Magnetic tunnel junction device and fabrication
A magnetic tunneling junction device and fabrication method is disclosed. In a particular embodiment, the method includes depositing a capping material on a free layer of a magnetic tunneling junction structure to form the capping layer and oxidizing a portion of the capping material to form a layer of oxidized material.
1. A method comprising:
depositing a capping material on a free layer of a magnetic tunneling junction structure to form a capping layer; and
oxidizing a first layer of the capping material to form a first oxidized layer of oxidized material, wherein the first oxidized layer is positioned further from the free layer than a second layer of the capping material.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second layer includes magnesium, and wherein the first oxidized layer includes magnesium oxide.
3. A method comprising:
depositing a capping material on a free layer of a magnetic tunneling junction structure to form a capping layer; and
oxidizing a first layer of the capping material to form a first oxidized layer of oxidized material, wherein the first oxidized layer is positioned further from the free layer than a second layer of the capping material, wherein oxidizing the first layer reduces a spin pumping effect of the free layer.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the depositing and the oxidizing are controlled by a processor integrated into an electronic device.
5. A method comprising:
a first step for depositing a capping material on a free layer of a magnetic tunneling junction structure to form a capping layer; and
a second step for oxidizing a first layer of the capping material to form a first oxidized layer of oxidized material, wherein the first oxidized layer is positioned further from the free layer than a second layer of the capping material, wherein the first oxidized layer is separated from the free layer by the second layer.
6. A method comprising:
depositing a capping material on a free layer of a magnetic tunneling junction structure to form a capping layer; and
oxidizing a first layer of the capping material to form a first oxidized layer of oxidized material, wherein the first oxidized layer is positioned further from the free layer than a second layer of the capping material, and wherein depositing the capping material and oxidizing the first layer are controlled by a processor integrated into an electronic device.
7. A method comprising:
forming a barrier layer;
forming a free layer; and
forming a capping layer, wherein the barrier layer is adjacent to the free layer and the capping layer is adjacent to the free layer, and wherein the capping layer includes a first layer of a substantially non-magnetic material, a second layer of an oxide of the substantially non-magnetic material, and a graded layer, wherein the graded layer comprises the substantially non-magnetic material and the oxide of the substantially non-magnetic material.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the substantially non-magnetic material includes magnesium.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein a first distance between the first layer and the free layer is less than a second distance between the second layer and the free layer.
10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the barrier layer is adjacent to a first side of the free layer and the capping layer is adjacent to a second side of the free layer, the second side opposite to the first side.
11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising forming a pinned layer to be adjacent to the barrier layer.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second layer includes a substantially non-magnetic material, and wherein the first oxidized layer includes an oxide of the substantially non-magnetic material.
13. The method of claim 5 , wherein the capping material includes magnesium, and wherein the oxidized material includes magnesium oxide.
14. The method of claim 6 , wherein the capping material includes magnesium, and wherein the oxidized material includes magnesium oxide.
15. The method of claim 7 , wherein the capping layer further includes a third layer of non-magnetic material adjacent to the free layer.
16. A method comprising:
forming a barrier layer;
forming a free layer; and
forming a capping layer, wherein the barrier layer is adjacent to the free layer and the capping layer is adjacent to the free layer, and wherein the capping layer includes:
a first layer of a first material;
a second layer of a second material, wherein the first layer is positioned a first distance from the free layer and the second layer is positioned a second distance from the free layer, the second distance greater than the first distance; and
a buffer layer, wherein the buffer layer is positioned intermediate to the first layer and the free layer.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the buffer layer comprises tantalum, tantalum nitride, hafnium, zirconium, magnesium, or a combination thereof.