WO2006079215A1 - Magnetic memory composition and method of manufacture - Google Patents
Magnetic memory composition and method of manufacture Download PDFInfo
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- WO2006079215A1 WO2006079215A1 PCT/CA2006/000113 CA2006000113W WO2006079215A1 WO 2006079215 A1 WO2006079215 A1 WO 2006079215A1 CA 2006000113 W CA2006000113 W CA 2006000113W WO 2006079215 A1 WO2006079215 A1 WO 2006079215A1
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- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11C—STATIC STORES
- G11C11/00—Digital stores characterised by the use of particular electric or magnetic storage elements; Storage elements therefor
- G11C11/02—Digital stores characterised by the use of particular electric or magnetic storage elements; Storage elements therefor using magnetic elements
- G11C11/14—Digital stores characterised by the use of particular electric or magnetic storage elements; Storage elements therefor using magnetic elements using thin-film elements
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11C—STATIC STORES
- G11C11/00—Digital stores characterised by the use of particular electric or magnetic storage elements; Storage elements therefor
- G11C11/18—Digital stores characterised by the use of particular electric or magnetic storage elements; Storage elements therefor using Hall-effect devices
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10B—ELECTRONIC MEMORY DEVICES
- H10B61/00—Magnetic memory devices, e.g. magnetoresistive RAM [MRAM] devices
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10N—ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10N50/00—Galvanomagnetic devices
- H10N50/01—Manufacture or treatment
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01F—MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
- H01F5/00—Coils
- H01F5/003—Printed circuit coils
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a memory device, and more particularly, to a memory device using magnetic memory elements.
- EEPROM Electrically Eraseable Programmable Read-Only Memory
- N-type Metal-Oxide- Semiconductor
- Fowler-Nordheim tunneling through the ultra-thin oxide layer of these structures.
- the charging of the gate creates results in an electron inversion channel in the device rendering it conductive (constituting a memory state 1).
- Discharging the floating gate i.e., applying a negative bias removes the electron from the channel and returns the device to its initial non-conductive state (i.e., memory state 0).
- FeRAM Feroelectric Random Access Memory
- the FeRAM memory cell consists of a bi-stable capacitor, and is comprised of a ferroelectric thin film that contains polarizable electric dipoles. These dipoles, analogous to the magnetic moments in a ferroemagnetic material, respond to an applied electric field to create a net polarization in the direction of the applied field.
- a hysteresis loop for sweeping the applied field from positive to negative field defines the characteristics of the material.
- the ferroelectric material can retain a polarization known as the remnant polarization, serving as the basis for storing information in a non-volatile fashion.
- FeRAM would appear to be a promising technology with good future potential since relatively low voltages (typically about 5V) are required for switching as compared with about 12 to 15V for EEPROM.
- FeRAM devices show 10 8 to 10 10 cycle write endurance compared with about 10 6 for EEPROM, and the switching of the electrical polarization requires as little as about 100 ns compared with about 1 ms for charging an EEPROM.
- MRAM Magneticoresistance Random Access Memory
- the technology relies on a writing process that uses the hysteresis loop of a ferromagnetic strip, while the reading process involves the anisotropic magnetoresistance effect.
- this effect (based on spin-orbit interaction) relates to the variation of the resistance of a magnetic conductor, dependent on an external applied magnetic field.
- the bit consists of a strip of two ferromagnetic films (e.g., NiFe) sandwiching a poor conductor (e.g., TaN), placed underneath an orthogonal conductive strip line (i.e., known as the word line).
- a current passes through the sandwich strip and when aided by a current in the orthogonal strip-line, the uppermost ferromagnetic layer of the sandwich strip is magnetized either clockwise, or counterclockwise. Reading is performed by measuring the magneto-resistance of the sandwich structure (i.e., by passing a current). Magneto-resistance ratios of only about 0.5% are typical, but have allowed the fabrication of a 16Kb MRAM chip operating with write times of 100 ns (and read times of 250 ns). A 250Kb chip was also later produced by Honeywell.
- GMR Giant Magneto-resistance
- Pseudo-Spin Valve made of a sandwich structure with two magnetic layers mismatched so that one layer tends to switch magnetization at a lower field than the other.
- the soft film is used to sense (by the magnetoresistance effect) the magnetization of the hard film - this latter film constitutes the storage media, having magnetization of either up or down (i.e., states 0 or 1).
- PSV structures are amenable to scaling but the reported fields required to switch the hard magnetic layer are still too high for high density integrated circuits. These devices appear to potentially represent a replacement for EEPROMs.
