Western Digital (fremont), Inc.

Other

Avalanche Technology, Inc.

Iii Holdings 1, LLC

Systemix, Inc.

Cisco Technology, Inc.

Novartis Ag

Benjamin P Chen

Kyusik Sin

Hugh Craig Hiner

Yingjian Chen

Hongping Yuan

Wei Zhang

Yinshi Liu

Lei Wang

Jing Zhang

Xizeng Shi

Krishnakumar Mani

Kimihiro Satoh

Danning Yang

Dong Ha Jung

Brant Nease

Elen Rozler

Beth Louis Hill

Yiming Huai

Yuchen Zhou

Rajiv Yadav Ranjan

Francis H Liu

Yun-Fei Li

Srirajkumar Sundararaman

Anand Sridharan

Manjunath Duntoor

Paul J Simmons

Kristian M Bjelland

Christopher C Fraser

Beth Louise Hill

A method for fabricating a magnetic film structure is provided. The method comprises forming a magnetic structure on a bottom electrode layer, the magnetic structure comprising at least one pinned bottom magnetic film layer having a fixed magnetic orientation; at least one top magnetic film layer whose magnetic orientation can be manipulated by a current; and a tunneling layer between the bottom magnetic film layer and the top magnetic film layer; forming a metallic hard mask atop the magnetic structure; patterning and etching the metallic hard mask to define exposed areas of the magnetic structure; selectively etching the exposed areas of the magnetic structure by a chemical etch process based on a CO etch chemistry to form discrete magnetic bits.

Method for etching MTJ using co process chemistries

Fabrication methods using Ion Beam Etching (IBE) for MRAM cell memory elements are described. In embodiments of the invention the top electrode and MTJ main body are etched with one mask using reactive etching such as RIE or magnetized inductively coupled plasma (MICP) for improved selectivity, then the bottom electrode is etched using IBE as specified in various alternative embodiments which include selection of incident angles, wafer rotational rate profiles and optional passivation layer deposited prior to the IBE. The IBE according to the invention etches the bottom electrode without the need for an additional mask by using the layer stack created by the first etching phase as the mask. This makes the bottom electrode self-aligned to MTJ. The IBE also achieves MTJ sidewall cleaning without the need for an additional step.

MTJ stack and bottom electrode patterning process with ion beam etching using a single mask

Method of etching MTJ using CO process chemistries

The present invention is directed to a method for fabricating a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) memory element. The method comprises the steps of providing a substrate having a contact dielectric layer, a bottom dielectric layer, a bottom electrode layer, an etch stop layer, an MTJ layer stack, and a top electrode layer sequentially formed thereon; etching the top electrode layer with a first mask thereon to form a top electrode; etching the MTJ layer stack with the top electrode thereon to form a patterned MTJ; encapsulating the patterned MTJ with a passivation layer; depositing a top dielectric layer on top of the passivation layer and planarizing the same layer; forming a second mask on the top dielectric layer; and etching the bottom electrode layer, the etch stop layer, the passivation layer, and the top dielectric layer with the second mask thereon to form a bottom electrode.

Method of manufacturing magnetic tunnel junction memory element

A magnetic element includes a pinned layer, a nonferromagnetic spacer layer, and a free layer. The nonferromagnetic spacer layer resides between the pinned layer and the free layer. The free layer has a track width of not more than 0.08 micron.

Magnetic element having a smaller critical dimension of the free layer

A method and system for providing a magnetic structure that includes at least one magnetic material is disclosed. The method and system include defining the magnetic structure. The magnetic structure also includes a top layer that is insensitive to an istroropic carbonyl reactive ion etch. The defining of the magnetic structure results in at least one artifact. The method and system further includes cleaning the at least one artifact using at least one isotropic carbonyl reactive ion etch.

Method and system for cleaning magnetic artifacts using a carbonyl reactive ion etch

A method of fabricating a write head for perpendicular recording includes forming a pole layer on an undercoat layer, forming a mask over at least a portion of the pole layer, and forming the pole by removing material from the pole layer. The method further includes forming a first gap portion of a gap along a first side and a second side of the pole, forming a protective layer over at least a portion of the first gap portion, removing the mask, and removing the protective layer. The method further includes forming a second gap portion of the gap over at least a top surface of the pole and forming a shield over at least the second gap portion.

