摘要:
A lead overlay design of a magnetic sensor is described with sensor and free layer dimensions such that the free layer is stabilized by the large demagnetization field due to the shape anisotropy. In one embodiment the giant magnetoresistive (GMR) effect under the leads is destroyed by removing the antiferromagnetic (AFM) and pinned layers above the free layer. The overlaid lead pads are deposited on the exposed spacer layer at the sides of the mask that defines the active region. In other embodiment a layer of electrically insulating material is deposited over the sensor to encapsulate it and thereby insulate it from contact with the hardbias structures. Various embodiments with self-aligned leads are also described. In a variation of the encapsulation embodiment, the insulating material is also deposited under the lead pads so the electrical current is channeled through the active region of the sensor and sidewall deposited lead pads.
摘要:
An embodiment of the invention is a magnetic head with overlaid lead pads that contact the top surface of the sensor between the hardbias structures and do not contact the hardbias structures which are electrically insulated from direct contact with the sensor. The lead pad contact area on the top of the sensor is defined by sidewall deposition of a conductive material to form leads pads on a photoresist prior to formation of the remainder of the leads. The conductive material for the lead pads is deposited at a shallow angle to maximize the sidewall deposition on the photoresist, then ion-milled at a high angle to remove the conductive material from the field while leaving the sidewall material. An insulation layer is deposited on the lead material at a high angle, then milled at a shallow angle to remove insulation from the sidewall.
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 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:
A magnetoresistive sensor having 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.
摘要:
A magnetoresistive sensor having 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.
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:
A magnetoresistive sensor having a shape enhanced pinning and a flux guide structure. First and second hard bias layers and lead layers extend from the sides of a sensor stack. The hard bias layers and leads have a stripe height that is smaller than the stripe height of a free layer, resulting in a free layer that extends beyond the back edge of the lead and hard bias layer. This portion of the free layer that extends beyond the back edge of the leads and hard bias layers provides a back flux guide. Similarly, the sensor may have a free layer that extends beyond the front edge of the lead and hard bias layers to provide a front flux guide. The pinned layer extends significantly beyond the back edge of the free layer, providing the pinned layer with a strong shape enhanced magnetic anisotropy.
摘要:
A magnetoresistive sensor having a shape enhanced pinning and a flux guide structure. The sensor includes a sensor stack with a pinned layer, spacer layer and pinned layer. First and second hard bias layers and lead layers extend from the sides of the sensor stack. The hard bias layers and leads have a stripe height that is smaller than the stripe height of the free layer, resulting in a free layer that extends beyond the back edge of the lead and hard bias layer. This portion of the free layer that extends beyond the back edge of the leads and hard bias layers provides a back flux guide. Similarly, the sensor may have a free layer that extends beyond the front edge of the lead and hard bias layers to provide a front flux guide. The pinned layer extends significantly beyond the back edge of the free layer, providing the pinned layer with a strong shape enhanced magnetic anisotropy. The sensor may have a lead over layer structure, with the sensor layers extending significantly beyond the inner ends of the leads, thereby moving the outer edges of the sensor layers outside of the track width of the sensor. This eliminates the effect of magnetic damage at the outer edges of the free layer.
摘要:
A magnetoresistive sensor having an in stack bias structure and a pinned layer having shape enhanced anisotropy. The sensor may be a partial mill design wherein the track width of the sensor is defined by the width of the free layer and the pinned layers extend beyond the trackwidth of the sensor. The sensor has an active area defined by the stripe height of the free layer. The pinned layer extends beyond the stripe height defined by the free layer, thus providing the pinned layer with the shape enhanced anisotropy. The pinned layer structure can be pinned by exchange coupling with a layer of antiferromagnetic material (AFM) layer, with pinning robustness being improved by the shape enhanced anisotropy, or can be a self pinned structure which is pinned by a combination of magnetostriction, AP coupling and shape enhanced anisostropy.