- SDT spin- dependent tunneling devices
- These devices are made of an insulating layer (i.e., the tunneling barrier) sandwiched between two magnetic layers.
- Device operation relies on the fact that the tunneling resistance, in the direction perpendicular to the stack, depends on the magnetization of the magnetic layers. The highest resistance is obtained when the magnetization of the layers is anti-parallel, and the parallel case provides the lowest resistance.
- the variation of spin (i.e., up or down) state density between the two magnetic layers explains this behavior.
- One of the layers is pinned while the second magnetic layer is free and used as the information storage media. SDT show promise for high performance non-volatile applications.
- the present invention is directed to a magnetic memory device that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic switch used to form a memory cell in a non-volatile magnetic memory device.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a simplified method of fabricating a non-volatile magnetic memory device.
- a non-volatile magnetic memory device having one or more memory cells, each of the memory cells includes a magnetic switch including a magnetic component and a write coil located proximate the magnetic component, the write coil coupled to receive a current sufficient to create a remnant magnetic polarity in the magnetic component, and a Hall sensor, positioned proximate the magnetic component, to detect the remnant magnetic polarity indicative of a stored data bit.
- a method of fabricating one or more memory cells of a non-volatile magnetic memory device the steps include forming a magnetic switch including a magnetic component and a write coil located proximate the magnetic component, the write coil coupled to receive a current sufficient to create a remnant magnetic polarity in the magnetic component, and forming a Hall sensor, positioned proximate the magnetic component, to detect the remnant magnetic polarity indicative of a stored data bit.
- a method of fabricating a magnetic switch of a memory cell in a non-volatile magnetic memory device the steps include forming a write coil, forming a magnet spot coaxial with the write coil, and electroplating a magnetic material on the magnet spot to form a magnetic component located proximate to the write coil, the write coil coupled to receive a current sufficient to create a remnant magnetic polarity in the magnetic component.
- FIG. 1 shows a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a memory cell in accordance with the present invention
- FIG. 2A shows a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a magnetic switch in accordance with the present invention
- FIGS. 2B-2C show a side view of the exemplary embodiment of the magnetic switch shown in FIG. 2A.
- FIGS. 3A-3B show conceptual views of an exemplary embodiment of a tunable magnetic switch in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 4 shows a graph illustrating the hysteresis loop for determining the recoil magnetization of the magnetic switch of the present invention.
- FIGS. 5A-5H show various exemplary stages of fabrication for an exemplary sensor in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 6 shows a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of a fabricated exemplary sensor in accordance with the present invention.
- FIGS. 7A-7D show various exemplary stages of fabrication for insulating an exemplary sensor in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 8 shows an exemplary embodiment of an electroplating system in accordance with the present invention.
- FIGS. 9A-9D show various exemplary stages of a fabrication process (i.e., lift-off) for an exemplary coil and magnet spot in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 9E shows an SEM image of a fabricated exemplary sensor in accordance with the fabrication process of the present invention.
- FIGS. 10A-10D show various exemplary stages of fabrication for depositing a magnetic material on a magnet spot in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 11 shows an SEM image of a fabricated magnetic switch in accordance with the present invention.
- FIGS. 12A-12E show various exemplary stages of an alternative fabrication process
- FIG. 12F shows an SEM image of a fabricated exemplary sensor in accordance with the alternate fabricating process of the present invention.
- FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a memory cell of a magnetic memory device according to the present invention.
- Memory cell 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a magnetic switch 120 and a sensor 130.
- the magnetic switch 120 includes a magnetic component or material 122 and coil 124 to hold data.
- the sensor 130 includes a Hall Effect sensor 132 and output terminals 136 connected to a voltage detector (not shown) to detect the stored data in magnetic switch 120.
- the magnetic switch 120 includes a magnetic component 122.
- the magnetic component 122 may be a permanent magnet or a ferromagnetic material (e.g., nickel or nickel-iron magnet).
- a coaxial coil 124 (connected to a current source, not shown) is disposed about the magnetic component 122.
- the coaxial coil 124 is made of a conductive material, such as the metal Ti/Au.
- any other suitable conductive material e.g., Ti/Cu/Ti
- magnetic component 122 is shown as having a generally cylindrical shape for purposes of illustration, any suitable shape (e.g., square, rectangle, horseshoe) may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.
- coaxial coil 124 is shown for purposes of illustration as having six (6) turns around magnetic component 122. However, any suitable number of turns may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.
