Patent ID: 7122852

Claim:
A magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) device in an MRAM configuration comprising: a substrate; a bottom magnetic keeper and conducting lead layer formed on said substrate, said bottom keeper and lead layer formed of substantially planar layers and further comprising: a first NiCr seed layer formed in said substrate; a soft magnetic keeper layer formed on said seed layer; a conducting lead layer formed on said keeper layer; a Ta capping layer formed on said lead layer, the upper surface of said layer being rendered smooth and amorphous by being sputter-etched; a bottom electrode, having smooth, flat layers, formed on said sputter-etched Ta layer, said bottom electrode further comprising: a second NiCr seed layer formed on said sputter-etched second Ta layer; a pinning layer of antiferromagnetic material formed on said seed layer; a SyAP pinned layer formed on said pinning layer; a smooth, uniform, ultra-thin layer of in-situ radical oxidized (ROX) Al formed as a barrier layer on said pinned layer; a ferromagnetic free layer formed on said barrier layer; a capping layer formed on said MTJ layer.