公开(公告)号：US20080316656A1

公开(公告)日：2008-12-25

申请号：US12214748

申请日：2008-06-20

申请人： Kazuhito Miyata ,  Kentarou Namiki ,  Nobuto Yasui ,  Hideaki Tanaka ,  ATsuko Okawa ,  Akihiro Namba ,  Yoshiki Yonamoto

发明人： Kazuhito Miyata ,  Kentarou Namiki ,  Nobuto Yasui ,  Hideaki Tanaka ,  ATsuko Okawa ,  Akihiro Namba ,  Yoshiki Yonamoto

IPC分类号： G11B5/127

CPC分类号： G11B5/3163 ,  B82Y10/00 ,  B82Y25/00 ,  G11B5/3909 ,  G11B5/41 ,  G11B2005/3996 ,  Y10T29/49048

摘要： Embodiments of the present invention provide a magnetic head suitable for high density recording at a high yield by reducing the thickness of an air-bearing surface protection layer of a magnetic head and suppressing reduction in the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of a read element. According to one embodiment, a read element of a magnetic head has a magnetoresistive effect film (TMR film) between a lower magnetic shield layer and an upper magnetic shield layer, and has a refill film and a magnetic domain control film in both sides of the TMR film. The TMR film is configured by a lower metal layer, an antiferromagnetic layer, a ferromagnetic pinned layer, an intermediate layer, a ferromagnetic free layer, and an upper metal layer. An air-bearing surface protection layer, including a silicon nitride film about 2.0 nm in thickness, is formed on a recording medium facing surface of the TMR film. Since silicon in the silicon nitride film is inactivated by nitrogen, the silicon does not damage the TMR film. Therefore, noise of the read element can be controlled to be at a low level.

摘要翻译： 本发明的实施例通过减小磁头的空气轴承表面保护层的厚度并且抑制信噪比（S / N）比的降低来提供适于高收率地高密度记录的磁头 的读取元素。 根据一个实施例，磁头的读取元件在下磁屏蔽层和上磁屏蔽层之间具有磁阻效应膜（TMR膜），并且在该磁屏蔽的两侧具有补充膜和磁畴控制膜 TMR膜。 TMR膜由下金属层，反铁磁层，铁磁性钉扎层，中间层，铁磁性自由层和上金属层构成。 在TMR膜的面向记录介质的表面上形成包含厚度约为2.0nm的氮化硅膜的空气轴承表面保护层。 由于氮化硅膜中的硅被氮气灭活，因此硅不会损坏TMR膜。 因此，可以将读取元件的噪声控制在低水平。