Semiconductor device manufacturing: process – Having magnetic or ferroelectric component
Reexamination Certificate
2007-05-15
2007-05-15
Baumeister, B. William (Department: 2891)
Semiconductor device manufacturing: process
Having magnetic or ferroelectric component
C257SE21665
Reexamination Certificate
active
11522663
ABSTRACT:
An MTJ (magnetic tunneling junction) MRAM (magnetic random access memory) cell is formed on a conducting lead and magnetic keeper layer that is capped by a sputter-etched Ta layer. The Ta capping layer has a smooth surface as a result of the sputter-etching and that smooth surface promotes the subsequent formation of a lower electrode (pinning/pinned layer) with smooth, flat layers and a radical oxidized (ROX) Al tunneling barrier layer which is ultra-thin, smooth, and to has a high breakdown voltage. A seed layer of NiCr is formed on the sputter-etched capping layer of Ta. The resulting device has generally improved performance characteristics in terms of its switching characteristics, GMR ratio and junction resistance.
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Chen Mao-Min
Hong Liubo
Horng Cheng T.
Tong Ru-Ying
Ackerman Stephen B.
Anya Igwe U.
Applied Spintronics Inc.
Baumeister B. William
Headway Technologies Inc.
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