A magnetoresistive device includes a spin-orbit-torque (SOT) electrode layer, and a first magnetic layer, a first non-magnetic layer, and a second magnetic layer sequentially stacked over the SOT electrode layer. An interface layer is located between the SOT electrode layer and the first magnetic layer, and an etch stop layer covers a surface portion of the SOT electrode layer and is located adjacent the interface layer. The interface layer includes a metal having a spin diffusion length that is greater than a thickness of the interface layer, and the etch stop layer includes an oxide or nitride material of the metal.

The present disclosure, in some embodiments, relates to an integrated chip. The integrated chip includes a magnetic tunnel junction arranged between a bottom electrode and a top electrode and surrounded by a dielectric structure disposed over a substrate. The top electrode has a width that decreases as a height of the top electrode increases. A bottom electrode via couples the bottom electrode to a lower interconnect. An upper interconnect structure is coupled to the top electrode. The upper interconnect structure has a vertically extending surface that is disposed laterally between first and second outermost sidewalls of the upper interconnect structure and along a sidewall of the top electrode. The vertically extending surface and the first outermost sidewall are connected to a bottom surface of the upper interconnect structure that is vertically below a top of the top electrode.

The disclosure is directed to spin-orbit torque MRAM structures and methods. A SOT channel of the SOT-MRAM includes multiple heavy metal layers and one or more dielectric dusting layers each sandwiched between two adjacent heavy metal layers. The dielectric dusting layers each include discrete molecules or discrete molecule clusters of a dielectric material scattered in or adjacent to an interface between two adjacent heavy metal layers.

A memory device includes a bottom electrode, a selector, a memory layer, and a top electrode. The selector is over the bottom electrode. A sidewall of the bottom electrode and a sidewall of the selector are coterminous. The memory layer is formed over the selector and has a width greater than a width of the selector. A top electrode is formed over the memory layer.

Disclosed are examples of multiple bit magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) cells. A multiple bit MRAM cell may comprise a fixed layer, alternately stacked N tunnel barriers and N free layers, and a tunnel cap. N, which may represent number of bits of the MRAM cell, may be greater than or equal to two. Magnetic moment of the fixed layer may be fixed in one perpendicular direction. Magnetic moments of the free layers may be switchable from one to other perpendicular directions upon application of switch currents. The switch currents may be different for different layers. The magnetic moments of the free layers may be switched separately or otherwise independently of other free layers when the switch currents are applied separately.

A semiconductor structure forms two or more tightly pitched memory devices using a dielectric material for a gap fill material. The approach includes providing two adjacent bottom electrodes in a layer of an insulating material and above a metal layer. Two adjacent pillars are each above one of the two adjacent bottom electrodes where each pillar of the two adjacent pillars is composed of a stack of materials for a memory device. A spacer is around the vertical sides each of the two adjacent pillars. The dielectric material is on the spacer around the vertical sides each of the two adjacent pillars, on the layer of the insulating material between the two adjacent bottom electrodes. The dielectric material fills at least a first portion of a gap between the two adjacent pillars. A low k material covers the dielectric material and exposed portions of the layer of the insulating material.

A method includes forming a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stack over a substrate. The MTJ stack including a top magnetic layer, a barrier layer, and a bottom magnetic layer. The method also includes patterning the top magnetic layer in a first etch process, after the patterning of the top magnetic layer depositing a spacer on sidewalls of the patterned top magnetic layer, and patterning the bottom magnetic layer in a second etch process.

A perpendicular magnetoresistive element comprises (counting from the element bottom): a reference layer having magnetic anisotropy in a direction perpendicular to a film surface and having an invariable magnetization direction; a tunnel barrier layer; a crystalline recording layer having magnetic anisotropy in a direction perpendicular to a film surface and having a variable magnetization direction; an oxide buffer layer; and a cap layer, wherein the crystalline recording layer consists of a CoFe alloy that is substantially free of boron and has BCC (body-centered cubic) CoFe grains having epitaxial growth with (100) plane parallel to a film surface.

A semiconductor device includes a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) on a substrate, a spacer adjacent to the MTJ, a liner adjacent to the spacer, and a first metal interconnection on the MTJ. Preferably, the first metal interconnection includes protrusions adjacent to two sides of the MTJ and a bottom surface of the protrusions contact the liner directly.

A spin-current magnetization rotational element includes: a ferromagnetic metal layer; and a spin-orbit torque wiring that extends in a first direction intersecting a stacking direction of the ferromagnetic metal layer and is bonded to the ferromagnetic metal layer. A direction of a spin injected into the ferromagnetic metal layer from the spin-orbit torque wiring intersects a magnetization direction of the ferromagnetic metal layer. The ferromagnetic metal layer has shape anisotropy and has a demagnetizing field distribution caused by the shape anisotropy. The demagnetizing field distribution generates an easy magnetization rotational direction in which the magnetization of the ferromagnetic metal layer is most easily reversed. The easy magnetization rotational direction intersects the first direction in a plan view seen from the stacking direction.