Substituted conductive hard mask for multi-step magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) etching

摘要

A multi-step etch technique for fabricating a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device comprises the steps of: forming a first conductive hard mask on a first electrode of an MTJ device to etch a first electrode during a first etching step . The method further includes the step of forming a second conductive hard mask on the first conductive hard mask to etch the magnetic layer of the MTJ device during the second etching step. A spacer layer is conformally deposited on the sidewalls of the first conductive hard mask. A second conductive hard mask is deposited on the first conductive hard mask and is aligned with the spacer layer on the sidewall of the first conductive hard mask.