US 12,349,600 B2
Magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element and its fabrication process
Ya-Ling Lee, Hsinchu (TW); Tsann Lin, Hsinchu (TW); and Han-Jong Chia, Hsinchu (TW)
Assigned to TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Jul. 12, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/770,678.
Application 18/331,154 is a division of application No. 17/070,426, filed on Oct. 14, 2020, granted, now 11,716,909, issued on Aug. 1, 2023.
Application 18/770,678 is a continuation of application No. 18/331,154, filed on Jun. 7, 2023, granted, now 12,069,961.
Prior Publication US 2024/0365676 A1, Oct. 31, 2024
Int. Cl. H10N 50/10 (2023.01); G01R 33/09 (2006.01); G11C 11/16 (2006.01); H10B 61/00 (2023.01); H10N 50/01 (2023.01); H10N 50/80 (2023.01); H10N 50/85 (2023.01)
CPC H10N 50/10 (2023.02) [G01R 33/093 (2013.01); G01R 33/098 (2013.01); G11C 11/161 (2013.01); H10B 61/00 (2023.02); H10N 50/01 (2023.02); H10N 50/80 (2023.02); H10N 50/85 (2023.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element, comprising:
a hard bias layer;
a reference layer disposed over the hard bias layer;
a tunnel barrier layer disposed over the reference layer;
a free layer disposed over the tunnel barrier layer; and
a diffusion barrier layer disposed over the free layer, wherein the diffusion barrier layer comprises an amorphous and nonmagnetic film of a form X-Z, where X is Fe or Co and Z is Hf, Y, or Zr.