Western Digital (fremont), Inc.

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Netflix Inc.

Lyve Minds, Inc.

Google Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Sandisk Technologies Inc.

Christian Kaiser

Yuankai Zheng

Qunwen Leng

Zhitao Diao

Mahendra Pakala

Daniele Mauri

James Mac Freitag

Ain McKendrick

Timothy Bucher

Chih-Ching Hu

Randeep Singh Gakhal

Rick Pasetto

Stephen Sewerynek

Ming Jiang

Ming Mao

Neil D Hunt

Susumu Okamura

Chen-jung Chien

Yung-Hsiao Lai

Xin Jiang

Jeff Ma

Cheng-Han Yang

Peter D Stout

David Kimbal Dorwin

Yung-Hung Wang

Laurence Lujun Chen

David Randall Ronca

James Mitch Zollinger

Andrew Scherkus

Chung-Ping Wu

Zheng Gao

Yimin Guo

Lei Wang

Feng Q Liu

Tong Zhao

Stuart Stephen Papworth Parkin

Sining Mao

Dujiang Wan

Yongchul Ahn

Ronghui Zhou

Stephen John Lacey

Morgan Francois Stephan Dollard

Prakash Mani

Joshua Jones

Brian Rodrick York

Chando Park

Petrus Antonius Van Der Heijden

Alexander Goncharov

Alexander Michael Zeltser

Xinjiang Shen

Zhipeng Li

Goncalo Baiao De Albuquerque

Jean-Marie White

Jianxin Fang

Andrew Chen

Greg Smelzer

Justin Lee

Chen-Jung Chen

A tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) device has an improved seed layer for the lower or first ferromagnetic layer that eliminates the need for boron in the two ferromagnetic layers. The seed layer, for example a RuAl alloy, has a B2 crystalline structure with (001) texture when deposited on an amorphous pre-seed layer, meaning that the (001) plane is parallel to the surface of the TMR device substrate. The subsequently deposited first ferromagnetic layer, like a CoFe alloy, and the tunneling barrier layer, typically MgO, inherit the (001) texture of the seed layer.

Tunneling magnetoresistive (TMR) device with improved seed layer

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to spintronic devices, and more specifically to self-cooling spintronic devices. In an embodiment, a device is provided. The device includes a spintronic device having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, a first layer disposed on the first side, and a second layer disposed on the second side, the first layer having a Seebeck coefficient that is different from a Seebeck coefficient of the second layer.

Spintronic devices with self-cooling function

The present disclosure generally relates to a magnetic recording head comprising a spintronic device. The spintronic device is disposed between a main pole and a trailing shield of the magnetic recording head. The spintronic device comprises a multilayer spacer layer comprising a Cu layer in contact with a spin torque layer and a spin transparent texture layer disposed on the Cu layer, the spin transparent texture layer comprising AgSn or AgZn. A multilayer notch comprising a CoFe layer is disposed over the spin transparent texture layer of the multilayer spacer layer and a Heusler alloy layer is disposed on the CoFe layer, the Heusler alloy layer comprising CoMnGe, CoFeGe, or CoFeMnGe. The multilayer spacer layer and the multilayer notch result in the spintronic device having a high spin polarization and a reduced critical current.

Spin torque oscillator with enhanced spin polarizer

The present disclosure generally relates to a magnetic recording device having a magnetic recording head comprising a spintronic device. The spintronic device is disposed between a main pole and a trailing shield at a media facing surface. The spintronic device comprises a spin torque layer (STL) and a multilayer seed layer disposed in contact with the STL. The spintronic device may further comprise a field generation layer disposed between the trailing shield and the STL. The multilayer seed layer comprises an optional high etch rate layer, a heat dissipation layer comprising Ru disposed in contact with the optional high etch rate layer, and a cooling layer comprising Cr disposed in contact with the heat dissipation layer and the main pole. The high etch rate layer comprises Cu and has a high etch rate to improve the shape of the spintronic device during the manufacturing process.

Spin torque oscillator with multilayer seed for improved performance and reliability

A magnetic element includes a first free layer, a barrier layer over the first free layer, and a second free layer over the barrier layer. The first free layer includes a first ferromagnetic bilayer and a first amorphous insertion layer (e.g., CoHf) between the first ferromagnetic bilayer. The first ferromagnetic bilayer is selected from CoB, CoFeB, FeB, and combinations thereof. The second free layer includes a second ferromagnetic bilayer and a second amorphous insertion layer (e.g., CoHf) between the second ferromagnetic bilayer. The second ferromagnetic bilayer is selected from CoB, CoFeB, FeB, and combinations thereof. Each of the first and the second amorphous insertion layer independently can be ferromagnetic or non-ferromagnetic and can have a recrystallization temperature of about 300&#xb0; C. and above. The magnetic element can further include a non-ferromagnetic amorphous buffer layer and/or a non-ferromagnetic amorphous capping layer. The magnetic element can further include a ferromagnetic amorphous seed layer.

Magnetic elements of amorphous based dual free layer structures and recording devices using such elements

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to a spintronic device for use in a magnetic media drive, a magnetoresistive random access memory device, a magnetic sensor, or a magnetic recording write head. The spintronic device comprises a multilayer structure having a negative anisotropic field and a negative spin polarization. The multilayer structure comprises a plurality of layers, each layer of the plurality of layers comprising a first sublayer comprising Fe and a second sublayer comprising Co. At least one of the first sublayer and the second sublayer comprises one or more of Cr, V, and Ti. The first and second sublayers are alternating. The negative anisotropic field of the multilayer structure is between about −0.5 T to about −0.8 T, and an effective magnetization of the multilayer structure is between about 2.4 T to about 2.8 T.

