公开(公告)号：US5436778A

公开(公告)日：1995-07-25

申请号：US213882

申请日：1994-03-15

申请人： Tsann Lin ,  James K. Howard ,  Cherngye Hwang ,  Daniele Mauri ,  Norbert Staud

发明人： Tsann Lin ,  James K. Howard ,  Cherngye Hwang ,  Daniele Mauri ,  Norbert Staud

IPC分类号： G11B5/39

CPC分类号： G11B5/3903 ,  G11B5/3932

摘要： A magnetic disk storage system wherein a magnetic includes a magnetoresistive sensor is described. The MR sensor comprises a sputtered layer of ferromagnetic material and a sputtered layer of antiferromagnetic nickel-manganese (Ni-Mn) to provide an exchange coupled longitudinal bias field in the MR element. The antiferromagnetic layer overlays the MR layer and may be patterned to provide the longitudinal bias field only in the end regions of the MR layer. Alternatively, the antiferromagnetic layer can underlay the MR layer with a Zr underlayer to enhance the exchange-coupled field. As initially deposited, the Ni-Mn layer has a face-centered-cubic crystalline structure and exhibits little or no exchange-coupled field. After one annealing cycle at a relatively low temperature, the Ni-Mn layer crystalline structure is face-centered-tetragonal and exhibits increased crystallographic ordering and provides sufficient exchange coupling for the MR element to operate. Addition of chromium to the Ni-Mn alloy provides increased corrosion resistance.

摘要翻译： 描述了一种磁盘存储系统，其中磁换能器包括磁阻传感器。 MR传感器包括铁磁材料的溅射层和反铁磁镍锰（Ni-Mn）的溅射层，以在MR元件中提供交换耦合的纵向偏置场。 反铁磁层覆盖MR层，并且可以被图案化以仅在MR层的端部区域中提供纵向偏置场。 或者，反铁磁层可以用Zr底层来衬底MR层以增强交换耦合场。 最初沉积时，Ni-Mn层具有面心立方晶体结构，并且表现出很少或没有交换耦合场。 在相对较低温度下的一个退火循环之后，Ni-Mn层晶体结构是面心四面体并且显示出增加的晶体顺序，并且为MR元件提供足够的交换耦合以进行操作。 向Ni-Mn合金中添加铬提高了耐腐蚀性。

公开(公告)号：US5380548A

公开(公告)日：1995-01-10

申请号：US213883

申请日：1994-03-15

申请人： Tsann Lin ,  James K. Howard ,  Cherngye Hwang ,  Daniele Mauri ,  Norbert Staud

发明人： Tsann Lin ,  James K. Howard ,  Cherngye Hwang ,  Daniele Mauri ,  Norbert Staud

IPC分类号： G11B5/39 ,  H01F10/02

CPC分类号： G11B5/3903 ,  G11B5/3932

摘要： A magnetoresistive (MR) sensor comprising a sputtered layer of ferromagnetic material and a sputtered layer of antiferromagnetic nickel-manganese (Ni-Mn) to provide an exchange coupled longitudinal bias field in the MR element is described. The antiferromagnetic layer overlays the MR layer and may be patterned to provide the longitudinal bias field only in the end regions of the MR layer. Alternatively, the antiferromagnetic layer can underlay the MR layer with a Zr underlayer to enhance the exchange-coupled field. As initially deposited, the Ni-Mn layer is face-centered-cubic and exhibits little or no exchange-coupled field. After one annealing cycle at a relatively low temperature, the Ni-Mn layer is face-centered-tetragonal and exhibits increased crystallographic ordering and provides sufficient exchange coupling for the MR element to operate. Addition of chromium to the Ni-Mn alloy provides increased corrosion resistance.

摘要翻译： 描述了一种磁阻（MR）传感器，其包括铁磁材料的溅射层和反铁磁镍锰（Ni-Mn）的溅射层，以在MR元件中提供交换耦合的纵向偏置场。 反铁磁层覆盖MR层，并且可以被图案化以仅在MR层的端部区域中提供纵向偏置场。 或者，反铁磁层可以用Zr底层来衬底MR层以增强交换耦合场。 最初沉积时，Ni-Mn层是面心立方体，表现出很少或没有交换耦合场。 在相对较低温度下的一个退火循环之后，Ni-Mn层是面对中心的四边形，并且显示出增加的晶体学顺序，并提供用于MR元件操作的足够的交换耦合。 向Ni-Mn合金中添加铬提高了耐腐蚀性。

