Methods of forming a magnetic electrode of a magnetic tunnel junction and methods of forming a magnetic tunnel junction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9520553-B2
Application number	US-201514687317-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2015
Priority date	Apr 15, 2015
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

A method of forming a magnetic electrode of a magnetic tunnel junction comprises forming non-magnetic MgO-comprising material over conductive material of the magnetic electrode being formed. An amorphous metal is formed over the MgO-comprising material. Amorphous magnetic electrode material comprising Co and Fe is formed over the amorphous metal. The amorphous magnetic electrode material is devoid of B. Non-magnetic tunnel insulator material comprising MgO is formed directly against the amorphous magnetic electrode material. The tunnel insulator material is devoid of B. After forming the tunnel insulator material, the amorphous Co and Fe-comprising magnetic electrode material is annealed at a temperature of at least about 250° C. to form crystalline Co and Fe-comprising magnetic electrode material from an MgO-comprising surface of the tunnel insulator material. The crystalline Co and Fe-comprising magnetic electrode material is devoid of B. Other method and non-method embodiments are disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of forming a magnetic electrode of a magnetic tunnel junction, comprising:
forming non-magnetic MgO-comprising material over conductive material of the magnetic electrode being formed;
forming amorphous metal over the MgO-comprising material, the amorphous metal comprising an alloy of a) at least one of Mo and Cr, and at least one of Fe, Co, and Ni, or b) Al and Ni;
forming amorphous magnetic electrode material comprising Co and Fe over the amorphous metal, the amorphous magnetic electrode material being devoid of B;
forming non-magnetic tunnel insulator material comprising MgO directly against the amorphous magnetic electrode material, the tunnel insulator material being devoid of B; and
after forming the tunnel insulator material, annealing the amorphous Co and Fe-comprising magnetic electrode material at a temperature of at least 250° C. to form crystalline Co and Fe-comprising magnetic electrode material from an MgO-comprising surface of the tunnel insulator material, the crystalline Co and Fe-comprising magnetic electrode material being devoid of B.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising forming a material comprising Co, Fe, and B over the conductive material; and forming the MgO-comprising material over the material comprising Co, Fe, and B.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the Co and Fe of the amorphous magnetic electrode material are formed directly against the amorphous metal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the amorphous magnetic electrode material is formed at a temperature of 0° C. to 30° C.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the amorphous magnetic electrode material is formed at a temperature of at least 20° C.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the amorphous magnetic electrode material is formed at a temperature of −250° C. to less than 0° C.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the amorphous magnetic electrode material is formed at a temperature of −250° C. to −20° C.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the amorphous metal has a maximum thickness of 3 Angstroms to 5 Angstroms.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the crystalline Co and Fe-comprising magnetic electrode material has a maximum thickness of 7 Angstroms to 15 Angstroms.

10. A magnetic tunnel junction incorporating the magnetic electrode produced using the method of claim 1 .

11. A method of forming a magnetic electrode of a magnetic tunnel junction, comprising:
forming amorphous metal over a substrate, the amorphous metal comprising an alloy of a) at least one of Mo and Cr, and at least one of Fe, Co, and Ni, or b) Al and Ni;
forming amorphous magnetic electrode material comprising Co and Fe over the amorphous metal at a temperature of −250° C. to 30° C., the amorphous magnetic electrode material being devoid of B;
forming non-magnetic tunnel insulator material comprising MgO directly against the amorphous magnetic electrode material, the tunnel insulator material being devoid of B; and
after forming the tunnel insulator material, annealing the amorphous Co and Fe-comprising magnetic electrode material at a temperature of at least 250° C. to form crystalline Co and Fe-comprising magnetic electrode material from an MgO-comprising surface of the tunnel insulator material, the crystalline Co and Fe-comprising magnetic electrode material being devoid of B.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the Co and Fe of the amorphous magnetic electrode material are formed directly against the amorphous metal.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the amorphous metal is formed directly against other physically and/or chemically different conductive material of the magnetic electrode being formed.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein,
the Co and Fe of the amorphous magnetic electrode material are formed directly against the amorphous metal; and
the amorphous metal is formed directly against other physically and/or chemically different conductive material of the magnetic electrode being formed.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the amorphous metal has a maximum thickness of 10 Angstroms to 100 Angstroms.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the amorphous magnetic electrode material is formed at a temperature of 0° C. to 30° C.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the amorphous magnetic electrode material is formed at a temperature of −250° C. to less than 0° C.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the amorphous metal comprises an alloy of transition metals.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the amorphous metal consists essentially of an alloy of transition metals.

20. A magnetic tunnel junction incorporating the magnetic electrode produced using the method of claim 11 .

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the amorphous metal comprises an alloy of Al and Ni.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the amorphous metal comprises an alloy of Mo and at least one of Fe, Co, and Ni.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the amorphous metal comprises an alloy of Cr and at least one of Fe, Co, and Ni.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the amorphous metal comprises an alloy comprising at least one of Mo and Cr, and Fe.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein the amorphous metal comprises an alloy comprising at least one of Mo and Cr, and Co.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein the amorphous metal comprises an alloy comprising at least one of Mo and Cr, and Ni.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein the amorphous metal comprises an alloy comprising Mo and Cr.

28. The method of claim 11 wherein the amorphous metal comprises an alloy of Al and Ni.

29. The method of claim 11 wherein the amorphous metal comprises an alloy of Mo and at least one of Fe, Co, and Ni.

30. The method of claim 11 wherein the amorphous metal comprises an alloy of Cr and at least one of Fe, Co, and Ni.

31. The method of claim 11 wherein the amorphous metal comprises an alloy comprising at least one of Mo and Cr, and Fe.

32. The method of claim 11 wherein the amorphous metal comprises an alloy comprising at least one of Mo and Cr, and Co.

33. The method of claim 11 wherein the amorphous metal comprises an alloy comprising at least one of Mo and Cr, and Ni.

34. The method of claim 11 wherein the amorphous metal comprises an alloy comprising Mo and Cr.

Assignees

• Micron Technology Inc

Inventors

• Siddik Manzar
• Kula Witold
• Sandhu Gurtej S

Classifications

• H10B61/00

  Magnetic memory devices, e.g. magnetoresistive RAM [MRAM] devices · CPC title

• G11C11/161 Primary

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

• H10N50/85 Primary

  Materials of the active region · CPC title

• H01L43/08

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L43/10

  Electricity · mapped topic