Semiconductor structure and method of manufacturing the same

1. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure, the method comprising:

forming a bottom electrode layer over an N th metal layer, wherein N is equal to 1 or greater;

forming a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) layer over the bottom electrode layer;

forming a top electrode layer over the MTJ;

patterning the top electrode layer and the MTJ layer to form a top electrode and an MTJ;

forming a first dielectric layer surrounding a sidewall of the top electrode;

forming a second dielectric layer having a first composition surrounding the top surface and the sidewall of the top electrode;

forming an inter metal dielectric having a second composition over the second dielectric layer, wherein the first composition is different than the second composition;

non-selectively removing each of a portion of the second composition of the inter metal dielectric and a portion of the first composition of the second dielectric layer without exposing the top surface of the top electrode;

after the non-selectively removing, performing a process for selectively removing a portion of the first dielectric layer and a portion of the second dielectric layer and exposing the top surface and the sidewall of the top electrode.

2. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the selectively removing a portion of the first dielectric layer and a portion of the second dielectric layer is carried out with substantially no consumption of the inter metal dielectric.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

patterning the first dielectric layer to form a patterned first dielectric layer; and

removing a portion of the bottom electrode layer exposed from the patterned first dielectric layer to form a bottom electrode.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-selectively removing comprises a CF y -based etchant, y being a positive integer.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selectively removing comprises a C n H l F m -based etchant, n, l, m being positive integers.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

forming a third dielectric layer to cover the top surface and the sidewall of the top electrode after the selectively removing the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer;

selectively removing a portion of the third dielectric layer until the top surface and the sidewall of the top electrode is exposed; and

forming an (N+M) th metal layer in contact with the top surface and the sidewall of the top electrode, wherein M is equal to 1 or more.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein N is 4 and M is 1.

8. A method of fabricating a semiconductor structure, comprising:

forming an N th metal layer over a substrate;

depositing a bottom electrode over the N th metal layer;

forming a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) over the bottom electrode;

forming a top electrode over the MTJ, wherein the top electrode includes a first sidewall and a second sidewall and a top surface extending between an end of the first sidewall and an end of the second sidewall; and

performing a first deposition to form a first dielectric layer on the first sidewall and the second sidewall of the top electrode while exposing the top surface of the top electrode extending between the first sidewall and the second sidewall;

performing a second deposition to form a second dielectric layer over the first dielectric layer and formed on the exposed top surface of the top electrode;

after performing the second deposition, etching the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer to expose the top surface of the top electrode;

after the etching, performing a third deposition, depositing a third dielectric layer on an upper portion of the first sidewall, an upper portion of the second sidewall and extending across the exposed top surface of the top electrode from the first sidewall to the second sidewall;

etching an opening in the third dielectric layer to expose the top surface of the top electrode and a portion of at least one of the first and second sidewalls; and

after the etching the opening, forming an (N+M) th metal layer over the N th metal layer, N and M being non-zero positive integers, wherein the (N+M) th metal layer is formed in the opening interfaces the top surface of the top electrode and surrounds the portion of at last one of the first and second sidewalls of the top electrode.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

forming another dielectric layer over the N th metal layer;

depositing a photoresist layer over the another dielectric layer; and

using the photoresist layer as a masking element while etching holes in the another dielectric layer exposing the Nth metal layer, wherein the bottom electrode is disposed in one of the etched holes.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

depositing a lining layer over the holes.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the bottom electrode interfaces the lining layer.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the performing the first deposition to form the first dielectric layer includes forming a blanket first dielectric material layer and patterning the blanket first dielectric material layer to expose the top surface of the top electrode and a portion of the bottom electrode.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein after the etching the opening, an uppermost point of the third dielectric layer and an uppermost point of the second dielectric layer are higher than the exposed top surface of the top electrode.

14. The method of claim 8 , performing a fourth deposition after the second deposition and before the etching the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer to form an inter metal dielectric layer over the second dielectric layer.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the etching the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer to expose the top surface of the top electrode includes a selective etch to first dielectric layer and second dielectric layer while substantially maintaining a thickness of the inter metal dielectric layer.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the selective etch includes a C n H t F m -based chemistry, wherein n, t, and m are each positive integers.

17. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure, the method comprising:

forming a bottom electrode layer over a metal layer;

forming a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) layer over the bottom electrode layer;

forming a top electrode layer over the MTJ;

forming a first dielectric layer surrounding a top surface and a first portion and a second portion of a lateral sidewall of the top electrode layer;

forming a second dielectric layer over the first dielectric layer;

selectively removing a portion of the first dielectric layer and a portion of the second dielectric layer and exposing the top surface of the top electrode layer and exposing the first portion of the lateral sidewall of the top electrode layer;

after exposing the top surface and the first portion of the lateral sidewall of the top electrode layer by selectively removing and prior to forming another metal layer, depositing a third dielectric layer over the first and second dielectric layers and the first portion of the lateral sidewall of the top electrode layer;

etching the third dielectric layer from the first portion of the lateral sidewall, wherein the another metal layer is disposed over the third dielectric layer; and

performing the forming the another metal layer that physically interfaces the top surface and the first portion of the lateral sidewall of the top electrode layer.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the selectively removing the portion of the first and the portion of the second dielectric layer occurs in two different etching steps.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the another metal layer is an (N+1) th metal line and the metal layer is an N th metal line, wherein N and M are non-zero positive integers.