Method of fabricating a perpendicular recording write head having a gap with two portions

The method and system for providing a magnetic element are disclosed. The method and system include providing a magnetic element stack that includes a plurality of layers and depositing a stop layer on the magnetic element stack. The method and system also include providing a dielectric antireflective coating (DARC) layer on the stop layer, forming a single layer mask for defining the magnetic element on a portion of the DARC layer, and removing a remaining portion of the DARC layer not covered by the single layer mask. The portion of the DARC layer covers a portion of the stop layer. The method further includes removing a remaining portion of the stop layer and defining the magnetic element using at least the portion of stop layer as a mask.

Method and system for providing a smaller critical dimension magnetic element utilizing a single layer mask

A method and a system for communicating data in a communication channel are provided. The method includes the identification of a sequence of bits recurring in the data, and generating a locking pattern. The locking pattern includes locking symbols and a random bit pattern. The method also includes sending the locking pattern within the data. The locking pattern is received by a receiver and is used to lock the receiver and ignore the recurring bit sequence.

Method and system for breaking repetitive patterns to reduce transmission errors

A method of fabricating a write head for perpendicular recording is provided. The write head has a pole, a shield in proximity to the pole, and a gap between the pole and the shield. The method includes forming a pole layer on an undercoat layer, forming a mask over at least a portion of the pole layer, and forming the pole by removing material from the pole layer. The pole has a top surface, a first side, and a second side. The method further includes forming a first gap portion of the gap along the first side and along the second side of the pole, forming a protective layer over at least a portion of the first gap portion, removing the mask, and removing the protective layer. The method further includes forming a second gap portion of the gap over at least the top surface of the pole and forming the shield over at least the second gap portion.

A write element for perpendicular recording in a data storage system is fabricated to maintain the thickness of a side shield at both edges of a pole P, and to form the pole Pin a trapezoidal shape. Forming a side shield around the pole Premoves stray fields, creating a quiet, noise-free write element and preventing side erasure. The fabrication method utilizes a magnetic buffer layer to protect a shield gap during trim of the pole P, and thus to provide the shield gap with a uniform thickness. The magnetic buffer layer also protects the shield gap and pole Pwhen the top hard mask is removed. Consequently, the write field is made uniform across the track width. The fabrication method uses a metal in the shield gap to improve the pole geometry after pole trim and to provide a uniform edge to the pole P

Write element for perpendicular recording in a data storage system

A method and system for providing a writer is disclosed. The method and system include providing a first pole, an insulator covering a portion of the first pole and a coil on the first insulator. The coil includes a plurality of turns. The method and system also include providing a second insulator covering the coil, providing a second pole on the second insulator and providing a write gap separating a portion of the first pole from a second portion of the second pole. A first portion of the second pole is coupled with the first pole. In one aspect, the method and system include providing a coil having a plurality of turns with a pitch of no more than 1.2 micrometers. In another aspect, the plurality of turns of the coil is provided using a hard mask layer on a photoresist layer. A portion of the hard mask layer and a portion of the photoresist layer define a plurality of spaces between the pluralities of turns of the coil. In another aspect, the writer is a pedestal defined zero throat writer. In this aspect, the first insulator has a depression therein and the coil is provided on the depression.

Method for providing pedestal-defined zero throat writer

A method and system for providing a tunneling magnetoresistive sensor is disclosed. The method and system include providing a pinned layer, a free layer and an insulating layer between the pinned and free layers. The pinned and free layers are ferromagnetic. The method and system also include providing a hard mask layer to be used in defining the sensor at the top of the tunneling magnetoresistive sensor. The method and system also include using the hard mask layer to define the tunneling magnetoresistive sensor. Thus, the pinned layer, the free layer and the insulating layer are capable of having a minimum dimension of less than 0.2 &mgr;m.

Method and system for making TMR junctions

Immunocompromised mammalian hosts are sub-cutaneously implanted with a combination of human fetal bone and spleen. The chimeric animals can produce human B-cells, myeloid cells and T-cells for up to 9 months in vivo when supplied with an allogeneic human fetal thymic fragment at the same site. Grafts contain cell populations expressing CD4 and CD8, CD19 or CD33, CD14 and CD15, all of which also express the HLA type of the fetal bone/spleen. T-cells derived from progenitors in the fetal bone/spleen contain both mature single positive CD4&plus;CD8&minus;, CD8&plus;CD4&minus; as well as a high percentage of immature double positive CD4&plus;CD8&plus; populations.

Long term xenogeneic myeloid and lymphoid cell production in chimeric immunocompromised mice

This invention provides a novel antibody, designated the .alpha.EM10 antibody. Also provided are methods of determining hematopoietic stem cell content. The methods employ using antibodies (.alpha.EM10) specific for a unique cell marker (EM10) that is expressed on stem cells.

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Benjamin P Chen