US Patent 7781231 Method of forming a magnetic tunnel junction device

A method of manufacturing a magnetic tunnel junction device is disclosed that includes forming a trench in a substrate, depositing a conductive terminal within the trench, and depositing a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structure within the trench. The MTJ structure includes a fixed magnetic layer having a fixed magnetic orientation, a tunnel junction layer, and a free magnetic layer having a configurable magnetic orientation. The fixed magnetic layer is coupled to the conductive terminal along an interface that extends substantially normal to a surface of the substrate. The free magnetic layer that is adjacent to the conductive terminal carries a magnetic domain adapted to store a digital value.