- the Hall Effect sensor 132 includes a geometrically defined semiconductor structure with input terminals 134 connected to power supply 138 and output terminals 136 positioned perpendicularly to the direction of current flow. Although the Hall Effect sensor 132 is shown as having a "Greek cross" shape for purposes of illustration, any suitable shape (e.g., rectangle) may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. [0038] In general, the Hall Effect sensor responds to a physical quantity to be sensed (i.e., magnetic induction) through an input interface and, in turn, outputs the sensed signal to an output interface that converts the electrical signal from the Hall Effect sensor into a designated indicator.
- a physical quantity to be sensed i.e., magnetic induction
- the Hall Effect sensor 132 when the Hall Effect sensor 132 is subjected to a magnetic field (H) from a magnetic component 122, a potential difference appears across the output terminals 136 in proportion to the field strength. When the Hall Effect sensor 132 is subjected to an equal and opposite magnetic field, an equal and opposite potential difference appears across the same output terminals 136.
- the Hall Effect sensor 132 thus acts as a sensor of both the magnitude and direction of an externally applied magnetic field.
- the shape and material used for magnetic switch 120 determines the strength of magnetization (M) responsible for generating a magnetic field (H) around sensor 130.
- the number of turns of the coil 124 around magnetic component 122 determines the strength of the induced magnetization (H) generated around magnetic component 122 to set the direction and intensity of the magnetization (M).
- the direction of the magnetization (M) of magnetic component 122 determines the value of the magnetic stored data (i.e., "0" or "1") in magnetic switch 120.
- the Hall Effect sensor 132 is characterized by voltage signal V H _ JI that is generated in response to the magnetic field (H) emanating from magnetic switch 120 detected at point P.
- a current (I) (e.g., current pulse) is sent through the coil 124 in such a way as to generate a magnetic field H CO ii-
- the magnitude of the current is chosen to be sufficient to change (i.e., flip) the magnetization of the magnetic component 122.
- the magnetic field generated by the magnetic component 122 needs to be sufficient for the sensor 130 to detect it at detection point P.
- sensor 130 needs to generate a response (V Ha ii) greater than an offset voltage signal Vo ff .
- An offset voltage V Off is the threshold that must be overcome before any useful signals are generated.
- FIG. 2A shows atop view of an exemplary embodiment of a magnetic component surrounded by a coil.
- FIG. 2B shows a side view of a magnetic component 222 having an initial direction of magnetization (M) oriented downward.
- FIG. 2C shows that after a sufficiently high current (I) is sent through the coil 224, the magnetic component 222 retains an induced magnetization whose direction is oriented upward.
- the magnetic induction proximate to the surface of the magnetic component 222, at detection point P, is the field generated by the magnetic component 222.
- This field causes the sensor 130 to generate a voltage signal that should have a magnitude greater than the voltage signal Voff and a sign indicating the direction of magnetization (e.g., a positive voltage for "upward").
- a suitable current e.g., current pulse in the opposite direction
- a magnetic field -Hcoii i.e., with the opposite orientation than H co ii
- the magnetic component 222 retains a magnetization that may have smaller magnitude or whose direction is oriented downward.
- the magnetic field at detection point P is the magnetic field generated by the magnetic component 222.
- the detected induction at point P causes the sensor 130 to generate a voltage signal that has a smaller magnitude or opposite sign indicating the direction of magnetization (e.g., a negative voltage for "downward”). If a downward or smaller magnetization is designated as "0,” then the sensor 130 detects the stored data as being “0.”
- a tunable magnetic switch ensures operational reliability of the fabricated magnetic memory device.
- the offset voltage threshold V O ff as discussed above may be larger than expected.
- the offset of the sensor are caused by such things as non-uniformity of the device . and misalignments that occur during fabrication.
- the magnetic induction (B) generated by the magnetization (M) of magnetic switch 120 must be strong enough at point P to generate an induced voltage in sensor 130 before the stored data can be accurately detected.
- the internal components cannot be rearranged to reduce the operating offset threshold V Of r.
- a tunable magnetic switch according to the present invention ensures operational reliability of the fabricated magnetic memory device by allowing the detected magnetic field to be tuned after the fabrication process, as presented below.
- FIGS. 3 A and 3B illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a tunable magnetic switch according to the present invention.
- FIG. 3 A shows a tunable magnetic switch 320 including two magnetic component 322 and 330.
- the magnetic component 322 is coupled to a three (3) turn coil.
- the magnetic component 322 may be a soft cylindrical bar magnet made of ferromagnetic material (e.g., nickel-iron magnet).
