Method of manufacturing magnetoresistive element and manufacturing system for the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016204342-A1
Application number	US-201615075409-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 21, 2016
Priority date	Sep 25, 2013
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided are a method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive element and a manufacturing system which are capable of manufacturing a magnetoresistive element achieving further downscaling, i.e., further increase in the degree of integration of the magnetoresistive element while having high magnetic properties. The method includes: preparing a stacked film including one of the two magnetic layers, a layer to form the tunnel barrier layer, and the other of the two magnetic layers, on a substrate; forming multiple separated stacked films on the substrate by separating the stacked film into the multiple stacked films by etching; irradiating side portions of the multiple separated stacked films with ion beams in a pressure-reducible process chamber; and after the irradiation with the ion beams, forming oxide layers or nitride layers on surfaces of the multiple stacked films by introducing an oxidizing gas or a nitriding gas into the process chamber.

First claim

1 . A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive element in which a tunnel barrier layer is provided between two magnetic layers, the method comprising the steps of:
preparing a stacked film on a substrate, the stacked film including one of the two magnetic layers, a layer to form the tunnel barrier layer, and the other of the two magnetic layers; forming a plurality of separated stacked films on the substrate by separating the stacked film into the plurality of stacked films by etching; irradiating side portions of the plurality of separated stacked films with ion beams in a pressure-reducible process chamber; and after the irradiation with the ion beams, forming oxide layers or nitride layers on surfaces of the plurality of stacked films by introducing an oxidizing gas or a nitriding gas into the process chamber.

2 . The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive element according to claim 1 , wherein the etching is reactive ion etching.

3 . The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive element according to claim 1 , wherein the etching is performed by irradiation with the ion beams.

4 . The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive element according to claim 1 , wherein the irradiation with the ion beams involves generating plasma by using an inert gas.

5 . The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive element according to claim 4 , wherein the oxidizing gas or the nitriding gas is introduced together with the inert gas.

6 . The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive element according to claim 4 , wherein the oxidizing gas or the nitriding gas is introduced after completion of the generating of the plasma.

7 . The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive element according to claim 1 , wherein the oxidizing gas or the nitriding gas is set at a partial pressure within a range of 1.0×10 −1 Pa to 2.0×10 −3 Pa.

8 . The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive element according to claim 1 , wherein the oxide layers or the nitride layers each have a layer thickness within a range of 1.5 nm to 3.0 nm.

9 . The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive element according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of forming a protection layer on the oxide layers or the nitride layers.

10 . The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive element according to claim 9 , wherein the protection layer is a nitride film.

11 . The method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive element according to claim 1 , wherein the layer to form the tunnel barrier layer contains Al 2 O 3 or MgO.

12 . A manufacturing system for a magnetoresistive element in which a tunnel barrier layer is provided between two magnetic layers, the system comprising:
an etching apparatus including an etching chamber and configured to separate a stacked film, which includes one of the two magnetic layers, a layer to form the tunnel barrier layer, and the other of the two magnetic layers, on a substrate into a plurality of stacked films by etching inside the etching chamber, and thereby to form the plurality of separated stacked films on the substrate; and an ion beam irradiation apparatus including a pressure-reducible process chamber connected to the etching chamber via a substrate transfer chamber, and configured to irradiate side portions of the plurality of separated stacked films with ion beams in the process chamber, wherein the ion beam irradiation apparatus includes a gas introduction system configured to introduce an oxidizing gas or a nitriding gas into the process chamber after the irradiation with the ion beams.

Assignees

• Canon Anelva Corp

Inventors

• Hayashi Marie
• Sakamoto Kiyotaka
• Ikeda Masayoshi

Classifications

• H10B61/22 Primary

  of the field-effect transistor [FET] type · CPC title

• G11C11/1675

  Writing or programming circuits or methods · CPC title

• G11C11/1673

  Reading or sensing circuits or methods · CPC title

• G11C11/161

  details concerning the memory cell structure, e.g. the layers of the ferromagnetic memory cell · CPC title

• H01L43/02

  Electricity · mapped topic