Method for fabricating magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) device
A method for fabricating semiconductor device includes first forming a first magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) and a second MTJ on a substrate, performing an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process or a high-density plasma (HDP) process to form a passivation layer on the first MTJ and the second MTJ, performing an etching process to remove the passivation layer adjacent to the first MTJ and the second MTJ, and then forming an ultra low-k (ULK) dielectric layer on the passivation layer.
1 . A method for fabricating semiconductor device, comprising:
forming a first magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) and a second MTJ on a substrate;
performing an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process to form a passivation layer on the first MTJ and the second MTJ and forming an opening between the first MTJ and the second MTJ;
performing an etching process to remove part of the passivation layer while the passivation layer remaining directly contacting a top surface of the first MTJ; and
forming an ultra low-k (ULK) dielectric layer on the passivation layer remaining directly on the top surface of the first MTJ.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
performing the etching process to remove the passivation layer adjacent to the first MTJ and the second MTJ.
3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising performing the etching process for expanding the opening.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the passivation layer comprises a curve concave upward between the first MTJ and the second MTJ.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the passivation layer comprises a curve concave downward directly on top of the first MTJ.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the passivation layer comprises a curve concave downward directly on top of the second MTJ.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the passivation layer comprises tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), silicon oxide, or silicon nitride.