- the magnetic component 330 may be a hard permanent magnet made of ferromagnetic material (e.g., nickel, cobalt, and other related alloy magnets).
- magnetic components 322 and 330 are shown as having a particular shape for purposes of illustration, any suitable shape may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.
- magnetic switch 320 is exposed to an external magnetic bias field H ⁇ as provided by the magnetic component 330.
- a current (I) e.g., current pulse
- H magnetic field
- H bias- The magnitude of the current pulse is chosen to be sufficient to drive magnetic component 322 to its saturation magnetization value.
- the direction of magnetization (M) of the magnetic component 322 is shown as initially being oriented downward, in the same direction as the constant bias field Hbias- After the current (I) is sent through the coil 324, the magnetic component 322 retains a high magnetization.
- the magnetic field proximate to the surface of the magnetic component 322, at detection point P is the combination of the bias field Hbias and the field generated by the magnetic component 322.
- This combined field results in a very high magnetization state, generating a voltage signal much greater than the offset voltage V Off .
- the sensor 130 easily detects the stored data as being "1,” for example, assuming that the downward direction of magnetization (M) is designated as a high state (Le., "1").
- a suitable current (I) i.e., current pulse
- I current pulse
- Hbias bias field
- M magnetization
- the magnetization (M) will recoil following the recoil line, explained further below in reference to FIG. 4, providing a magnetic component 322 with a very low magnetization. If the current is strong enough, the magnetization (M) may even be oriented in the opposite direction.
- the magnetic field at detection point P will be that of the bias field Hbias combined with the magnetic field generated by the magnetic component 322, which is either very low or in the opposite direction of the bias field Hbias- In either instance, the total magnetic induction at point P will be significantly lower than that corresponding to the high level case, nonexistent, or even in the opposite direction. Accordingly, a definitive low level state (i.e., "0") may be detected by the sensor 130.
- FIGS. 3A and 3B The switching behaviour shown schematically in FIGS. 3A and 3B may be explained using the hysteresis loops of the magnetic component 322 as shown in FIG. 4.
- the intersection of the induction load line and the induction hysteresis loop define a point "a” with induction B 1 .
- Point "a” may then be used to determine the corresponding point "b” on the magnetization loop.
- the magnetization load line can then be drawn.
- This load line is then translated by H CO ii along the magnetic field axis to establish a new intersection at point "e” on the magnetization hysteresis loop.
- the corresponding point "P ' on the induction loop may then be established.
- H 00H is removed (i.e., current pulse is removed)
- the magnetic component 322 will recoil.
- the recoil line can then be drawn.
- the intersection point "g" of the recoil line and the magnetization load line can be determined, providing the induction B 2 .
- Induction B 2 is then set as the induced magnetization (M) that is stored in magnetic component 322 once the current (I) is removed in establishing the low state (i.e., "0").
- the fabrication process of the memory cell 10 may be divided into 2 parts: (1) fabrication of the sensor 130, and (2) fabrication of the magnetic switch 120. For the tunable magnetic switch, an additional process for fabricating the bias magnet is included.
- the Hall Effect sensor 132 is fabricated with high mobility materials, such as III-V materials (i.e., compounds formed from groups III and V elements of the periodic table).
- III- IV materials include, but are not limited to, GaAs, InAs, InSb, and related two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) structures.
- a 2DEG structure based on a GaAs/AlGaAs hetero-structure may be formed at the hetero junction interface of a modulation-doped hetero-structure between a doped wide band-gap AlGaAs material (i.e., barrier) and an undoped narrow band- gap GaAs material (i.e., well).
- Ionized carriers from the dopant transfer into the well, forming the 2DEG. These carriers are spatially separated from their ionized parent impurities and, therefore, allow for high carrier mobility and a large Hall Effect.
- III-IV materials are discussed here, other materials (e.g., silicon) may be used to fabricate the Hall Effect sensor 132.
- FIGS. 5A-5D illustrate the various fabrication stages of the Hall Effect sensor 132 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
- a suitable wafer 538 such as a semi-insulating GaAs wafer with a thin n-type active GaAs film 539 (about 0.5-0.6 ⁇ m), is used.
- a layer of resist 540 e.g., 950K PMMA 4%) is spun onto the wafer 538.
- the resist layer 540 is patterned through EBL (i.e., electron beam lithography); however, any suitable patterning technique (e.g., photolithography with standard AZ resist type) may be used.
- a mesa etch process is then carried out for insulating the sensor. The etch process involves wet etching with, for example, a standard H 2 O 2 /H 3 PO 4 /H 2 O solution.