Material having both negative spin polarization and negative anisotropy

The present disclosure generally relates to a Wheatstone bridge array that has four resistors. Each resistor includes a plurality of TMR structures. Two resistors have identical TMR structures. The remaining two resistors also have identical TMR structures, though the TMR structures are different from the other two resistors. Additionally, the two resistors that have identical TMR structures have a different resistance area as compared to the remaining two resistors that have identical TMR structures. Therefore, the working bias field for the Wheatstone bridge array is non-zero.

Magnetic sensor array with different RA TMR film

The present disclosure generally relates to a Wheatstone bridge array comprising TMR sensors and a method of fabrication thereof. In the Wheatstone bridge array, there are four distinct TMR sensors. The TMR sensors are all fabricated simultaneously to create four identical TMR sensors that have synthetic antiferromagnetic free layers as the top layer. The synthetic antiferromagnetic free layers comprise a first magnetic layer, a spacer layer, and a second magnetic layer. After forming the four identical TMR sensors, the spacer layer and the second magnetic layer are removed from two TMR sensors. Following the removal of the spacer layer and the second magnetic layer, a new magnetic layer is formed on the now exposed first magnetic layer such that the new magnetic layer has substantially the same thickness as the spacer layer and second magnetic layer combined.

Magnetic sensor array with one TMR stack having two free layers

A tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) sensor device is disclosed that includes one or more TMR sensors. The TMR sensor device comprises a first resistor comprising a first TMR film, a second resistor comprising a second TMR film different than the first TMR film, a third resistor comprising the second TMR film, and a fourth resistor comprising the first TMR film. The first TMR film comprises a reference layer having a first magnetization direction anti-parallel to a second magnetization direction of a pinned layer. The second TMR film comprises a reference layer having a first magnetization direction parallel to a second magnetization direction of a first pinned layer, and a second pinned layer having a third magnetization direction anti-parallel to the first magnetization direction of the reference layer and the second magnetization direction of the first pinned layer.

Magnetic sensor array with dual TMR film

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a sensor of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with shape anisotropy. In one embodiment, a tunnel magnetoresistive (TMR) based magnetic sensor in a Wheatstone configuration includes at least one magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ). The MTJ includes a free layer having a first edge and a second edge. The free layer has a thickness of about 100 &#x212b; or more. The free layer has a width and a height with a width-to-height aspect ratio of about 4:1 or more. The MTJ has a first hard bias element positioned proximate the first edge of the free layer and a second hard bias element positioned proximate the second edge of the free layer.

TMR sensor with magnetic tunnel junctions with shape anisotropy

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to a magnetic recording head of a magnetic media drive. In one example, a magnetic recording head includes a main pole, a trailing shield, and spintronic device disposed between the main pole and the trailing shield. The spintronic device comprises a negative polarization layer (NPL) disposed on the main pole, the NPL comprising FeTi, FeV, FeCr, or FeN, an interface layer disposed on the NPL, the interface layer comprising V, Cr, or Ru, a spacer layer disposed on the interface layer, and a spin torque layer (FGL) disposed on the spacer layer. When current is applied to the spintronic device, the NPL and a first interface disposed between the NPL and the interface layer have a negative spin polarization while the FGL and a second interface disposed between the FGL and the spacer layer have a positive spin polarization.

Spintronic device having negative interface spin scattering

A method of fabricating a TMR based magnetic sensor in a Wheatstone configuration includes conducting a first anneal of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) and conducting a second anneal of the MTJ. The MTJ includes a first antiferromagnetic (AFM) pinning layer, a pinned layer over the first AFM pinning layer, an anti-parallel coupled layer over the pinned layer, a reference layer over the anti-parallel coupled layer, a barrier layer over the reference layer, a free layer over the barrier layer, and a second antiferromagnetic pinning layer over the free layer. The first anneal of the MTJ sets the first AFM pinning layer, the pinned layer, the free layer, and the second AFM pinning layer in a first magnetization direction. The second anneal of the MTJ resets the free layer and the second AFM pinning layer in a second magnetization direction. An operating field range of the TMR based magnetic sensor is over &#xb1;100 Oe.

Large field range TMR sensor using free layer exchange pinning

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a write head for a magnetic recording device. The write head includes a spin torque oscillator (STO) that has a seed layer formed on a write pole, a spin polarization layer (SPL) formed on the seed layer, a first spacer layer formed on the SPL, a field generation layer (FGL) formed on the first spacer layer, a second spacer layer formed on the FGL, and a notch formed on the second spacer layer. The FGL and the notch are antiferromagnetically coupled through the second spacer layer and thus increases the FGL angle and improves the write capabilities of the write head.

MAMR head with synthetic antiferromagnetic (SAF) coupled notch

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a large field range TMR sensor of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with a free layer having an intrinsic anisotropy. In one embodiment, a tunnel magnetoresistive (TMR) based magnetic sensor in a Wheatstone configuration includes at least one MTJ. The MTJ includes a free layer having an intrinsic anisotropy produced by deposition at a high oblique angle from normal. Magnetic domain formations within the free layer can be further controlled by a pinned layer canted at an angle to the intrinsic anisotropy of the free layer, by a hard bias element, by shape anisotropy, or combinations thereof.

TMR sensor with magnetic tunnel junctions with a free layer having an intrinsic anisotropy

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Christian Kaiser