1. A polishing pad comprising:
one or more anodes formed in the polishing pad at or near a polishing surface of the polishing pad; and
one or more cathodes formed in the polishing pad at or near the polishing surface of the polishing pad and electrically isolated from the one or more anodes.
2. The polishing pad of claim 1, further including non-conducting elements formed in the polishing pad to provide the electrical isolation between the one or more anodes and the one or more cathodes.
3. The polishing pad of claim 1, further including a wiring network connected to the one or more anodes and the one or more cathodes.
4. The polishing pad of claim 3, further including:
an electrical connector electrically connected to the wiring network and adapted to maintain electrical contact with the wiring network when the polishing pad is in motion.
5. The polishing pad of claim 4, further including:
a current source electrically connected to the electrical connector and adapted to provide a current to the one or more anodes and the one or more cathodes through the electrical connector and the wiring network.
6. The polishing pad of claim 1, further including one or more grooves formed in the polishing surface of the polishing pad.
7. The polishing pad of claim 1, further including a transparent window.
8. A method of using a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) tool to perform electrochemical mechanical polishing (ECMP) of a substrate having metal formed thereon, the method comprising:
providing a polishing pad having one or more anodes formed in the polishing pad at or near a polishing surface of the polishing pad, and one or wore cathodes formed in the polishing pad at or near the polishing surface of the polishing pad and electrically isolated from the one or more anodes;
introducing an electrolytic polishing fluid between the substrate and the polishing surface so as to establish an electrical circuit between the one or more anodes, the metal, and the one or more cathodes;
providing a current to the one or more anodes and the one or more cathodes to cause electrochemical migration of metal ions from the metal into the electrolytic polishing solution; and
pressing the substrate against the polishing surface while moving at least one of the polishing pad and the substrate.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein moving at least one of the polishing pad and the wafer includes rotating at least one of the polishing pad and the substrate.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein the current is proportional to a removal rate of metal, and including providing different amounts of current to select anodes and cathodes to vary the removal rate of metal over the metal layer.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A magnetic junction for use in a magnetic device comprising:
a pinned layer;
a nonmagnetic spacer layer; and
a free layer, the nonmagnetic spacer layer residing between the pinned layer and the free layer;
wherein the magnetic junction is configured such that the free layer is switchable between a plurality of stable magnetic states when a write current is passed through the magnetic junction; and
wherein at least one of the pinned layer and the free layer includes a magnetic substructure, the magnetic substructure including at least two magnetic layers interleaved with at least one insertion layer, the at least two magnetic layers being exchange coupled.
2. The magnetic junction of claim 1 wherein the at least two magnetic layers include a first magnetic layer having a weak in-plane anisotropy and a second magnetic layer having a high perpendicular anisotropy.
3. The magnetic junction of claim 2 wherein the weak in-plane anisotropy includes a demagnetization field minus a perpendicular anisotropy, the perpendicular anisotropy being less than the demagnetization field.
4. The magnetic junction of claim 3 wherein the perpendicular anisotropy is at least 0.4 multiplied by the demagnetization field and not more than 0.9 multiplied by the demagnetization field.
5. The magnetic junction of claim 2 wherein the second ferromagnetic layer includes a demagnetization energy and a perpendicular anisotropy energy corresponding to the high perpendicular anisotropy, the perpendicular anisotropy energy exceeding the demagnetization energy.
6. The magnetic junction of claim 2 wherein the magnetic substructure has a desired exchange coupling, the insertion layer has a thickness tailored to provide the desired exchange coupling.
7. The magnetic junction of claim 1 wherein the at least two magnetic layers includes a third magnetic layer wherein the at least one insertion layer includes a second insertion layer adjoining the third magnetic layer.
8. The magnetic junction of claim 1 wherein the free layer includes the magnetic substructure.
9. The magnetic junction of claim 1 wherein the pinned layer includes the magnetic substructure.
10. The magnetic junction of claim 1 wherein both the pinned layer and the free layer include the magnetic substructure.
11. The magnetic junction of claim 2 further comprising:
an additional nonmagnetic layer; and
an additional pinned layer, the nonmagnetic layer residing between the free layer and the additional pinned layer.
12. The magnetic junction of claim 11 wherein the additional pinned layer includes an additional magnetic substructure having at least two additional magnetic layers interleaved with at least one additional insertion layer, the at least two additional magnetic layers being exchange coupled.
13. A magnetic memory comprising:
a plurality of magnetic storage cells, each of the plurality of magnetic storage cells including at least one magnetic junction, the at least one magnetic junction including a pinned layer, a nonmagnetic spacer layer, and a free layer, the nonmagnetic spacer layer residing between the pinned layer and the free layer, the magnetic junction being configured such that the free layer is switchable between a plurality of stable magnetic states when a write current is passed through the magnetic junction, at least one of the pinned layer and the free layer includes a magnetic substructure, the magnetic substructure including at least two magnetic layers interleaved with at least one insertion layer, the at least two magnetic layers being exchange coupled; and
a plurality of bit lines.
14. The memory of claim 13 wherein the at least two magnetic layers include a first magnetic layer having a weak in-plane anisotropy and a second magnetic layer having a high perpendicular anisotropy.
15. The memory of claim 14 wherein the weak in-plane anisotropy includes a demagnetization field minus a perpendicular anisotropy, the perpendicular anisotropy being less than the demagnetization field.