- the input terminals 134 and output terminals 136 are deposited through a lift-off process.
- the lift-off process involves spinning a layer 542 made of double layer copolymer/PMMA (at 4000 rpm).
- the lift-off profile i.e., under-etching provided by the difference of sensitivity between the copolymer and the PMMA during the development process and after the exposition to an electron beam.
- a layer of nickel may be added to the AuGe layer 544 to improve contact performance.
- the lift-off process is completed by placing the wafer 538 in acetone in order to remove any unnecessary portions of the AuGe layer 544.
- the contacts i.e., AuGe layer 544.
- RTA rapid thermal annealing
- the annealing is carried out at about 340 0 C for about 40 seconds in an RTA chamber filled in nitrogen (N 2 ) flow.
- the lift-off process is completed by placing the wafer 538 in acetone in order to remove any unnecessary portions of the AuGe layer 544.
- FIG. 6 illustrates the GaAs Greek cross Hall Effect sensor with AuGe contacts. Also shown are alignment marks 546 included in the pattern.
- any suitable resist such as PMMA 2% may be used.
- HMDS an adhesion promoter, may be used as needed.
- the insulating layer 748 is made of a suitable material, such as a dielectric polyimide, which may be processed as typical resists (i.e., spun onto a wafer and baked in an oven or on a hot plate).
- a dielectric polyimide is HD Microsystem's PI2545 (an inter-metallic, high-temperature polyimide used in various microelectronic applications). It has a high glass transition temperature (i.e., about 400 0 C) and may be patterned with positive resist.
- the cured film is ductile and flexible with a low CTE, and is resistant to common wet and dry processing chemicals.
- FIGS. 7A-7D show an insulating layer 748 of PI2545 spun onto the Hall Effect sensor 532 at a rate of about 6000 rpm and then soft-baked on a hot plate. The temperature is ramped from 25 0 C to 17O 0 C at 240°C/h. Once an oven or hot plate temperature of 17O 0 C is reached, the temperature is kept constant for 9 minutes (i.e., soak period). After the soak period, the hot plate cools down to room temperature by natural convection. When the insulating layer 748 is baked at an oven or hotplate temperature of about 14O 0 C or 17O 0 C, it develops a good chemical resistance to boiling acetone, which is later used to remove a resist layer.
- PECVD Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition
- a positive resist layer 750 (e.g., PMMA 4% or AZ5206) is spun onto the insulating layer 748.
- PMMA 4% is used.
- the resist layer 750 is then baked in an oven or hot plate at a temperature of 16O 0 C for two (2) minutes, with a ramp rate of 6 °C/minute and a soak period of 6 minutes.
- a baking temperature of 16O 0 C is the minimum safe bake temperature for PMMA (e.g., PMMA baked at 12O 0 C may exhibit some adhesion failure).
- the wafer is placed into an EBL chamber, where it is exposed to 25 kV of electron beam.
- the resist layer 750 is patterned in such a way as to make openings over the Hall Effect sensor's ohmic contacts and alignment marks (if any).
- an appropriate dose may be in the range of 165 - 182 ⁇ C/cm 2 ; for a pattern of the size 17 X 17 ⁇ m 2 , an appropriate dose may be in the range of 149 - 163 ⁇ C/cm 2 ; and for a pattern of the size 100 X 112 ⁇ m 2 , an appropriate dose may be in the range of 132 - 145 ⁇ C/cm 2 .
- the resist layer 750 is developed in a suitable solution, such as MIBK/alcohol (1 :3), for a suitable amount of time (e.g., about 40 - 55 seconds).
- a suitable solution such as MIBK/alcohol (1 :3)
- the wafer is then rinsed in alcohol and de-ionized water.
- a diluted PPD450 (1 :5) solution is used for etching the insulating layer for a suitable amount of time (e.g., about 6-14 minutes or even longer).
- the degrees of dilution and agitation and the development and etching times may be changed as needed.
- Boiling acetone is used to remove the resist layer 750 (i.e., PMMA).
- the insulating layer 748 is hard-baked at about 200 0 C using a temperature ramp as described above.
- the insulating layer may be hard-baked at a temperature as high as 400 0 C. However, such high temperature may create unwanted diffusion in the Hall Effect sensor.
- the magnetic switch 120 is fabricated over the insulating layer 748.
- the general approach to fabricating the magnetic switch 120 is to first fabricate the coil 124, and then to fabricate the magnetic component 122.
