Magnetic memory devices including oxidized non-magnetic patterns with non-metallic elements and methods of fabricating the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9985200-B2
Application number	US-201715603999-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2017
Priority date	Aug 2, 2016
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A magnetic memory device can include a first electrode and a first magnetic structure that is spaced apart from the first electrode, where the first magnetic structure can include a magnetic pattern therein. An oxidized non-magnetic pattern can be located between the first magnetic structure and the first electrode, where the oxidized non-magnetic pattern can include a non-metallic element having a standard free energy of oxide formation that is less than about that of a standard free energy of oxide formation of Fe.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A magnetic memory device, comprising:
a first electrode;
a first magnetic structure spaced apart from the first electrode, the first magnetic structure including a magnetic pattern therein; and
an oxidized non-magnetic pattern between the first magnetic structure and the first electrode, the oxidized non-magnetic pattern including a non-metallic element having a standard free energy of oxide formation that is less than about that of a standard free energy of oxide formation of Fe.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the non-metallic element comprises a Boron group element.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the non-metallic element comprises Boron.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the non-metallic element is configured to remain bonded to oxygen after an anneal of the device.

5. The device of claim 1 further comprising:
a second magnetic structure spaced apart from the first magnetic structure; and
a tunnel barrier pattern between the first and second magnetic structures.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein a concentration of the non-metallic element in the oxidized non-magnetic pattern is greater than a concentration of the non-metallic element in the magnetic pattern.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the magnetic pattern comprises an upper magnetic pattern contacting the oxidized non-magnetic pattern, the first magnetic structure further comprising:
a lower magnetic pattern on the upper magnetic pattern, the lower magnetic pattern having a concentration of the non-metallic element that is greater than a concentration of the non-metallic element in the upper magnetic pattern.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the upper magnetic pattern comprises a CoFe layer that is free of B and the lower magnetic pattern comprises a CoFeB layer.

9. The device of claim 7 wherein the concentration of the non-metallic element in the upper magnetic pattern is substantially zero at an interface where the upper magnetic pattern contacts the oxidized non-magnetic pattern.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the magnetic pattern contacts the oxidized non-magnetic pattern at an interface, wherein the magnetic pattern comprises a graded concentration of the non-metallic element that is greater remote from the interface than proximate to the interface.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the magnetic pattern comprises CoFeB wherein the non-metallic element comprises B.

12. The device of claim 10 wherein a concentration of the non-metallic element proximate to the interface is zero.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the magnetic pattern comprises a layer of B contacting the oxidized non-magnetic pattern.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the oxidized non-magnetic pattern comprises TaBOx.

15. The device of claim 13 wherein a concentration of B in the magnetic pattern is greater than a concentration of B in the oxidized non-magnetic pattern.

16. The device of claim 1 wherein the magnetic pattern comprises a layer of CoFe that is free of B contacting the oxidized non-magnetic pattern.

17. A magnetic memory device, comprising:
a first electrode;
a first magnetic structure spaced apart from the first electrode, the first magnetic structure including a magnetic pattern therein; and
an oxidized non-magnetic pattern between the first magnetic structure and the first electrode, the oxidized non-magnetic pattern including B.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the magnetic pattern is free of B.

19. The device of claim 17 wherein the magnetic pattern comprises a lower magnetic pattern including B and an upper magnetic pattern contacting the oxidized non-magnetic pattern that is free of B.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the upper magnetic pattern comprises CoFe and the lower magnetic pattern comprises CoFeB.

21. The device of claim 19 wherein the magnetic pattern contacts the oxidized non-magnetic pattern at an interface, wherein the magnetic pattern comprises a graded concentration of the B that is greater remote from the interface than proximate to the interface.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein a concentration of the B proximate to the interface is zero.

23. A magnetic memory device, comprising:
a first electrode;
a first magnetic structure, the first magnetic structure including a magnetic pattern comprising CoFeB;
a non-magnetic pattern between the first magnetic structure and the first electrode, the non-magnetic pattern comprising TaBOx;
a second magnetic structure spaced apart from the first magnetic structure; and
a tunnel barrier pattern between the first magnetic structure and the second magnetic structure.

24. The device of claim 23 wherein a concentration of B in the magnetic pattern is greater than a concentration of B in the non-magnetic pattern.

25. The device of claim 23 wherein the non-magnetic pattern contacts the magnetic pattern.

26. A magnetic memory device, comprising:
a first electrode;
a first magnetic structure, the first magnetic structure including a graded magnetic pattern comprising CoFeB;
a non-magnetic pattern between the first magnetic structure and the first electrode, the non-magnetic pattern comprising TaBOx;
a second magnetic structure spaced apart from the first magnetic structure; and
a tunnel barrier pattern between the first magnetic structure and the second magnetic structure.

27. The device of claim 26 wherein the graded magnetic pattern contacts the non-magnetic pattern at an interface, wherein the graded magnetic pattern comprises a graded concentration of B that is greater remote from the interface than proximate to the interface.

28. The device of claim 27 wherein the graded concentration of the B proximate to the interface is zero.

29. The device of claim 26 wherein the non-magnetic pattern contacts the magnetic pattern.

Assignees

• Lee Joonmyoung
• Kim Whankyun
• Noh Eunsun
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Joonmyoung
• Kim Whankyun
• Noh Eunsun

Classifications

• H01L27/11502

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G11C11/16

  using elements in which the storage effect is based on magnetic spin effect · CPC title

• H01L43/14

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L43/06

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G11C11/161 Primary

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