16. The memory of claim 15 wherein the perpendicular anisotropy is at least 0.4 multiplied by the demagnetization field and not more than 0.9 multiplied by the demagnetization field.
17. The memory of claim 13 wherein the second ferromagnetic layer includes a demagnetization energy and a perpendicular anisotropy energy corresponding to the high perpendicular anisotropy, the perpendicular anisotropy energy exceeding the demagnetization energy.
18. The memory of claim 14 wherein the magnetic substructure has a desired exchange coupling, the insertion layer has a thickness tailored to provide the desired exchange coupling.
19. The memory of claim 13 wherein the at least two magnetic layers includes a third magnetic layer wherein the at least one insertion layer includes a second insertion layer adjoining the third magnetic layer.
20. The memory of claim 13 wherein the free layer includes the magnetic substructure.
21. The memory of claim 13 wherein the pinned layer includes the magnetic substructure.
22. The memory of claim 13 wherein both the pinned layer and the free layer include the magnetic substructure.
23. The memory of claim 14 further comprising:
an additional nonmagnetic layer; and
an additional pinned layer, the nonmagnetic layer residing between the free layer and the additional pinned layer.
24. The memory of claim 14 wherein the additional pinned layer includes an additional magnetic substructure having at least two additional magnetic layers interleaved with at least one additional insertion layer, the at least two additional magnetic layers being exchange coupled.
25. A method for providing a magnetic junction for use in a magnetic device comprising:
providing a pinned layer;
providing a nonmagnetic spacer layer; and
providing a free layer, the nonmagnetic spacer layer residing between the pinned layer and the free layer;
wherein the magnetic junction is configured such that the free layer is switchable between a plurality of stable magnetic states when a write current is passed through the magnetic junction; and
wherein at least one of the step of providing the pinned layer and the step of providing free layer includes providing a magnetic substructure, the magnetic substructure including at least two magnetic layers interleaved with at least one insertion layer, the at least two magnetic layers being exchange coupled.
26. The magnetic junction of claim 1 wherein each of the at least one insertion layer includes at least one of Cr, Ta, Ti, W, Ru, V, Cu, Mg, aluminum oxide, and MgO.
27. The magnetic junction of claim 1 wherein each of the at least one insertion layer consists of one of Cr, Ta, Ti, W, Ru, V, Cu, Mg, aluminum oxide, and MgO.
28. The magnetic junction of claim 1 wherein each of the at least two magnetic layers has a demagnetization field and a perpendicular anisotropy, the perpendicular anisotropy being less than the demagnetization field.
29. The magnetic junction of claim 1 wherein each of the at least two magnetic layers has a demagnetization field and a perpendicular anisotropy, the perpendicular anisotropy being greater than the demagnetization field.
30. The magnetic junction of claim 12 wherein each of the at least one additional insertion layer includes at least one of Cr, Ta, Ti, W, Ru, V, Cu, Mg, aluminum oxide, and MgO.
31. The memory of claim 13 wherein each of the at least one insertion layer includes at least one of Cr, Ta, Ti, W, Ru, V, Cu, Mg, aluminum oxide, and MgO.
32. The memory of claim 13 wherein each of the at least one insertion layer consists of one of Cr, Ta, Ti, W, Ru, V, Cu, Mg, aluminum oxide, and MgO.
33. The memory of claim 13 wherein each of the at least two magnetic layers has a demagnetization field and a perpendicular anisotropy, the perpendicular anisotropy being less than the demagnetization field.
34. The memory of claim 13 wherein each of the at least two magnetic layers has a demagnetization field and a perpendicular anisotropy, the perpendicular anisotropy being greater than the demagnetization field.
35. The memory of claim 24 wherein each of the at least one additional insertion layer includes at least one of Cr, Ta, Ti, W, Ru, V, Cu, Mg, aluminum oxide, and MgO.
36. The method of claim 25 wherein each of the at least one insertion layer includes at least one of Cr, Ta, Ti, W, Ru, V, Cu, Mg, aluminum oxide, and MgO.
37. The method of claim 25 wherein each of the at least one insertion layer consists of one of Cr, Ta, Ti, W, Ru, V, Cu, Mg, aluminum oxide, and MgO.
38. A magnetic junction for use in a magnetic device comprising:
a pinned layer;
a nonmagnetic spacer layer; and
a free layer, the nonmagnetic spacer layer residing between the pinned layer and the free layer;
wherein the magnetic junction is configured such that the free layer is switchable between a plurality of stable magnetic states when a write current is passed through the magnetic junction; and
wherein at least one of the pinned layer and the free layer includes a magnetic substructure, the magnetic substructure including at least two magnetic layers interleaved with at least one insertion layer, the at least two magnetic layers being exchange coupled, the at least two magnetic layers including a first magnetic layer having a weak in-plane anisotropy and a second magnetic layer having a high perpendicular anisotropy, the weak in-plane anisotropy includes a first demagnetization field minus a first perpendicular anisotropy, the first perpendicular anisotropy being less than the first demagnetization field, the second ferromagnetic layer including a second demagnetization energy and a second perpendicular anisotropy energy corresponding to the high perpendicular anisotropy, the second perpendicular anisotropy energy exceeding the second demagnetization energy.
39. The magnetic junction of claim 38 wherein the first perpendicular anisotropy is at least 0.4 multiplied by the first demagnetization field.
40. The magnetic junction of claim 38 wherein the first perpendicular anisotropy is not more than 0.9 multiplied by the first demagnetization field.