摘要:
A magnetoresistive sensor having a lead overlay defined trackwidth and a pinned layer that extends beyond the stripe height defined by the free layer of the sensor. The extended pinned layer has a strong shape induced anisotropy that maintains pinning of the pinned layer moment. The extended portion of the pinned layer has sides beyond the stripe height that are perfectly aligned with the sides of the sensor within the stripe height. This perfect alignment is made possible by a manufacturing method that uses a mask structure for more than one manufacturing phase, eliminating the need for multiple mask alignments. The lead overlay design allows narrow, accurate trackwidth definition.
摘要:
A read head for a disk drive and a method of fabricating the read head with overlaid lead pads that contact the top surface of the sensor between the hardbias structures to define the electrically active region of the sensor are described. The invention deposits the GMR and lead layers before milling away the unwanted material. A photoresist mask with a hole defining the active area of the sensor is preferably patterned over a layer of DLC that is formed into a mask. A selected portion of the exposed lead material is then removed using the DLC as a mask defining the active region of the sensor. A photoresist mask pad is patterned to define the full sensor width. The excess sensor and lead material exposed around the mask is milled away. The layers for the hardbias structure are deposited.
摘要:
A self pinned magnetoresistive sensor that has a relatively thick compressive material at either side to assist with self pinning. A shield having recessed portions at either side of the sensor area allows room for a thicker compressive layer than would otherwise be possible.
摘要:
A magnetic head (slider) which requires no lapping is described. The head is fabricated with an air bearing surface that is parallel to the wafer surface. The saw cuts used to separate the individual sliders from the rest of the wafer are perpendicular to the air-bearing surface and do not pass through any critical features. The read and write components are formed from thin films disposed parallel to the air bearing surface and can be side-by-side or tandem in relation to the recording track. The stripe height of the read sensor is controlled by the deposition process rather than by lapping. Various embodiments of the read head include contiguous junction biasing, external hard magnet biasing, and in-stack biasing. In one embodiment a permeable field collector is included below the sensor layer structure. An aperture shield surrounding the sensor at the ABS is included in one embodiment.
摘要:
A current perpendicular to plane (CPP) magnetoresistive sensor having a current path defined by first and second overlying insulation layers between which an electrically conductive lead makes content with a surface of the sensor stack. The current path being narrower than the width of the sensor stack allows the outer edges of the sensor stack to be moved outside of the active area of the sensor. This results in a sensor that is unaffected by damage at outer edges of the sensor layers. The sensor stack includes a free layer that is biased by direct exchange coupling with a layer of antiferromagnetic material (AFM layer). The strength of the exchange field can be controlled by adding Cr to the AFM material to ensure that the exchange field is sufficiently weak to avoid pinning the free layer.
摘要:
Current-perpendicular-to-the-plane (CPP), current-in-to-the-plane (CIP), and tunnel valve type sensors are provided having an antiparallel (AP) coupled free layer structure, an in-stack biasing structure which stabilizes the AP coupled free layer structure and a nonmagnetic spacer layer formed between the in-stack biasing layer and the AP coupled free layer structure. The AP coupled free layer structure has a first AP coupled free layer adjacent to the nonmagnetic spacer layer, a second AP coupled free layer, and an antiparallel coupling (APC) layer formed between the first and the second AP coupled free layers. The net moment of the AP coupled free layer structure has an antiparallel edge magnetostatic coupling with the in-stack biasing structure. At the same time, the first AP coupled free layer has an antiparallel exchange coupling with the second AP coupled free layer. By forming the second AP coupled free layer with a thickness greater than a thickness of the first AP coupled free layer, the AP coupled free layer structure has a net magnetic moment in the direction of the second AP coupled free layer moment. The non-magnetic spacer layer is chosen so that first AP coupled free layer has a parallel interlayer (Neel or Orange-peel or positive exchange) coupling with the in-stack biasing structure, so that the interlayer coupling adds to the edge magnetostatic coupling to increase a stability of the AP coupled free layer structure.
摘要:
Magnetic data storage devices use read/write heads to transfer data between the magnetic storage medium and the rest of the system. The read head is constructed with a magnetic layer called a free layer whose magnetic axis rotates based upon external magnetic influences of the magnetic storage medium. The free layer is biased into a predetermined magnetic orientation with the magnetic influence of a layer called a hard bias layer. Orientation of magnetic axes within the hard bias layer is desired. This document describes a hard bias layer whose magnetization exhibits uniaxial magnetic anisotropy.
摘要:
Various embodiments of a read head employ a bias stack which is in a sensor stack of the read head. The bias stack includes a biasing layer and is separated from a free layer in the sensor by a spacer layer. A magnetic moment of the free layer is longitudinally biased antiparallel to a magnetic moment of the biasing layer because of the coupling therebetween. The free layer is therefore more uniformly longitudinally biased than when hard bias layers are employed at first and second side surfaces of the sensor. Various methods are described for making the various read heads of the present invention.
摘要:
A current-perpendicular-to-the-plane (CPP) magnetoresistive sensor or read head has a magnetic shield geometry that covers the side walls of the sensor structure to prevent side reading caused by magnetic flux entering from adjacent data tracks. The shield geometry includes a bottom shield with a substantially planar surface and a specially shaped top shield. The top shield has substantially vertical portions generally parallel to the side walls of the sensor structure, a horizontal top portion over the trackwidth region of the sensor, and horizontal side portions formed over the portions of the bottom shield on either side of the sensor structure. The insulating gap material that separates the bottom and top shields is in contact with the horizontal portions of the bottom shield and the side walls of the sensor structure.