公开(公告)号：US08947835B2

公开(公告)日：2015-02-03

申请号：US13335642

申请日：2011-12-22

申请人： Tsann Lin

发明人： Tsann Lin

IPC分类号： G11B5/39 ,  G11B5/40

CPC分类号： G11B5/3906 ,  G01R33/098 ,  G11B5/3163 ,  G11B5/3909 ,  G11B5/398 ,  G11B5/40 ,  H01F10/3254 ,  H01F10/3295 ,  Y10T29/4902 ,  Y10T428/1114 ,  Y10T428/1121 ,  Y10T428/1143

摘要： The invention provides a tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) read sensor with a long diffusion path and ex-situ interfaces in a sense layer structure. The sense layer structure comprises a first sense layer preferably formed of a ferromagnetic Co—Fe film, a second sense layer preferably formed of a ferromagnetic Co—Fe—B film, and a third sense layer preferably formed of a ferromagnetic Ni—Fe film. The sense layer structure has a long diffusion path (defined as a total thickness of the first and second sense layers) and ex-situ interfaces for suppressing unwanted diffusions of Ni atoms. Alternatively, the sense layer structure comprises a first sense layer preferably formed of a ferromagnetic Co—Fe film, a second sense layer preferably formed of a ferromagnetic Co—Fe—B film, a third sense layer preferably formed of a ferromagnetic Co—Fe—B—Hf film, and a fourth sense layer preferably formed of a ferromagnetic Ni—Fe film.

摘要翻译： 本发明提供了一种在感应层结构中具有长扩散路径和非原位界面的隧道磁阻（TMR）读取传感器。 感测层结构包括优选由铁磁Co-Fe膜形成的第一感测层，优选由铁磁性Co-Fe-B膜形成的第二感测层和优选由铁磁性Ni-Fe膜形成的第三感测层。 感应层结构具有长的扩散路径（定义为第一和第二感测层的总厚度）和用于抑制Ni原子的不期望的扩散的非原位界面。 或者，感测层结构包括优选由铁磁性Co-Fe膜形成的第一感测层，优选由铁磁性Co-Fe-B膜形成的第二感测层，优选由铁磁性Co-Fe-B膜形成的第三感测层， B-Hf膜，以及优选由铁磁性Ni-Fe膜形成的第四感测层。

公开(公告)号：US08537504B2

公开(公告)日：2013-09-17

申请号：US12884091

申请日：2010-09-16

申请人： Tsann Lin

发明人： Tsann Lin

IPC分类号： G11B5/39

CPC分类号： G11B5/3929 ,  G01R33/098 ,  G11B5/3912 ,  H01L43/08 ,  H01L43/10

摘要： A current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) or giant magnetoresistance (GMR) read sensor with ferromagnetic buffer, shielding and seed layers is proposed for high-resolution magnetic recording. The ferromagnetic buffer layer is preferably formed of an amorphous Co—X (where X is Hf, Y, Zr, etc.) film. It provides the CPP read sensor with microstructural discontinuity from a ferromagnetic lower shield, thus facilitating the CPP read sensor to grow freely with preferred crystalline textures, and with ferromagnetic continuity to the ferromagnetic lower shield, thus acting as a portion of the ferromagnetic lower shield. The ferromagnetic shielding layer is preferably formed of a polycrystalline Ni—Fe film. It exhibits magnetic properties exactly identical to those of the ferromagnetic lower shield, thus acting identically as the ferromagnetic lower shield, and a uniform columnar grain morphology, thus initiating a uniform large grain morphology in the CPP read sensor.

摘要翻译： 提出了具有铁磁缓冲器，屏蔽和种子层的电流垂直平面（CPP）隧道磁阻（TMR）或巨磁电阻（GMR）读取传感器用于高分辨率磁记录。 铁磁缓冲层优选由无定形Co-X（其中X是Hf，Y，Zr等）膜形成。 它为CPP读取传感器提供了来自铁磁下屏蔽的微结构不连续性，从而便于CPP读取传感器随着优选的结构纹理而自由生长，并且与铁磁下屏蔽层具有铁磁连续性，从而充当铁磁下屏蔽的一部分。 铁磁屏蔽层优选由多晶Ni-Fe膜形成。 它具有与铁磁下屏蔽完全相同的磁性，因此与铁磁下屏蔽相同，并且具有均匀的柱状晶粒形态，从而在CPP读取传感器中引发均匀的大晶粒形态。

