Applied Materials, Inc.

Khoi Doan

Srinivas D Nemani

Yifeng Zhou

Jeremiah T P Pender

Jisoo Kim

Chi Hong Ching

Jeremiah T Pender

Mang-Mang Ling

Embodiments of the invention provide methods and apparatus for fabricating magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structures on a substrate in magnetoresistive random access memory applications. In one embodiment, a method of forming a MTJ structure on a substrate includes providing a substrate having a insulating tunneling layer disposed between a first and a second ferromagnetic layer disposed on the substrate, wherein the first ferromagnetic layer is disposed on the substrate followed by the insulating tunneling layer and the second ferromagnetic layer sequentially, supplying an ion implantation gas mixture to implant ions into the first ferromagnetic layer exposed by openings defined by the second ferromagnetic layer, and etching the implanted first ferromagnetic layer.

Methods for etching materials used in MRAM applications

Methods of removing photoresists from low-k dielectric films are described. For example, a method includes forming and patterning a photoresist layer above a low-k dielectric layer, the low-k dielectric layer disposed above a substrate. Trenches are formed in the exposed portions of the low-k dielectric layer. A plurality of process cycles is performed to remove the photoresist layer. Each process cycle includes forming a silicon source layer on surfaces of the trenches of the low-k dielectric layer, and exposing the photoresist layer to an oxygen source to form an Si&#x2014;O-containing layer on the surfaces of the trenches of the low-k dielectric layer and to remove at least a portion of the photoresist layer.

Method of removing a photoresist from a low-k dielectric film

Methods of patterning low-k dielectric films are described.

Method of patterning a low-K dielectric film

A significantly improved low-k dielectric patterning method is described herein using plasma comprising an oxygen radical source and a silicon source to remove the photo-resist layer.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Khoi Doan