Patent ID: 9728717
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: H01L

Claim:
1. A method of magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) patterning for magnetoresistive random access memory devices, the method comprising: providing a magnetoresistive random access memory device including a MTJ element, and a semiconductor substrate, wherein said MTJ element is disposed on said semiconductor substrate; disposing a soft mask material on said MTJ element; etching a plurality of vias in said soft mask material using electron beam lithography; selectively depositing a hard mask metal pillar in the plurality of vias in said soft mask material; etching back said hard mask metal pillar to planarize said hard mask metal pillar; removing said soft mask material leaving said plurality of hard mask metal pillars disposed on said MTJ element; and etching back said MTJ element into a plurality of MTJ element pillars using a low atomic weight ion sputtering that does not affect said semiconductor substrate.