Abstract: A magnetoresistance effect device including a multilayer structure having a pair of ferromagnetic layers and a barrier layer positioned between them, wherein at least one ferromagnetic layer has at least the part contacting the barrier layer made amorphous and the barrier layer is an MgO layer having a highly oriented texture structure.

Abstract: The present invention provides a manufacturing apparatus which can realize so-called sequential substrate transfer and can improve throughput, even when one multi-layered thin film includes plural layers of the same film type. A manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a transfer chamber, three sputtering deposition chambers each including one sputtering cathode, two sputtering deposition chambers each including two or more sputtering cathodes, and a process chamber for performing a process other than sputtering, and the three sputtering deposition chambers, the two sputtering deposition chambers, and the process chamber are arranged around the transfer chamber so that each is able to perform delivery and receipt of the substrate with the transfer chamber.

Abstract: A magnetoresistance effect device including a multilayer structure having a pair of ferromagnetic layers and a barrier layer positioned between them, wherein at least one ferromagnetic layer has at least the part contacting the barrier layer made amorphous and the barrier layer is an MgO layer having a highly oriented texture structure.

Abstract: The present invention is to reduce the variation in axis of easy magnetization of a magnetic thin film with respect to a large diameter substrate. A plasma processing apparatus (1) includes: a substrate holder (11) that supports a substrate (10); a magnet holder (31) that is provided around the substrate holder and supports a magnet (30); a cathode unit (50) that is provided above the substrate, and applied with a discharge voltage; a rotating mechanism (20, 40) that is capable of rotating one or both of the substrate holder and the magnet holder along the planar direction of the process surface of the substrate; a rotational position sensor (25, 45) that detects the rotating positions of the substrate and the magnet; and a control device (60) that controls an operation of each operation element.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive device has an MgO (magnesium oxide) layer provided between a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer. The device is manufactured by forming a film of the MgO layer in a film forming chamber. A substance whose getter effect with respect to an oxidizing gas is large is adhered to surfaces of components provided in the chamber for forming the MgO layer. The substance having a large getter effect is a substance whose value of oxygen gas adsorption energy is 145 kcal/mol or higher. Ta (tantalum), in particular, is preferable as a substance which constitutes the magnetoresistive device.

Abstract: According to the present invention, it can be switched whether or not to apply a magnetic field to a substrate depending on a material of a film to be formed, and a magnetic layer and a non-magnetic layer can be formed in the same chamber.

Abstract: The present invention provides a vacuum heating/cooling apparatus capable of rapidly heating and also rapidly cooling only a substrate while a high vacuum degree is maintained after film-formation processing. The vacuum heating/cooling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a vacuum chamber (1), a halogen lamp (2) which emits heating light, a quartz window (3) for allowing the heating light to enter the vacuum chamber (1), a substrate supporting base (9) having a cooling function, and a lift pin (13) which causes the substrate (5) to stand still at a heating position P3 and a cooling position P1 and moves the substrate (5) between the heating position P3 and the cooling position P1.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive element includes an antiferromagnetic layer formed from a layer containing manganese, a layered magnetization fixed layer which includes a first magnetization fixed layer located over a side of the antiferromagnetic layer and formed from a layer containing a ferromagnetic material and a platinum group metal, a second magnetization fixed layer formed from a layer containing a ferromagnetic material, and a first nonmagnetic intermediate layer located between the first magnetization fixed layer and the second magnetization fixed layer, a magnetic free layer formed from a layer containing a ferromagnetic material, and a second nonmagnetic intermediate layer located between the layered magnetization fixed layer and the magnetic free layer.

Abstract: A phase-change memory element includes a perovskite layer formed by a material having a perovskite structure, and a phase-change recording material layer which is formed on the perovskite layer, and changes the phase to a crystal state or amorphous state when supplied with an electric current via the perovskite layer.

