Abstract: Methods of forming ferromagnetic liners on the top surface and sidewalls of conductive lines of magnetic memory devices. The ferromagnetic liners increase the flux concentration of current run through the conductive lines, reducing the amount of write current needed to switch magnetic memory cells. In one embodiment, an in-bound pole is formed at the bottom edge of conductive lines, further concentrating the flux.

Abstract: Methods of patterning a magnetic stack of a magnetic memory cell and structures thereof. At least the top magnetic material layer of a magnetic stack is patterned using a hard mask, and a conformal insulating material is deposited over the patterned top magnetic material layer and hard mask. The conformal insulating material is anisotropically etched to remove the conformal insulating material from horizontal surfaces of the device, leaving portions of the conformal insulating material over vertical sidewalls of at least the patterned top magnetic material layer and the hard mask. The remaining conformal insulating material comprises a sidewall spacer hard mask that is used as a mask to pattern the remaining material layers of the magnetic stack. The sidewall spacer hard mask may be left remaining in the magnetic memory cell structure.