- synthesis routes that include, for example, melting different components, casting, and high temperature (typically, above 800 0 C) thermal processing (e.g., quenching).
- Other synthesis routes include sintering and extrusion.
- Electroplating allows for relatively good definition of element shapes with fewer defects on element walls. It is also an inexpensive and relatively simple process to implement. Three-electrode systems can be used to monitor the stoichiometry of deposited alloys.
- an electroplating system 800 includes an electroplating cell 810, a computer 820, and a computer-driven potentiostat/galvanostat 830.
- the computer 820 is connected to electroplating cell 810 through the potentiostat/galvanostat 830 to control the electroplating process.
- the potentiostat/galvanostat 830 can function as either a potentiostat or a galvanostat.
- the coil and a magnet spot or area within the coil where the magnetic component is to be deposited are formed over the sensor 130.
- a first exemplary process for forming the coil and the magnet spot involves a titanium/gold lift-off process.
- FIGS. 9A-9D illustrate various stages of fabrication of according to the gold lift-off process according to the present invention.
- the insulating layer 748 (from FIG. 7D) is first covered with a double resist layer 954
- copolymer/PMMA e.g., copolymer/PMMA
- the copolymer layer is baked at 16O 0 C for 5 minutes on a hot plate with a temperature ramp as described above.
- the hot plate is left to cool to room temperature by natural convection.
- a layer of PMMA 4% in anisole is spun onto the wafer and baked at 16O 0 C for 5 minutes using the defined temperature ramp.
- the hot plate again is left to cool to room temperature by natural convection.
- the wafer is placed into the EBL chamber, where the double resist layer 954 is exposed to an electron beam so as to pattern the coil 924 and magnet spot 923, with an exposure of 25kV and various doses: for a fine coil pattern, an appropriate dose is 150 ⁇ C/cm 2 ; for the magnet spot, an appropriate dose is 120 ⁇ C/cm 2 ; for alignment marks (if any), an appropriate dose is 195 ⁇ C/cm 2 .
- the alignment marks can be included in the pattern to aid in the location of the magnet spot.
- the double resist layer 954 is then developed into a suitable solution, such as MIBK/alcohol, for about twenty (20) seconds.
- the wafer is placed into an electron beam evaporator, where titanium layer 952a and gold layer 952b of 25 run and 150 nm, respectively, are deposited onto the patterns to form the Ti/Au layer 952. Titanium layer 952a is used as an adhesion layer. Finally, the wafer is removed from the evaporator and dipped into acetone for about one hour to remove the double resist layer 954 and any unwanted Ti/Au layers 952. As shown in FIG. 9F, the coil 924 and magnet spot 923 are obtained. In this exemplary embodiment, only a single turn coil 924 is used. However, different number of turns may be used as appropriate without departing from the scope of the invention.
- the magnetic component 122 is electroplated onto the magnet spot 923 through a mold that provides the shape and dimensions of the magnetic component 122.
- EBL is used to pattern a thick (e.g., about lO ⁇ m) layer 1058 of resist (e.g., AZ4620) onto the coil 924, magnet spot 923, and alignment marks (not shown).
- the resist layer 1058 is baked at about 95 0 C for about 4 minutes. Then, the resist layer 1058 is placed into a chamber for EBL, where the areas where the alignment marks are located are exposed to an electron beam.
- the resist layer 1058 is developed in a suitable solution, such as PPD450, and removed from the areas where the alignment marks are located.
- a suitable solution such as PPD450
- the wafer is cleaned with de-ionized water and blown dry with N 2 .
- EBL and the alignment marks as a guide
- the magnet spot 923 is patterned and the resist layer 1058 is developed for a second time in order to obtain a well 1060.
- Well 1060 functions as a container into which a magnetic material is electroplated to form the magnetic component.
- magnetic material 1070 e.g., nickel or nickel-iron
- Pure materials are generally easier to deposit. However, alloys may also be used. Examples of materials that can be deposited include cobalt, iron, nickel, nickel-iron (NiFe), and cobalt-nickel-iron (CoNiFe). Different catalysts may be used to increase the coercivity of these materials if needed.
- a nickel chloride based solution with two additives namely saccharin (which acts as a strain relief agent) and sodium lauryl sulfate (which acts as a surfactant), is deposited into the well 1060.
- a current such as a DC current, is used to fabricate the magnet component.
- pulsed electro-deposition (with, e.g., a 2% duty cycle) may be used to deposit magnetic material (e.g., nickel or nickel-iron) onto the resist template to form an array of magnetic component 122.