公开(公告)号：US20110236723A1

公开(公告)日：2011-09-29

申请号：US12748165

申请日：2010-03-26

申请人： Tsann Lin

发明人： Tsann Lin

IPC分类号： G11B5/39

CPC分类号： G11B5/1278 ,  B82Y10/00 ,  B82Y25/00 ,  G11B5/3909 ,  G11B5/3929 ,  G11B2005/3996 ,  Y10T428/1121

摘要： A current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) read sensor with Co—Fe buffer layers is proposed to improve pinning and magnetoresistance properties. The read sensor comprises first and second Co—Fe buffer layers in the lower and upper portions of a keeper layer structure, respectively, third and fourth Co—Fe buffer layers in the lower and upper portion of a reference layer structure, respectively, and a fifth Co—Fe buffer layer in the lower portion of a sense layer structure. The first buffer layer is adjacent to a pinning layer and has a specific composition to improve unidirectional-anisotropy pinning properties. The second and third buffer layers are adjacent to an antiparallel-coupling layer and have specific compositions to improve bidirectional-anisotropy pinning properties. The fourth and fifth buffer layers are adjacent to a barrier or spacer layer and have specific compositions to improve magnetoresistance properties.

摘要翻译： 提出了具有Co-Fe缓冲层的电流垂直平面（CPP）读取传感器，以改善钉扎和磁阻特性。 读取传感器分别包括保持层结构的下部和上部中的第一和第二Co-Fe缓冲层，分别在参考层结构的下部和上部的第三和第四Co-Fe缓冲层和 第五Co-Fe缓冲层在感应层结构的下部。 第一缓冲层与钉扎层相邻，并且具有特定组成以改善单向各向异性钉扎性质。 第二和第三缓冲层与反平行耦合层相邻并且具有改善双向各向异性钉扎性质的具体组成。 第四和第五缓冲层与阻挡层或间隔层相邻，并且具有改善磁阻特性的特定组成。

公开(公告)号：US07672089B2

公开(公告)日：2010-03-02

申请号：US11611828

申请日：2006-12-15

申请人： Tsann Lin

发明人： Tsann Lin

IPC分类号： G11B5/39

CPC分类号： G01R33/093 ,  B82Y25/00 ,  G11B5/3906 ,  G11B5/3932 ,  H01F10/3254 ,  H01F10/3272

摘要： This invention provides a CPP TMR or GMR sensor with an amorphous ferromagnetic lower keeper layer and a crystalline ferromagnetic upper keeper layer. The amorphous ferromagnetic lower keeper layer strongly exchange-couples to an underlying antiferromagnetic pinning layer and planarizes its rough surface. The crystalline ferromagnetic upper keeper layer strongly antiparallel-couples to an adjacent ferromagnetic reference layer across a nonmagnetic spacer layer. The amorphous ferromagnetic lower keeper layer is preferably made of a Co—Fe—B alloy film with an Fe content high enough to ensure strong exchange-coupling to the underlying antiferromagnetic pinning layer, and with a B content high enough to ensure the formation of an amorphous phase for planarizing an otherwise rough surface due to the underlying antiferromagnetic pinning layer. The crystalline ferromagnetic upper keeper layer is preferably made of a Co—Fe alloy film with an Fe content low enough to ensure strong antiparallel-coupling to the adjacent ferromagnetic reference layer across the nonmagnetic spacer layer. The sensor is annealed at temperatures low enough to prevent the amorphous phase from transforming into a polycrystalline phase, but also high enough to maximize TMR.

摘要翻译： 本发明提供了具有非晶铁磁下保持层和结晶铁磁上保持层的CPP TMR或GMR传感器。 非晶铁磁下层保护层与下面的反铁磁钉扎层强烈交换耦合，并使其粗糙表面平坦化。 结晶铁磁上保持层在非磁性间隔层上强烈反平行耦合到相邻的铁磁参考层。 非晶铁磁下保持层优选由Fe含量足够高的Co-Fe-B合金膜制成，以确保与下面的反铁磁性钉扎层的强交换耦合，并且B含量足以确保形成 非晶相，用于平坦化由于下面的反铁磁性钉扎层而导致的粗糙表面。 结晶铁磁上保持层优选由Fe含量低的Co-Fe合金膜制成，以确保穿过非磁性间隔层与相邻铁磁参考层的强反平行耦合。 传感器在足够低的温度下退火，以防止非晶相转变为多晶相，但也足够高以使TMR最大化。

