Patent
Highly charged ion modified oxide device and method of making same
| العنوان: | Highly charged ion modified oxide device and method of making same |
|---|---|
| Patent Number: | 7,914,915 |
| تاريخ النشر: | March 29, 2011 |
| Appl. No: | 12/036729 |
| Application Filed: | February 25, 2008 |
| مستخلص: | A highly charged ion modified device is provided that includes a first metal layer or layers deposited on a substrate and an insulator layer, deposited on the first metal layer, including a plurality of holes therein produced by irradiation thereof with highly charged ions. The metal of a further metal layer, deposited on the insulator layer, fills the plurality of holes in the insulator layer. |
| Inventors: | Pomeroy, Joshua M. (Laytonsville, MD, US); Grube, Holger (Gaithersburg, MD, US); Perrella, Andrew (Ithaca, NY, US); Slew, legal representative, Fern (Ithaca, NY, US) |
| Assignees: | The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Commerce, The National Institutes of Standards and Technology (Washington, DC, US) |
| Claim: | 1. A highly charged ion modified device comprising: at least one metal layer comprised of at least a first metal; at least one insulator layer deposited on said at least one metal layer, said insulator layer having an active area comprising a plurality of holes formed in the insulator layer by irradiation thereof with highly charged ions; and at least one further metal layer comprised of at least a second metal deposited on said at least one insulator layer, so as to fill the plurality of holes in said at least one insulator layer, wherein the insulator layer is electrically active over the entire active area. |
| Claim: | 2. The device of claim 1 , wherein said at least one metal layer comprises: a cobalt layer; a copper layer deposited on the cobalt layer; and a further cobalt layer deposited on the copper layer. |
| Claim: | 3. The device of claim 1 , wherein said at least one insulator layer is completely oxidized. |
| Claim: | 4. The device of claim 1 , wherein said at least one insulator layer comprises an aluminum oxide. |
| Claim: | 5. The device of claim 1 , wherein said at least one further metal layer is comprised of cobalt. |
| Claim: | 6. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a copper layer deposited on said at least one further metal layer. |
| Claim: | 7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device has a tunable resistance, tunable by adjusting the number of said highly charged ions. |
| Claim: | 8. The device of claim 7 wherein said resistance is tunable by adjusting at least one of insulator layer thickness, a composition of said at least one insulator layer, an oxidation time period taken in oxidizing said at least one insulation layer, and composition of said at least one further metal layer. |
| Claim: | 9. A highly charged ion modified oxide device comprising: a substrate; at least one metal layer comprised of at least a first metal deposited on said substrate, said at least one metal layer forming a first lead structure; at least one insulator layer deposited on said at least one metal layer, said at least one insulator layer being completely oxidized, said at least one insulator layer having an active area comprising a plurality of holes formed in the insulator layer by irradiation thereof with highly charged ions; and at least one further metal layer comprised of at least a second metal deposited on said at least one insulator layer, so as to fill the plurality of holes in said insulator layer, said at least one further metal layer forming a second lead structure overlapping said first lead structure, wherein the insulator layer is electrically active over the entire active area. |
| Claim: | 10. The device of claim 9 , wherein said at least one metal layer comprises: a cobalt layer; a copper layer deposited on the cobalt layer; and a further cobalt layer deposited on the copper layer. |
| Claim: | 11. The device of claim 9 , wherein said at least one insulator layer comprises an aluminum oxide. |
| Claim: | 12. The device of claim 9 , wherein said at least one further metal layer is comprised of cobalt. |
| Claim: | 13. The device of claim 9 , further comprising a copper layer deposited on said at least one further metal layer. |
| Claim: | 14. The device of claim 9 , wherein the device has a tunable resistance, tunable by adjusting the number of highly charged ions. |
