incident angle greater than the first incident angle.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forming contact plugs and an interlayer insulating layer surrounding the contact plugs on the substrate, prior to forming the magnetic tunnel junction layer,
wherein the irradiating the third ion beam includes irradiating the third ion beam on an upper portion of the interlayer insulating layer exposed between the magnetic tunnel junction patterns.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the irradiating the third ion beam includes forming sidewall insulating patterns on sidewalls of the magnetic tunnel junction patterns.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the irradiating the third ion beam includes causing a height of an upper surface of the interlayer insulating layer to be lower than a height of an upper surface of the contact plugs.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the irradiating the second ion beam or the irradiating the third ion beam includes exposing a portion of sidewalls of the contact plugs.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein,
each magnetic tunnel junction pattern, of the plurality of magnetic tunnel junction patterns, includes a first magnetic pattern on the substrate, a tunnel barrier pattern on the first magnetic pattern, and a second magnetic pattern on the tunnel barrier pattern, and
the irradiating the third ion beam includes causing the tunnel barrier pattern to have an edge portion thicker than a central portion of the tunnel barrier pattern.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forming mask patterns on the magnetic tunnel junction layer, prior to the irradiating the first ion beam, wherein the mask patterns include conductive mask patterns and insulating mask patterns on the conductive mask patterns, and
wherein at least a portion of the insulating mask patterns remain on the magnetic tunnel junction patterns, prior to the irradiating the third ion beam.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
oxidizing at least a portion of sidewalls of the magnetic tunnel junction patterns based on supplying oxygen on the substrate.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forming a capping dielectric layer covering the magnetic tunnel junction patterns, subsequently to the irradiating the third ion beam.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein,
the forming the capping dielectric layer is performed in a second chamber, the second chamber different from the first chamber.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein,
the first incident angle ranges from about 50 degrees to about 80 degrees,
the second incident angle ranges from about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees, and
the third incident angle ranges from about 70 degrees to about 90 degrees.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein,
an ion incident energy of the third ion beam is greater than an ion incident energy of the second ion beam, and
the ion incident energy of the third ion beam is smaller than an ion incident energy of the first ion beam.

13. A method for manufacturing a data storage device, the method comprising:
forming an interlayer insulating layer on a substrate;
forming a magnetic tunnel junction layer on the substrate;
irradiating a first ion beam on the magnetic tunnel junction layer to form a plurality of magnetic tunnel junction patterns based on etching the magnetic tunnel junction layer, the plurality of magnetic tunnel junction patterns separated from each other;
irradiating a second ion beam on the magnetic tunnel junction patterns to remove etch residues from sidewalls of the magnetic tunnel junction patterns; and
irradiating a third ion beam on the magnetic tunnel junction patterns to form sidewall insulating patterns on the sidewalls of the magnetic tunnel junction patterns based on re-depositing materials separated from the interlayer insulating layer by the third ion beam on the sidewalls of the magnetic tunnel junction patterns,
wherein each magnetic tunnel junction pattern of the plurality of magnetic tunnel junction patterns includes a first magnetic pattern on the substrate, a tunnel barrier pattern on the first magnetic pattern, and a second magnetic pattern do the tunnel barrier pattern, and
wherein the irradiating the third ion beam includes causing the tunnel barrier pattern to have an edge portion thicker than a central portion of the tunnel barrier pattern.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
oxidizing at least a portion of the sidewalls of the magnetic tunnel junction patterns based on supplying oxygen on the substrate to form an inner insulating pattern on the sidewalls of the magnetic tunnel junction patterns, prior to irradiating the third ion beam.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
forming a capping dielectric layer covering the magnetic tunnel junction patterns, subsequently to the irradiating the third ion beam.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
manufacturing an electronic device such that the electronic device includes the data storage device.

17. A method for manufacturing a data storage device, the method comprising:
forming an interlayer insulating layer on a substrate;
forming a magnetic tunnel junction layer on the substrate;
irradiating a first ion beam on the magnetic tunnel junction layer to form a plurality of magnetic tunnel junction patterns based on etching the magnetic tunnel junction layer, the plurality of magnetic tunnel junction patterns separated from each other; and
irradiating a second ion beam on the magnetic tunnel junction patterns to form sidewall insulating patterns on sidewalls of the magnetic tunnel junction patterns based on re-depositing materials separated from the interlayer insulating layer by the second ion beam on the sidewalls of the magnetic tunnel junction patterns,
wherein each magnetic tunnel junction pattern of the plurality of magnetic tunnel junction patterns includes a first magnetic pattern on the substrate, a tunnel barrier pattern on the first magnetic pattern, and a second magnetic pattern on the tunnel barrier pattern, and
wherein the irradiating the second ion beam includes causing the tunnel barrier pattern to have an edge portion thicker than a central portion of the tunnel barrier pattern.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein,
the first ion beam is irradiated on the magnetic tunnel junction patterns at a first incident angle with respect to a top surface of the substrate;
the second ion beam is irradiated on the ma

Assignees

• Park Jongchul
• Kim Sang Kuk
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Jongchul
• Kim Sang-Kuk

Classifications

• H01L27/222

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L43/02

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L43/08

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L43/12 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10N50/01 Primary

  Manufacture or treatment · CPC title