公开(公告)号：US07650684B2

公开(公告)日：2010-01-26

申请号：US10892581

申请日：2004-07-16

申请人： Wen-Yaung Lee ,  Tsann Lin ,  Danielle Mauri ,  Alexander Michael Zeltser

发明人： Wen-Yaung Lee ,  Tsann Lin ,  Danielle Mauri ,  Alexander Michael Zeltser

IPC分类号： G11B5/127 ,  G11B5/33 ,  C23C16/00

CPC分类号： B82Y10/00 ,  G11B5/012 ,  G11B5/3143 ,  G11B5/3163 ,  G11B5/3903 ,  Y10T29/49021 ,  Y10T29/49032 ,  Y10T29/49034 ,  Y10T29/49041 ,  Y10T29/49043 ,  Y10T29/49044 ,  Y10T29/49048

摘要： A method for fabricating a magnetic head including a spin valve sensor having a sensor layer stack that includes a pinned magnetic layer, a spacer layer formed on the pinned magnetic layer, and a free magnetic layer formed on the spacer layer. In a preferred embodiment the spacer layer is comprised of CuOx. The method includes the plasma smoothing of the upper surface of the pinned magnetic layer prior to depositing the spacer layer, and a preferred plasma gas is a mixture of argon and oxygen.

摘要翻译： 一种用于制造磁头的方法，该磁头包括具有传感器层堆叠的自旋阀传感器，所述传感器层堆叠包括钉扎磁性层，形成在钉扎磁性层上的间隔层和形成在间隔层上的自由磁性层。 在优选实施例中，间隔层由CuOx构成。 该方法包括在沉积间隔层之前对被钉扎的磁性层的上表面的等离子体平滑化，优选的等离子体气体是氩和氧的混合物。

公开(公告)号：US20090296286A1

公开(公告)日：2009-12-03

申请号：US12129120

申请日：2008-05-29

申请人： Tsann Lin

发明人： Tsann Lin

IPC分类号： G11B5/127 ,  H01L21/00

CPC分类号： G11B5/3906 ,  B82Y25/00 ,  B82Y40/00 ,  G01R33/098 ,  H01F10/3254 ,  H01F10/3272 ,  H01F10/3295 ,  H01F41/307 ,  H01L43/10 ,  H01L43/12

摘要： A current-to-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) read sensor with multiple reference layers and associated fabrication methods are disclosed. According to one embodiment, the multiple reference layers of a CPP read sensor include a first reference layer (e.g., Co—Fe) formed by a ferromagnetic polycrystalline film, a second reference layer (e.g., Co—Fe—Hf) formed by a ferromagnetic amorphous film, a third reference layer (e.g., Co—Fe—B) formed by a ferromagnetic amorphous film, and a fourth reference layer (e.g., Co—Fe) formed by a ferromagnetic polycrystalline film. A plasma treatment is applied to the fourth reference layer for surface smoothening, and no replenishment is needed as long as the fourth reference layer is not completely removed after the plasma treatment. The fourth reference layer protects the surface of the third reference layer from spin polarization deterioration caused by the plasma treatment, thereby maintaining a strong TMR or GMR effect.

摘要翻译： 公开了具有多个参考层和相关制造方法的电流对垂直平面（CPP）读取传感器。 根据一个实施例，CPP读取传感器的多个参考层包括由铁磁性多晶膜形成的第一参考层（例如，Co-Fe），由铁磁性多晶膜形成的第二参考层（例如Co-Fe-Hf） 非晶膜，由铁磁性非晶膜形成的第三参考层（例如，Co-Fe-B）和由铁磁性多晶膜形成的第四参考层（例如，Co-Fe）。 对第四参考层进行等离子体处理以进行表面平滑处理，只要第四参考层在等离子体处理后未完全去除，则不需要补充。 第四参考层保护第三参考层的表面免于由等离子体处理引起的自旋极化劣化，从而保持强的TMR或GMR效应。

公开(公告)号：US20090244791A1

公开(公告)日：2009-10-01

申请号：US12056195

申请日：2008-03-26

申请人： Tsann Lin

发明人： Tsann Lin

IPC分类号： H04B7/212

CPC分类号： G11B5/3909 ,  B82Y10/00 ,  B82Y25/00 ,  G01R33/098 ,  G11B5/3906 ,  H01F10/137 ,  H01F10/3254 ,  H01F10/3272 ,  H01F10/3295 ,  H01L43/10