- the electroplating conditions are controlled by the computer-driven potentiostat/galvanostat 830.
- FIG. 11 shows a magnetic switch developed using the above process.
- an insulating layer 748 is deposited on the top of the magnetic switch 120.
- a hard permanent magnet for example, is added on the top of the structure by hybrid integration of prefabricated micro-magnets or by electroplating hard ferromagnetic material, such as cobalt or selected alloys, on the insulating layer 748.
- EBL is used as the exemplary method for fabricating the mold
- any suitable method such as photolithography, may be used.
- the mold is formed by exposing the resist layer (i.e., AZ4620) to UV light through a suitable prefabricated hard mask.
- Another approach to fabricating the coil 924 and magnet spot 923 involves etching directly the seed layer 952 so as to obtain the coil 924 and the magnet spot 923 in the same process step as shown in FIG. 12A-12E.
- a key concept is to use the seed layer 925 for the growth of the magnetic component 122 and, at the same time, for making the coil 924.
- the wafer carrying the seed layer 952 i.e., Ti layer 952a, Cu layer 952b, Ti layer 952c
- This patterning step can incorporate the use of a positive resist layer 1210 and wet etching.
- the pattern includes a single loop coil around a central metallic spot, with a metallic path linking it electrically to a common electrode used for electroplating.
- any suitable number of turns may be used.
- the wafer is dried by baking it on a hot plate for about 30 minutes at about 150 0 C.
- a layer of resist 1210 e.g., AZ5206E
- the resist layer 1210 is soft- baked, starting from about 95°C and then lowered to about 80 0 C, the change in temperature time being about six (6) to seven (7) minutes.
- the wafer After exposure, the wafer is developed in a suitable solution, such as PPD450. The wafer is then cleaned with de-ionized water. After the cleaning step, the wafer is hard-baked for about 10 minutes at about 125°C.
- the titanium (Ti) and copper (Cu) layers are etched with suitable solutions.
- the Ti layers 952a and 952c may be etched with a highly diluted HFZHNO 3 ZH 2 O solution, while the copper layer 952b may be etched with a HCI/H2O2/H2O solution.
- the wafer is then cleaned to remove resist 1210.
- the cleaning step can include, for example, boiling acetone, boiling alcohol, and de-ionized water rinsing.
- the magnetic memory device according to the present invention was described in relation to a magnetic switch over a Hall Effect sensor.
- the advantages of a magnetic component that can retain a magnetic field without any power supplied thereto and a simple sensor for reading the stored magnetic field provides a non-volatile memory device that consumes very little power for operation compared to the electric-based memory devices currently in use.
- the tunable magnetic switch according to the present invention was described.
- the advantages of the tunable magnetic switch according to the present invention are numerous.
- the magnetic component retains the induced magnetization (M) from the induction coil
- the tunable magnetic switch according to the present invention can function as a switch with non-volatile memory.
- the tunable magnetic switch according to the present invention provides a sufficiently high field for the Hall Effect sensor so as to partially or even completely compensate for the sensor offset.
- the tunability of the magnetic switch according to the present invention i.e., the bias field may be adjusted relative to the sensor offset, allows for a larger tolerance of fabrication constraints, makes fabrication much easier, and increases reliability of the devices. This is a considerable asset for miniaturization as the sensor offset increases as size of the devices are scaled downward.
- Yet another significant advantage of this approach is that the tunable magnetic switch according to the present invention allows usage of low aspect ratio magnets, which are much easier to fabricate, since the bias field compensates for the demagnetization of the magnetic component of the memory cell.
- the tunable magnetic switch according to the present invention was described in relation to a magnetic memory device using Hall Effect sensors. However, the tunable magnetic switch according to the present invention may be applied with other magnetic memory devices as the bias magnetic field used for tuning the magnetic switch may be applied to any magnetic component and sensor configuration.
- the magnetic memory device according to the present invention has various applications including, but not limited to, radio frequency identification tags (RFIDs), personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular phones, and other computing devices.
- RFIDs radio frequency identification tags
- PDAs personal digital assistants
- cellular phones and other computing devices.
- the magnetic memory device according to the present invention has uses for aerospace/defense, sensors, and RFID applications.
- the magnetic random access memory of the present invention has been developed for low density radiation hard applications.
- the magnetic random access memory of the present invention is non-volatile, read/write addressable, and fabricated from radiation hard materials.
