Texas Instruments Corporation

Robert E Fontana, Jr

David C Bullock

Shalendra K Singh

James Thomas Carlo

John M Bush

Method of fabricating a magnetic bubble memory device in which the magnetizable upper overlay pattern of magnetically soft material, e.g. permalloy, defining bubble propagation elements and bubble function-determining components as located above a bubble-supporting magnetic film is disposed in a wholly planar configuration to avoid bubble propagation anomalies encountered with typical non-planar overlay patterns of magnetically soft material. The fabrication method provides for the consecutive deposition onto a substrate having a magnetic film capable of supporting magnetic bubbles of a layer of non-magnetic electrically conductive material, a layer of insulating material, and a layer of magnetically soft material, such as permalloy. Patterning of the layers then proceeds from the uppermost layer downwardly in stages to form magnetically soft components defining the elements of magnetic bubble propagation paths and magnetic bubble function-determining components as a planar upper overlay pattern from the layer of magnetically soft material, insulation spacers from the layer of insulating material, and control conductors as a planar lower overlay pattern from the layer of non-magnetic electrically conductive material. Patterning of the respective layers is preferably achieved by ion milling of selected portions of the layer of magnetically soft material as defined by a first mask and by sequential plasma etching of selected portions of the underlying layer of insulating material and the layer of non-magnetic electrically conductive material as defined by a second composite mask partially comprising the overlay pattern of magnetically soft material and photoresist material.

Method of fabricating magnetic bubble memory device having planar

Magnetic bubble domain memory circuit in which magnetizable overlay patterns of magnetically soft material, e.g. permalloy, are provided as bubble propagation elements on a bubble-supporting magnetic layer to define major and minor bubble propagation paths. The major bubble propagation paths provide interchangeable bubble input and output sections, and the minor bubble propagation paths are in the form of closed storage loops providing a bubble storage section comprising first and second pairs of blocks. Bubble generators are provided for each of the blocks included in the first and second pairs thereof comprising the bubble storage section, along with first and second detectors and input/output tracks of bubble propagation elements associated with the respective pairs of blocks of storage loops. Swap transfer/replicate gates are disposed between the input/output tracks and each of the storage loops included in the blocks of storage loops. These gates are alternately operable in a swap transfer mode and a replicate mode so as to simultaneously transfer data as represented by magnetic bubbles and voids from the tracks to the storage loops and from the storage loops to the tracks when operated in a swap transfer mode, and to split respective magnetic bubbles incident thereon in a replicate mode to form a duplicate magnetic bubble in addition to the original magnetic bubble so as to preserve the data intact in the minor storage loop while delivering a bubble to a detector for readout. The first and second bubble detectors are 180.degree. out of phase with respect to each other and are operable during respective halfcycles of a bubble propagation cycle to sense the presence or absence of magnetic bubbles. Thus, respective data bits from different blocks are alternately sensed by the first and second bubble detectors in each bubble propagation cycle to provide a data readout rate twice the field rate.

Block replicate magnetic bubble memory circuit for high speed data

Magnetic bubble domain memory circuit in which magnetizable overlay patterns of magnetically soft material, e.g. permalloy, are provided as bubble propagation elements on a bubble-supporting magnetic layer to define major and minor bubble propagation paths. The bubble propagation elements are arranged to form major propagation paths defining a bubble input section and a bubble output section respectively. A plurality of minor propagation paths in the form of closed storage loops defining a bubble storage section are disposed between the input and output bubble sections, being arranged in even and odd blocks of minor propagation paths. Input swap transfer gates and output replicate gates are provided between the bubble storage loops and the input and output sections respectively. The input swap transfer gates and the output replicate gates are of double level construction, each type of gate including a hairpin element at the first level and a 90.degree. hook-like element at the second level which is correlated into bubble propagation elements included in a minor storage loop. The 90.degree. hook-like elements of corresponding swap transfer and replicate gates are respectively situated at the input and output ends of the minor storage loops, forming the opposite bights of the loop. Bubble generators and detectors are associated with the input and output bubble sections respectively at the opposite ends of the minor storage loops to provide a magnetic bubble domain memory chip for data processing purposes. Data as represented by the presence or absence of a magnetic bubble is transferred into the minor storage loops and replicated outwardly therefrom into the bubble output section for detection in a manner enabling such data to be received by the bubble detector for readout at the field rate.

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Dallas, TX, United States of America

Robert E Fontana, Jr