摘要： The invention provides a current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) or giant magnetoresistance (GMR) read sensor with multiple ferromagnetic sense layers. In one embodiment of the invention, a CPP TMR read sensor comprises a first sense layer formed by a ferromagnetic polycrystalline Co—Fe film, a second sense layer formed by a ferromagnetic interstitial-type amorphous Co—Fe— B film, a third sense layer formed by a ferromagnetic substitute-type amorphous Co—Fe—X film where X is Hf, Zr or Y, and a fourth sense layer formed by a ferromagnetic Ni—Fe film. The third sense layer acts as a diffusion barrier layer to suppress Ni diffusion, thus allowing the incorporation of the Ni—Fe fourth sense layer for improving ferromagnetic properties of the multiple sense layers. The multiple sense layers induce spin-dependent scattering, thus facilitating the CPP TMR read sensor to exhibit a strong TMR effect.

摘要翻译： 本发明提供具有多个铁磁感应层的电流垂直平面（CPP）隧道磁阻（TMR）或巨磁电阻（GMR）读取传感器。 在本发明的一个实施例中，CPP TMR读取传感器包括由铁磁性多晶Co-Fe膜形成的第一感测层，由铁磁间隙型无定形Co-Fe-B膜形成的第二感测层，第三感测层 由铁磁性替代型无定形Co-Fe-X膜形成，其中X是Hf，Zr或Y，以及由铁磁性Ni-Fe膜形成的第四感测层。 第三感测层用作扩散阻挡层以抑制Ni扩散，从而允许并入Ni-Fe第四感测层以改善多感测层的铁磁性质。 多重感测层诱导自旋依赖散射，从而便于CPP TMR读取传感器表现出强烈的TMR效应。

公开(公告)号：US07467458B2

公开(公告)日：2008-12-23

申请号：US10779941

申请日：2004-02-17

申请人： Tsann Lin

发明人： Tsann Lin

IPC分类号： G11B5/127

CPC分类号： G11B5/3932 ,  Y10T29/49021 ,  Y10T29/49043 ,  Y10T29/49044 ,  Y10T29/49128 ,  Y10T29/49155

摘要： Methods of making a read sensor with a selectively deposited lead layers are disclosed. In one illustrative example, the method includes the acts of forming a plurality of read sensor layers over a wafer; forming a monolayer photoresist to mask the plurality of read sensor layers in a central region; ion milling to remove the unmasked plurality of read sensor layers in side regions to thereby form a read sensor in the central region; depositing longitudinal bias layers in the side regions; and depositing a silicon reactant layer over the longitudinal bias layers in the side regions. After removing the monolayer photoresist, a silicon reduction process and a hydrogen reduction process are sequentially performed for the selective depositions of the lead material. In the silicon reduction process, tungsten hexafluoride (WF6) and argon (Ar) gases are passed over the wafer to thereby selectively deposit a relatively thin W film only on the Si reactant layer in the side regions through the following chemical reaction: 2WF6+3Si→2W+3SiF4. In the hydrogen reduction process, WF6 and hydrogen (H2) gases are passed over the wafer to thereby selectively deposit a relatively thick W film only on the W film in the side regions through the following chemical reaction: WF6+3H2→W+6HF.

摘要翻译： 公开了制造具有选择性沉积引线层的读取传感器的方法。 在一个说明性示例中，该方法包括在晶片上形成多个读取传感器层的动作; 形成单层光致抗蚀剂以掩蔽中心区域中的多个读取传感器层; 离子研磨以去除侧面区域中未掩蔽的多个读取传感器层，从而在中心区域形成读取传感器; 在侧面区域中沉积纵向偏置层; 以及在侧面区域中的纵向偏压层上沉积硅反应物层。 在去除单层光致抗蚀剂之后，依次进行硅还原法和氢还原法，用于选择性沉积铅材料。 在硅还原过程中，六氟化钨（WF6）和氩（Ar）气体通过晶片，从而通过以下化学反应选择性地在侧面区域的Si反应物层上沉积相对薄的W膜：2WF6 + 3Si - > 2W + 3SiF4。 在氢还原过程中，WF6和氢（H2）气体通过晶片，从而通过以下化学反应选择性地在侧区域的W膜上沉积相对较厚的W膜：WF6 + 3H2-> W + 6HF 。