摘要:
A method for fabricating a current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor of the synthetic spin valve type is provided, the method including an electron-beam lithographic process employing both primary and secondary electron absorption and first and second self-aligned lift-off processes for patterning the capped ferromagnetic free layer and the conducting, non-magnetic spacer layer. The sensor so fabricated has reduced resistance and increased sensitivity.
摘要:
A method for fabricating a current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor of the synthetic spin valve type is provided, the method including an electron-beam lithographic process employing both primary and secondary electron absorption and first and second self-aligned lift-off processes for patterning the capped ferromagnetic free layer and the conducting, non-magnetic spacer layer. The sensor so fabricated has reduced resistance and increased sensitivity.
摘要:
The series resistance of a CPP GMR stack can be reduced by shaping it into a small upper, on a somewhat larger, lower part. Because of the sub-micron dimensions involved, good alignment between these is normally difficult to achieve. The present invention discloses a self-alignment process based on first laying down a mask that will determine the shape of the top part. Ion beam etching is then initiated, the ion beam being initially applied from one side only at an angle to the surface normal. During etching, all material on the near side of the mask gets etched but, on the far side, only material that is outside the mask's shadow gets removed so, depending on the beam's angle, the size of the lower part is controlled and the upper part is precisely centrally aligned above it.
摘要:
The series resistance of a CPP GMR stack can be reduced by shaping it into a small upper, on a somewhat larger, lower part. Because of the sub-micron dimensions involved, good alignment between these is normally difficult to achieve. The present invention discloses a self-alignment process based on first laying down a mask that will determine the shape of the top part. Ion beam etching is then initiated, the ion beam being initially applied from one side only at an angle to the surface normal. During etching, all material on the near side of the mask gets etched but, on the far side, only material that is outside the mask's shadow gets removed so, depending on the beam's angle, the size of the lower part is controlled and the upper part is precisely centrally aligned above it.
摘要:
An NiCr seed layer based bottom spin valve sensor element having a synthetic antiferromagnet pinned (SyAP) layer and a capping layer comprising either a single specularly reflecting nano-oxide layer (NOL) or a bi-layer comprising a non-metallic layer and a specularly reflecting nano-oxide layer. As a result of their structure and the method of their fabrication, these elements have higher GMR ratios and lower resistances than elements of the prior art.
摘要:
A method for forming a laminated shield to improve the stability and performance of an MR read head and the MR read head formed using that shield. The shield consists of two layers of ferromagnetic material separated by a layer of ruthenium, allowing the ferromagnetic layers to form an antiferromagnetic configuration by means of a quantum mechanical exchange interaction. The antiferromagnetic configuration has a stable domain structure and a magnetization that forms closed loops around the shield edges thereby reducing noise in the readback signal and reducing disturbances to the magnetic state of the sensor element.
摘要:
A current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor of the synthetic spin valve type is provided, the sensor comprising a GMR stack having a substantially square lateral cross-section, a Cu spacer layer of smaller square cross-section formed centrally on the GMR stack and a capped ferromagnetic free layer of substantially square, but even smaller cross-sectional area, formed centrally on the spacer layer. The stepped, reduced area geometry of the sensor provides a significant improvement in its GMR ratio (DR/R), a reduced resistance, R, and elimination of Joule heating hot-spots in regions of high resistance such as the antiferromagnetic pinning layer and its seed layer.
摘要:
Reduction of the free layer thickness in GMR devices is desirable in order to meet higher signal requirements, besides improving the GMR ratio itself. However, thinning of the free layer reduces the GMR ratio and leads to poor thermal stability. This problem has been overcome by making AP2 from an inverse GMR material and by changing the free layer from a single uniform layer to a ferromagnetic layer AFM (antiferromagnetically) coupled to a layer of inverse GMR material. Examples of alloys that may be used for the inverse GMR materials include FeCr, NiFeCr, NiCr, CoCr, CoFeCr, and CoFeV. Additionally, the ruthenium layer normally used to effect antiferromagnetic coupling can be replaced by a layer of chromium. A process to manufacture the structure is also described.
摘要:
Nano-oxide based current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) magnetoresistive (MR) sensor stacks are provided, together with methods for forming such stacks. Such stacks have increased resistance and enhanced magnetoresistive properties relative to CPP stacks made entirely of metallic layers. Said enhanced properties are provided by the insertion of magnetic nano-oxide layers between ferromagnetic layers and non-magnetic spacer layers, whereby said nano-oxide layers increase resistance and exhibit spin filtering properties. CPP sensor stacks of various types are provided, all having nano-oxide layers formed therein, including the spin-valve type and the synthetic antiferromagnetic pinned layer spin-valve type. Said stacks can also be formed upon each other to provide laminated stacks of different types.
摘要:
Patterned, longitudinally and transversely antiferromagnetically exchange biased GMR sensors are provided which have narrow effective trackwidths and reduced side reading. The exchange biasing significantly reduces signals produced by the portion of the ferromagnetic free layer that is underneath the conducting leads while still providing a strong pinning field to maintain sensor stability. In the case of the transversely biased sensor, the magnetization of the free and biasing layers in the same direction as the pinned layer simplifies the fabrication process and permits the formation of thinner leads by eliminating the necessity for current shunting.