Method of manufacturing spin torque oscillator
According to one embodiment, there is provided a spin torque oscillator including an oscillation layer formed of a magnetic material, a spin injection layer formed of a magnetic material and configured to inject a spin into the oscillation layer, and a current confinement layer including an insulating portion formed of an oxide or a nitride and a conductive portion formed of a nonmagnetic metal and penetrating the insulating portion in a direction of stacking. The conductive portion of the current confinement layer is positioned near a central portion of a plane of a device region including the oscillation layer and the spin injection layer.
1. A method of manufacturing a spin torque oscillator, the method comprising:
forming a metal layer to be converted into a current confinement layer on a stack including an oscillation layer comprising a magnetic material and a spin injection layer comprising a magnetic material;
forming, on the metal layer, a mask layer with a tapered surface at an end thereof; and
oxidizing or nitriding an end of the metal layer located under the mask layer formed to include the tapered surface at the end thereof, to form the current confinement layer comprising an insulating portion comprising an oxide or a nitride and a conductive portion comprising a nonmagnetic metal and penetrating the insulating portion in a direction of stacking, wherein
the conductive portion of the current confinement layer has a rectangular planar shape, and
a device region including the oscillation layer and the spin injection layer has a rectangular planar shape in a size of 50 nm×50 nm or less, and
the conductive portion of the current confinement layer is positioned near a central portion of a plane of the device region including the oscillation layer and the spin injection layer, and
the insulating portion is between each of three sides of the conductive portion and a corresponding one of four sides of the device region, and
a fourth side of the conductive portion is at one of the four sides of the device region without the insulating portion being between the fourth side of the conductive region and the one of the four sides of the device region.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the current confinement layer is 20% or more and 90% or less of the oscillation layer in width.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the current confinement layer is positioned in a topmost surface.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the current confinement layer comprises titanium.