Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Dustin William Erickson

Xueti Tang

Vladimir Nikitin

Mohamad Towfik Krounbi

Satoru Araki

Hiroaki Chihaya

David John Seagle

Dmytro Apalkov

Jang-Eun Lee

Jangeun Lee

Diane L Brown

Roman Chepulskyy

Gen Feng

Donkoun Lee

Hardayal Singh Gill

Haiwen Xi

Eugene Youjun Chen

Robert Beach

Chang Man Park

Volodymyr Voznyuk

Chang-Man Park

Structures and methods for fabrication servo and data heads of tape modules are provided. The servo head may have two shield layers spaced apart by a plurality of gap layers and a sensor. Similarly, the data head may have two shield layers spaced apart by a plurality of gap layers and a sensor. The distance between the shield layers of the servo head may be greater than the distance between the shield layers of the data head. The material of the gap layers may include tantalum or an alloy of nickel and chromium. The material for the gap layers permits deposition of gap layers with sufficiently small surface roughness to prevent distortion of the tape module and increase the stability of the tape module operation.

Material for use in a TMR read gap without adversely affecting the TMR effect

A method for providing magnetic junctions is described. Each magnetic junction includes a free layer. A first portion of a stack for the magnetic junctions is provided. The first portion of a stack includes magnetic layer(s) for the free layer. A hard mask is provided. The hard mask covers a part of the first portion of the stack corresponding to the magnetic junctions. The hard mask includes aperture(s) exposing a second part of the first portion of the stack corresponding to spacing(s) between the magnetic junctions. The spacing(s) are not more than fifty nanometers. The second part of the first portion of the stack is etched. A remaining part of the first portion of the stack forms a first portion of each magnetic junction. This first portion of each magnetic junction includes the free layer. A second portion of the stack for the magnetic junctions is also provided.

Method and system for providing a magnetic junction usable in spin transfer torque applications using multiple stack depositions

A magnetic junction and method for providing the magnetic junction are described. The magnetic junction resides on a substrate and is usable in a magnetic device. The magnetic junction includes free and pinned layers separated by a nonmagnetic spacer layer. The free layer is switchable between stable magnetic states when a write current is passed through the magnetic junction. The free layer has a free layer perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy greater than a free layer out-of-plane demagnetization energy. The free layer includes an alloy. The alloy includes [CoFeB]Mg, where u+t=1 and x+y+z=1.

Method and system for providing a low moment free layer magnetic junction usable in spin transfer torque applications

A magnetic tunnel junction device and a method to make the device are disclosed. The magnetic tunnel junction device comprises a first reference magnetic material layer, a tunnel barrier material layer, a free magnetic material layer between the first reference magnetic material layer and the tunnel barrier material layer, and a second reference magnetic material layer disposed on an opposite side of the tunnel barrier material layer from the free magnetic material layer, in which the second reference magnetic material layer is anti-magnetically exchanged coupled with the first reference magnetic material layer. A shift field Hexperienced by the free magnetic material layer is substantially canceled by the anti-magnetic exchange coupling between the first reference magnetic material layer and the second reference magnetic material layer.

B2-MTJ design with texture blocking decoupling layer for sub-25 nm STT-MRAM

A method for providing a magnetic junction usable in a magnetic device and the magnetic junction are described. The method includes providing a free layer, a pinned layer and a nonmagnetic spacer layer between the free layer and the pinned layer. The free layer is switchable between stable magnetic states when a write current is passed through the magnetic junction. At least one of the steps of providing the free layer and providing the pinned layer includes providing magnetic and sacrificial layers and performing two anneals of the sacrificial and magnetic layers. The magnetic layer includes a glass-promoting component and is amorphous as-deposited. The first anneal is at a first temperature exceeding 300 degrees Celsius and not exceeding 450 degrees Celsius. The second anneal is at a second temperature greater than the first temperature and performed after the first anneal. The sacrificial layer is removed.

Method for providing a high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy layer in a magnetic junction usable in spin transfer torque magnetic devices using multiple anneals

A method for providing a magnetic junction usable in a magnetic device and a magnetic junction are described. A reference layer, a crystalline MgO tunneling barrier layer and a free layer are provided. The crystalline MgO tunneling barrier layer is continuous, has a (001) orientation and has a thickness of not more than eleven Angstroms and not less than two Angstroms. The crystalline MgO tunneling barrier layer is between the free layer and the reference layer. The magnetic junction is configured such that the free layer is switchable between stable magnetic states when a write current is passed through the magnetic junction.

Method for providing a magnetic junction on a substrate and usable in a magnetic device

A method provides a magnetic junction having a top and sides. A first magnetic layer, a nonmagnetic spacer layer and a second magnetic layer are deposited. The nonmagnetic spacer layer is between the first and second magnetic layers. A free layer is one of the magnetic layers. A reference layer is the other of the magnetic layers. The second magnetic layer includes an amorphous magnetic layer having nonmagnetic constituent(s) that are glass-forming. An anneal is performed in a gas having an affinity for the nonmagnetic constituent(s). The gas includes at least one of first and second gases. The first gas forms a gaseous compound with the nonmagnetic constituent(s) The second gas forms a solid compound with the nonmagnetic constituent(s). The second gas is usable if the anneal is performed after the magnetic junction has been defined. The solid compound is at least on the sides of the magnetic junction.

