摘要:
A top spin valve sensor includes an iridium manganese (IrMn) pinning layer which has been formed by ion beam sputter deposition. The magnetoresistive coefficient of the spin valve sensor is increased by employing an iridium manganese oxide (IrMnO) seed layer between a free layer of the spin valve sensor and a first read gap layer of the read head. The free layer is preferably a nickel iron free film located between first and second cobalt iron (CoFe) free films.
摘要:
A magnetic head having a spin valve sensor that is fabricated utilizing an Al2O3, NiMn0, Si seed layer upon which a PtMn spin valve sensor layer structure is subsequently fabricated. In the preferred embodiment, the Si layer has a thickness of approximately 20 Å and the PtMn layer has a thickness of approximately 120 Å. An alternative fabrication process of the Si layer includes the overdeposition of the layer to a first thickness of from 15 Å to 45 Å followed by the etching back of the seed layer of approximately 5 Å to approximately 15 Å to its desired final thickness of approximately 20 Å. The Si layer results in an improved crystal structure to the subsequently fabricated PtMn and other spin valve sensor layers, such that the fabricated spin valve is thinner and exhibits increased ΔR/R and reduced coercivity.
摘要:
A lead overlay magnetic sensor for use in a disk drive is provided having a protective cap layer disposed between the electrical leads and the sensor. The protective cap layer is preferably formed from ruthenium, rhodium, or other suitable material. The sensors thus formed have low resistance between the electrical leads and the sensor and also have well defined magnetic trackwidths.
摘要:
Methods of making a read head with improved contiguous junctions are described. After sensor layer materials are deposited over a substrate, a lift-off mask is formed over the sensor layer materials in a central region which is surrounded by end regions. Ion milling is performed with use of the lift-off mask such that the sensor layer materials in the end regions are removed and those in the central region remain to form a read sensor. A high-angle ion mill (e.g. between 45–80 degrees) is then performed to remove redeposited material from side walls of the lift-off mask. Next, a reactive ion etch (RIE) is used to reduce the thickness and the width of the lift-off mask and to remove capping layer materials from the top edges of the read sensor. With the reduced-size lift-off mask in place, hard bias and lead layers are deposited adjacent the read sensor as well as over the mask. The reduced-size lift-off mask allows the amount of hard bias to be increased in the contiguous junction region, and the edges of the leads to be deposited more closely over the top edges of the read sensor. Advantageously, the stability of the sensor is enhanced and the transfer curve is improved using a method which can be controlled independently from the initial mask structure and ion milling process. No critical alignments or multiple photoresist processes are necessary.
摘要:
The first and second side surfaces of either a bottom spin valve sensor or a top spin valve sensor are notched so as to enable a reduction in the magnetoresistive coefficient of side portions of the sensor beyond the track width region thereby minimizing side reading by the sensor. The first and second notches of the spin valve sensor are then filled with layers in various embodiments of the invention to complete the spin valve sensor.
摘要:
A method constructs first and second seed layers of a seed layer structure in-situ for a top spin valve sensor for increasing magnetoresistive coefficient dr/R of the sensor, reducing a ferromagnetic coupling field HFC between pinned and free layers of the sensor and reducing coercivity HC of the free layer. The first layer, which is aluminum oxide (Al2O3), is ion beam sputter deposited on a first shield layer in a sputtering chamber under a specified pressure. The second seed layer, which is nickel oxide based, is deposited on the first seed layer by ion beam sputter deposition without breaking the vacuum of the chamber. The free layer is then directly deposited on the second seed layer followed by formation of the remainder of the layers of the spin valve sensor. In one embodiment of the invention a read gap layer and the first seed layer are located between a first shield layer and the second seed layer while in the second embodiment of the invention the first seed layer is the only layer between the first shield layer and the second seed layer.
摘要:
A magnetic head having a spin valve sensor that is fabricated utilizing an Al2O3, NiMn0, Si seed layer upon which a PtMn spin valve sensor layer structure is subsequently fabricated. In the preferred embodiment, the Si layer has a thickness of approximately 20 Å and the PtMn layer has a thickness of approximately 120 Å. An alternative fabrication process of the Si layer includes the overdeposition of the layer to a first thickness of from 15 Å to 45 Å followed by the etching back of the seed layer of approximately 5 Å to approximately 15 Å to its desired final thickness of approximately 20 Å. The Si layer results in an improved crystal structure to the subsequently fabricated PtMn and other spin valve sensor layers, such that the fabricated spin valve is thinner and exhibits increased ΔR/R and reduced coercivity.
摘要:
A spin valve sensor includes an antiparallel (AP) pinned layer structure which is self-pinned without the assistance of an antiferromagnetic (AFM) pinning layer. A free layer of the spin valve sensor has first and second wing portions which extend laterally beyond a track width of the spin valve sensor and are exchange coupled to first and second AFM pinning layers. Magnetic moments of the wing portions of the free layer are pinned parallel to the ABS and parallel to major planes of the layers of the sensor for magnetically stabilizing the central portion of the free layer which is located within the track width. The spin valve sensor has a central portion that extends between the first and second AFM layers. First and second lead layers overlay the first and second AFM layers and further overlay first and second portions of the central portion so that a distance between the first and second lead layers defines a track width that is less than a distance between the first and second AFM layers. The spin valve sensor has a cap layer structure that has a full thickness portion which is located between first and second reduced thickness portions and the first and second lead layers engage the cap layer structure within the first and second reduced thickness portions.
摘要:
Methods and structures for the fabrication of wrap around and trailing shield structures are disclosed. Seed layers having anti-reflective properties are utilized, eliminating the need to deposit, then remove, traditional inorganic anti-reflection coatings prior to shield plating.
摘要:
A Damascene process is provided for manufacturing a coil structure for a magnetic head. During the manufacturing process, an insulating layer is initially deposited after which a photoresist layer is deposited. A silicon dielectric layer is then deposited on the photoresist layer. After masking the silicon dielectric layer, at least one channel is etched in the photoresist layer and the silicon dielectric layer. Then, a conductive seed layer is deposited in the at least one channel. The at least one channel is then ready to be filled with a conductive material and chemically/mechanically polished to define a coil structure.