Abstract: A tunnel magnetoresistive thin film has a high MR ratio and improves heat resistance while maintaining a thin film of a Ru layer used as a non-magnetic layer so that the Ru layer expresses a preferable exchange coupling magnetic field even through annealing is performed at a high temperature. In the tunnel magnetoresistive thin film, at least one of a first pinned magnetic layer and a second pinned magnetic layer that are layered having the non-magnetic layer for exchange coupling therebetween has a layered structure of two or more layers made of magnetic materials different from each other.

Abstract: The present invention provides a multi-target sputtering apparatus including an increased number of targets which can be sputtered simultaneously, and a method for controlling the sputtering apparatus. In one embodiment of the present invention, first and second shutter plates are provided between a substrate and target electrodes and paths between intended targets and the substrate are shut off by the shutter plates to perform a pre-sputtering step. In addition, the first and second shutter plates are rotated as appropriate at the time of transition to a full-scale sputtering step, so as to overlap through-holes provided in the shutter plates, thereby opening up paths between the intended targets and the substrate. Then, a full-scale sputtering step is performed.

Abstract: According to the present invention, it can be switched whether or not to apply a magnetic field to a substrate depending on a material of a film to be formed, and a magnetic layer and a non-magnetic layer can be formed in the same chamber.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive device has an MgO (magnesium oxide) layer provided between a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer. The device is manufactured by forming a film of the MgO layer in a film forming chamber. A substance whose getter effect with respect to an oxidizing gas is large is adhered to surfaces of components provided in the chamber for forming the MgO layer. The substance having a large getter effect is a substance whose value of oxygen gas adsorption energy is 145 kcal/mol or higher. Ta (tantalum), in particular, is preferable as a substance which constitutes the magnetoresistive device.

Abstract: The vacuum heating and cooling apparatus can rapidly heat and cool only the substrate after film-forming treatment while maintaining high vacuum. The temperature rise of members in the chamber with time caused by accumulation of heat is suppressed, and the variation of temperature between substrates is decreased.

Abstract: The magnetic anisotropy of a magnetic layer in a spin valve tunnel magnetoresistive element or giant magnetoresistive element is enhanced. Deposition of the magnetic layer is performed by making sputtering particles obliquely incident on a substrate from a certain incident direction at a certain incident angle.

Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides a method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance element with an MR ratio higher than that of the related art. A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance element includes a step of forming a magnetization fixed layer, a magnetization free layer, and a tunnel barrier layer provided between the magnetization fixed layer and the magnetization free layer on a substrate. In the method, the tunnel barrier layer is formed by arranging a target that has a diameter smaller than that of the substrate, contains a magnesium oxide sintered body, and has a relative density 90% or more so as to be inclined with respect to a surface to be deposited of the substrate, and forming a magnesium oxide layer using a sputtering method while rotating the substrate.

Abstract: A magnetoresistance effect device including a multilayer structure having a pair of ferromagnetic layers and a barrier layer positioned between them, wherein at least one ferromagnetic layer has at least the part contacting the barrier layer made amorphous and the barrier layer is an MgO layer having a highly oriented texture structure.

Abstract: This application discloses a method and apparatus for manufacturing a magnetoresistive multilayer film having a structure where an antiferromagnetic layer, a pinned-magnetization layer, a nonmagnetic spacer layer and a free-magnetization layer are laminated on a substrate in this order. A film for the antiferromagnetic layer is deposited by sputtering as oxygen gas is added to a gas for the sputtering. A film for an extra layer interposed between the substrate and the antiferromagnetic layer is deposited by sputtering as oxygen gas is added to a gas for the sputtering. The film for the antiferromagnetic layer is deposited by sputtering as a gas mixture of argon and another gas of larger atomic number than argon is used.

Abstract: Disclosed is a sputtering device wherein a target (2) is disposed offset with respect to a substrate (7), wherein said sputtering device can ensure a uniform amount of deposition, even when a substrate support holder (6) has a low number of rotations of several rotations to several tens of rotations, and the amount of deposition is extremely small, such as a film thickness of 1 nm or less.

Abstract: A phase-change memory element includes a perovskite layer formed by a material having a perovskite structure, and a phase-change recording material layer which is formed on the perovskite layer, and changes the phase to a crystal state or amorphous state when supplied with an electric current via the perovskite layer.