- the applicable and emerging markets include aerospace and defense, such as rad-hard military and radar systems, satellite, and security applications, sensors, and RFID. Sensors in automotive applications, medial equipment like bioelectronics, biosensors, and gas/liquid/energy metering, and seismic monitoring for oil and gas exploration, for example, are all envisioned as potential uses for the present invention. Future growth and technical evolution is anticipated in the pervasive computing, PDA, and display markets as well.
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Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
CA002596128A CA2596128A1 (en) | 2005-01-31 | 2006-01-31 | Magnetic memory composition and method of manufacture |
JP2007552477A JP2008529287A (en) | 2005-01-31 | 2006-01-31 | Composition of magnetic memory and manufacturing method thereof |
MX2007009000A MX2007009000A (en) | 2005-01-31 | 2006-01-31 | Magnetic memory composition and method of manufacture. |
EP06704073A EP1844470A4 (en) | 2005-01-31 | 2006-01-31 | Magnetic memory composition and method of manufacture |
AU2006208470A AU2006208470A1 (en) | 2005-01-31 | 2006-01-31 | Magnetic memory composition and method of manufacture |
Applications Claiming Priority (6)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US64780905P | 2005-01-31 | 2005-01-31 | |
US60/647,809 | 2005-01-31 | ||
US11/189,822 US20060023496A1 (en) | 2004-07-27 | 2005-07-27 | Tunable magnetic switch |
US11/189,822 | 2005-07-27 | ||
US75203505P | 2005-12-21 | 2005-12-21 | |
US60/752,035 | 2005-12-21 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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WO2006079215A1 true WO2006079215A1 (en) | 2006-08-03 |
Family
ID=36740005
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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PCT/CA2006/000113 WO2006079215A1 (en) | 2005-01-31 | 2006-01-31 | Magnetic memory composition and method of manufacture |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
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EP (1) | EP1844470A4 (en) |
AU (1) | AU2006208470A1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2596128A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2006079215A1 (en) |
Citations (6)
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WO1994003899A1 (en) | 1992-08-05 | 1994-02-17 | Lienau Richard M | Nonvolatile random access memory |
EP1028474A2 (en) | 1998-12-22 | 2000-08-16 | Pageant Technologies Incorporated | Hall effect ferromagnetic random access memory device and its method of manufacture |
WO2002033705A2 (en) | 2000-10-20 | 2002-04-25 | James Stephenson | Non-volatile magnetic memory device |
US6795340B2 (en) * | 2002-01-10 | 2004-09-21 | Nec Corporation | Non-volatile magnetic memory |
US20040202018A1 (en) * | 2002-08-27 | 2004-10-14 | Micron Technology, Inc. | Magnetic non-volatile memory coil layout architecture and process integration scheme |
US6839273B2 (en) * | 2002-12-25 | 2005-01-04 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | Magnetic switching device and magnetic memory using the same |
Family Cites Families (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5075247A (en) * | 1990-01-18 | 1991-12-24 | Microunity Systems Engineering, Inc. | Method of making hall effect semiconductor memory cell |
JP2003142752A (en) * | 2001-11-01 | 2003-05-16 | Asahi Kasei Corp | Manufacturing method of magnetic sensor |
-
2006
- 2006-01-31 CA CA002596128A patent/CA2596128A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2006-01-31 EP EP06704073A patent/EP1844470A4/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2006-01-31 AU AU2006208470A patent/AU2006208470A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2006-01-31 WO PCT/CA2006/000113 patent/WO2006079215A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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WO1994003899A1 (en) | 1992-08-05 | 1994-02-17 | Lienau Richard M | Nonvolatile random access memory |
EP1028474A2 (en) | 1998-12-22 | 2000-08-16 | Pageant Technologies Incorporated | Hall effect ferromagnetic random access memory device and its method of manufacture |
WO2002033705A2 (en) | 2000-10-20 | 2002-04-25 | James Stephenson | Non-volatile magnetic memory device |
US6795340B2 (en) * | 2002-01-10 | 2004-09-21 | Nec Corporation | Non-volatile magnetic memory |
US20040202018A1 (en) * | 2002-08-27 | 2004-10-14 | Micron Technology, Inc. | Magnetic non-volatile memory coil layout architecture and process integration scheme |
US6839273B2 (en) * | 2002-12-25 | 2005-01-04 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | Magnetic switching device and magnetic memory using the same |
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
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See also references of EP1844470A4 |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP1844470A4 (en) | 2009-12-02 |
AU2006208470A1 (en) | 2006-08-03 |
CA2596128A1 (en) | 2006-08-03 |
EP1844470A1 (en) | 2007-10-17 |
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