Method and system for removing boron from magnetic junctions usable in spin transfer torque memory applications

An MTJ structure and method for providing the same are described. The method may include providing a free layer, a pinned layer, and a nonmagnetic spacer layer between the free layer and the pinned layer. Providing the free layer and/or the pinned layer may include depositing a portion of the desired MTJ layer, depositing a sacrificial layer, annealing the MTJ and sacrificial layer, removing at least a portion of the sacrificial layer, and depositing a remaining portion of the desired MTJ layer. The steps of depositing a sacrificial layer, annealing, and removing the sacrificial layer may be repeated multiple times with process conditions selected for each stage so as to reduce the risk of damage to the underlying MTJ layer. The desired MTJ layer may be the free layer, the pinned layer, or both.

Multi-stage element removal using absorption layers

A magnetic junction usable in a magnetic device and a method for providing the magnetic junction are described. The magnetic junction includes a free layer, a nonmagnetic spacer layer, and a reference layer. The free layer includes at least one of Fe and at least one Fe alloy. Furthermore, the free layer excludes Co. The nonmagnetic spacer layer adjoins the free layer. The nonmagnetic spacer layer residing between reference layer and the free layer. The magnetic junction is configured such that the free layer is switchable between a plurality of stable magnetic states when a write current is passed through the magnetic junction.

Method and system for providing magnetic junctions including free layers that are cobalt-free

A method for providing a magnetic junction usable in a magnetic device and the magnetic junction are described. The method includes providing a free layer, a pinned layer and a nonmagnetic spacer layer between the free layer and the pinned layer. The free layer is switchable between a plurality of stable magnetic states when a write current is passed through the magnetic junction. At least one of the step of providing the free layer includes a first plurality of steps and the step of providing the pinned layer includes a second plurality of steps. The first and second plurality of steps include depositing a portion of a layer, depositing a sacrificial layer, annealing the portion of the magnetic junction under the sacrificial layer, and depositing a remaining portion of the layer. The layer may be the free layer, the pinned layer, or both.

Method for providing a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy magnetic junction usable in spin transfer torque magnetic devices using a sacrificial insertion layer

A magnetic junction and method for providing the magnetic junction are described. The magnetic junction includes free and pinned layers separated by a nonmagnetic spacer layer. The free layer is switchable between stable magnetic states when a write current is passed through the magnetic junction. The pinned layer has a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) energy greater than its out-of-plane demagnetization energy. Providing the pinned layer includes providing a bulk PMA (B-PMA) layer, providing an interfacial PMA (I-PMA) layer on the B-PMA layer and then providing a sacrificial layer that is a sink for a constituent of the first I-PMA layer. An anneal is then performed. The sacrificial layer and part of the first I-PMA layer are removed after the anneal. Additional I-PMA layer(s) are provided after the removing. A remaining part of the first I-PMA layer and the additional I-PMA layer(s) have a thickness of not more than twenty Angstroms.

Method and system for providing a bottom pinned layer in a perpendicular magnetic junction usable in spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory applications

A method and apparatus provide a magnetic memory including magnetic junctions on a substrate. The apparatus include an RIE chamber and an ion milling chamber. The chambers are coupled such that the magnetic memory is movable between the chambers without exposing the magnetic memory to ambient. The method provides magnetic junction layers and a hard mask layer on the magnetic junction layers. A hard mask is formed from the hard mask layer using an RIE. The magnetic junction layers are ion milled after the RIE and without exposing the magnetic memory to an ambient after the RIE. The ion milling defines at least part of each magnetic junction. A magnetic junction may be provided. The magnetic junction includes pinned, nonmagnetic spacer, and free layers. The free layer has a width of not more than twenty nanometers and is switchable when a write current is passed through the magnetic junction.

Method and system for providing magnetic junctions having improved characteristics

A magnetic read sensor having improved robustness to withstand thermal variations resulting from thermal fly height heating. Improved thermal robustness comes as a result of improved pinned layer pinning. The read head includes an AFM layer having an increased thickness to provide a higher blocking temperature. The read head further includes a pinned layer structure that includes a first magnetic layer adjacent to and exchange coupled with the AFM layer. The first layer comprises a Co&#x2014;Fe layer with an increased Fe content of 20-30 atomic percent. The pinned layer structure also includes a second magnetic layer that is antiparallel coupled with the AP1 layer. The AP2 layer can be a multi-layer structure that includes a layer of CoFe, a layer of Co&#x2014;Fe&#x2014;Hf formed on the layer of Co&#x2014;Fe, a layer of Co&#x2014;Fe&#x2014;B formed on the layer of Co&#x2014;Fe&#x2014;Hf, and a second layer of Co&#x2014;Fe formed on the layer of Co&#x2014;Fe&#x2014;B.

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Morgan Hill, CA, United States of America

Dustin William Erickson