Electronic devices including magnetic cell core structures
View Patent ↗A magnetic cell includes a magnetic region formed from a precursor magnetic material comprising a diffusive species and at least one other species. An amorphous region is proximate to the magnetic region and is formed from a precursor trap material comprising at least one attractor species having at least one trap site and a chemical affinity for the diffusive species. The diffusive species is transferred from the precursor magnetic material to the precursor trap material where it bonds to the at least one attractor species at the trap sites. The species of the enriched trap material may intermix such that the enriched trap material becomes or stays amorphous. The depleted magnetic material may then be crystallized through propagation from a neighboring crystalline material without interference from the amorphous, enriched trap material. This enables high tunnel magnetoresistance and high magnetic anisotropy strength. Methods of fabrication and semiconductor devices are also disclosed.
1. A method of forming an electronic device, the method comprising:
forming a precursor structure, comprising:
forming a precursor trap material comprising trap sites over an electrode,
forming the precursor trap material over the electrode comprising:
forming a material structure comprising sub-regions of an attractor species alternating with sub-regions of at least one other attractor species, the material structure comprising trap sites of one or more of the attractor species and the at least one other attractor species, the trap sites disposed at least along interfaces between the sub-regions of the attractor species and the sub-regions of the at least one other attractor species; and
forming a precursor magnetic material comprising a diffusive species adjacent to the precursor trap material; and
transferring the diffusive species from the precursor magnetic material to the precursor trap material and reacting the diffusive species with the trap sites of at least one of the attractor species and the at least one other attractor species to convert at least a portion of the precursor magnetic material into a depleted magnetic material and to convert at least a portion of the precursor trap material into an enriched trap material; and
after the transferring, forming a magnetic cell core structure from the precursor structure.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising bombarding the material structure to disrupt attached bonds of the material structure and form additional trap sites.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
forming the precursor trap material over the electrode comprises forming the precursor trap material over a conductive material; and
forming the precursor magnetic material adjacent to the precursor trap material comprises forming the precursor magnetic material over the precursor trap material.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising, before the transferring, forming an oxide material over the precursor magnetic material.
5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising, after forming the oxide material, forming another magnetic material over the oxide material.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein transferring the diffusive species from the precursor magnetic material to the precursor trap material comprises transferring boron from the precursor magnetic material to the precursor trap material.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein converting at least the portion of the precursor trap material into the enriched trap material comprises forming an enriched trap material comprising:
at least one of tungsten, hafnium, molybdenum, or zirconium;
at least one of iron, cobalt, ruthenium, or nickel; and
the diffusive species.
8. A method of forming an electronic device, the method comprising: forming a precursor structure, comprising:
forming a precursor trap material comprising trap sites over an electrode, forming the precursor trap material comprising:
forming an attractor species over the electrode; and
bombarding the attractor species to disrupt attached bonds of the attractor species and form the trap sites;
forming a precursor magnetic material comprising a diffusive species adjacent to the precursor trap material; and
transferring the diffusive species from the precursor magnetic material to the precursor trap material, transferring the diffusive species comprising diffusing the diffusive species into the precursor trap material and reacting the diffusive species with the trap sites to convert at least a portion of the precursor magnetic material into a depleted magnetic material and to convert at least a portion of the precursor trap material into an enriched trap material; and
after the transferring, forming a magnetic cell core structure from the precursor structure.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein transferring the diffusive species from the precursor magnetic material to the precursor trap material comprises annealing the precursor magnetic material.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein annealing comprises annealing at a temperature of greater than about 500° C.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein annealing comprises converting a microstructure of the precursor trap material from a crystalline microstructure to an amorphous microstructure.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein forming the precursor trap material comprising trap sites over the electrode comprises forming the precursor trap material comprising at least of tungsten, hafnium, molybdenum, or zirconium and at least one of iron, cobalt, ruthenium, or nickel over the electrode.
13. The method of claim 8 , wherein forming the precursor trap material comprises forming the precursor trap material having a thickness between about 10 Å and about 100 Å.