PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15899933
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-02
Publication Date: 2019-08
Patent Classification: ["438", "003000"]

Abstract:
Methods for MTJ patterning for a MTJ device are provided. For example, a method includes (a) providing an MTJ device comprising a substrate comprising a plurality of bottom electrodes, a MTJ layer disposed on the substrate, and a plurality of pillars disposed on the MTJ layer and over the plurality of bottom electrodes, wherein the plurality of pillars comprise a metal layer and a hard mask layer disposed on the metal layer, (b) conducting a first ion beam etching of the MTJ device; (c) rotating the MTJ device by 90 degrees in a clockwise or a counter clockwise direction about an axis perpendicular to a top surface of the MTJ device from a starting position; (d) conducting a second ion beam etching of the MTJ device; and (e) repeating steps (c) and (d).

Claim (Index 15):
A method for MTJ patterning for a MTJ device, comprising:\n (a) forming an MTJ device comprising a bottom electrode substrate, a MTJ layer disposed on the bottom electrode, and a plurality of pillars disposed on the MTJ layer, wherein the MTJ layer comprises a plurality of magnetic thin films with a tunnel barrier and further wherein the plurality of pillars comprise a metal layer and a hard mask layer disposed on the metal layer; (b) conducting a first ion beam etching of the MTJ device at a tilt angle relative to a top surface of the MTJ device of from about 10 to about 80 degrees to remove a portion of a horizontal surface of the MTJ layer; (c) stopping the first ion beam etching and rotating the MTJ device by 90 degrees in a clockwise or a counter clockwise direction about an axis perpendicular to a top surface of the MTJ device from a starting position; (d) stopping rotating the MTJ device and conducting a second ion beam etching of the MTJ device at a tilt angle relative to a top surface of the MTJ device of from about 10 to about 80 degrees to further remove the portion of the horizontal surface of the MTJ layer; and (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) until the horizontal surface of the MTJ layer is substantially removed.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 50.0
- Percentile: 88.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.34328
- Patent Class: 438.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['12658662', '13660183', '14096016', '14848378', '15041325']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.8650547410472467
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.4785931089719653
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.8264085778397185
- Mean Citation Score: 218.708652
- Max Citation Score: 223.29141
- Similarity Product: 185.05209377145053

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 0
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test