Patent attributes
Embodiments of the disclosure provide methods and apparatus for fabricating magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structures on a substrate for MRAM applications, particularly for spin-orbit-torque magnetic random access memory (SOT MRAM) applications. In one embodiment, a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device structure includes a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) pillar structure disposed on a substrate, and a gap surrounding the MTJ pillar structure. In yet another embodiment, a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device structure includes a spacer layer surrounding a patterned reference layer and a tunneling barrier layer disposed on a patterned free layer, and a gap surrounding the patterned free layer.