| Claim: | 15. The device of claim 9 , wherein the device has a tunable resistance, tunable by adjusting at least one of the insulator layer thickness, a composition of said at least one insulator layer, an oxidation time period taken in oxidizing said at least one insulation layer, and composition of said at least a further metal. |
| Claim: | 16. A highly charged ion modified device comprising: a substrate; at least one metal layer comprised of at least a ferromagnetic layer connected to a lower electrode structure; at least one insulator layer deposited on said ferromagnetic layer, said at least one insulator layer being completely oxidized, said at least one insulating layer having an active area comprising a plurality of holes formed in the insulator layer by irradiation thereof with highly charged ions; and at least one further metal layer comprised of at least a second metal, said second metal comprised of at least one further ferromagnetic layer deposited on said at least one insulator layer, so as to fill the plurality of holes in said insulator layer and connect to an upper electrode structure, wherein the insulator layer is electrically active over the entire active area. |
| Claim: | 17. The device of claim 16 , wherein said substrate comprises an anti-ferromagnetic surface layer; the at least one metal layer comprises a cobalt ferromagnetic layer; the at least one further metal layer comprises an additional cobalt layer; and the at least one further metal layer comprises a copper layer deposited over the additional cobalt layer. |
| Claim: | 18. The device of claim 17 , wherein said anti-ferromagnetic surface layer comprises nickel oxide. |
| Claim: | 19. The device of claim 17 , wherein said anti-ferromagnetic surface layer comprises cobalt oxide. |
| Claim: | 20. The device of claim 16 , wherein the at least one metal layer comprises a cobalt oxide anti-ferromagnetic layer; and the at least one further metal layer includes an additional cobalt layer and a copper layer deposited over the additional cobalt layer. |
| Claim: | 21. The device of claim 16 , wherein said at least one insulator layer comprises an aluminum oxide. |
| Claim: | 22. The device of claim 16 , wherein the at least one metal layer includes a cobalt ferromagnetic layer; the at least one further metal layer includes an additional cobalt layer and an anti-ferromagnetic cobalt oxide layer adjacent the additional cobalt layer. |
| Claim: | 23. The device of claim 22 , wherein the cobalt oxide layer is formed by exposing the additional cobalt layer to an oxygen plasma. |
| Claim: | 24. The device of 16 , wherein the device has a tunable resistance, tunable by adjusting the number of highly charged ions. |
| Claim: | 25. The device of claim 16 , where in the device has a tunable resistance, tunable by adjusting at least one of the insulator layer thickness, the composition of said at least one insulator layer, an oxidation time period taken in oxidizing said at least one insulator layer, and a composition of said one further metal layer. |
| Current U.S. Class: | 4288/111 |
| Patent References Cited: | 5936402 August 1999 Schep et al. 6828039 December 2004 Sugawara 7215515 May 2007 Sugawara 2002/0054461 May 2002 Fujiwara et al. 2002/0135956 September 2002 Hasegawa et al. 2005/0201021 September 2005 Hosomi 2008/0013222 January 2008 Okuno et al. |
| Other References: | Grube, H.,Pomeroy, J., Perrella, A., and Gillaspy, J., Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc 960E, 0960-N08-02, pp. 1-6, 2007. cited by examiner Pomeroy, J., Grube, H., Perrella, A., Sosolik, C., and Gillaspy, J, Nuc. Ins. Met. Phs. Res. B., 256, 319-323, 2007. cited by examiner Pomeroy, J., Grube, H., Perrella, A., and Gillaspy, J., App. Phy. Let., 91, 073506, 2007. cited by examiner Pomeroy, J., Grube, H., Perrella, A., and Gillaspy, J., Nuc. Ins. Met. Phys. Res. B., 258, 189-193, 2007. cited by examiner Grube et al., “Highly Charged Ion Modified Magnetic Tunnel Junctions,” Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 960E, Warrendale, PA, 2007, 0960-N08-02. cited by other Gillaspy et al., “The Potential of Highly Charged Ions: Possible Future Applications,” 2007, pp. 451-456, Journal of Physics: Conference Series 58. cited by other |
| Primary Examiner: | Bernatz, Kevin M |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Stites & Harbison, PLLC Weyer, Stephen J. |
| رقم الانضمام: | edspgr.07914915 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| الوصف غير متاح. |