发明授权
US08337676B2 Low resistance tunneling magnetoresistive sensor with natural oxidized double MgO barrier
有权
具有自然氧化双MgO阻挡层的低阻隧道磁阻传感器
- 专利标题： Low resistance tunneling magnetoresistive sensor with natural oxidized double MgO barrier
- 专利标题（中）： 具有自然氧化双MgO阻挡层的低阻隧道磁阻传感器
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申请号： US12806082申请日： 2010-08-05
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公开(公告)号： US08337676B2公开(公告)日： 2012-12-25
- 发明人: Tong Zhao , Kunliang Zhang , Hui Chuan Wang , Yu-Hsia Chen , Min Li
- 申请人： Tong Zhao , Kunliang Zhang , Hui Chuan Wang , Yu-Hsia Chen , Min Li
- 申请人地址： US CA Milpitas
- 专利权人： Headway Technologies, Inc.
- 当前专利权人： Headway Technologies, Inc.
- 当前专利权人地址： US CA Milpitas
- 代理机构： Saile Ackerman LLC
- 代理商 Stephen B. Ackerman
- 主分类号： C23C14/34
- IPC分类号： C23C14/34
摘要：
A high performance TMR sensor is fabricated by incorporating a tunnel barrier having a Mg/MgO/Mg configuration. The 4 to 14 Angstroms thick lower Mg layer and 2 to 8 Angstroms thick upper Mg layer are deposited by a DC sputtering method while the MgO layer is formed by a NOX process involving oxygen pressure from 0.1 mTorr to 1 Torr for 15 to 300 seconds. NOX time and pressure may be varied to achieve a MR ratio of at least 34% and a RA value of 2.1 ohm-um2. The NOX process provides a more uniform MgO layer than sputtering methods. The second Mg layer is employed to prevent oxidation of an adjacent ferromagnetic layer. In a bottom spin valve configuration, a Ta/Ru seed layer, IrMn AFM layer, CoFe/Ru/CoFeB pinned layer, Mg/MgO/Mg barrier, CoFe/NiFe free layer, and a cap layer are sequentially formed on a bottom shield in a read head.