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Infineon Technologies Ag

Dieter Suess

Wolfgang Raberg

Armin Satz

Hubert Brueckl

Klemens Pruegl

Juergen Zimmer

Clemens Muehlenhoff

Tobias Wurft

Anton Bachleitner Hofmann

A multilayer exchange spring recording media consists of a magnetically hard magnetic storage layer strongly exchange coupled to a softer nucleation host. The strong exchange coupling can be through a coupling layer or direct. The hard magnetic storage layer has a strong perpendicular anisotropy. The nucleation host consists of one or more ferromagnetic coupled layers. For a multilayer nucleation host the anisotropy increases from layer to layer. The anisotropy in the softest layer of the nucleation host can be two times smaller than that of the hard magnetic storage layer. The lateral exchange between the grains is small. The nucleation host decreases the coercive field significantly while keeping the energy barrier of the hard layer almost unchanged. The coercive field of the total structure depends on one over number of layers in the nucleation host. The invention proposes a recording media that overcomes the writeability problem of perpendicular recording media.

Multilayer exchange spring recording media

Example implementations are concerned with magnetoresistive sensors and with corresponding fabrication methods for magnetoresistive sensors. One example here relates to a magnetoresistive sensor having a layer stack. The layer stack comprises a reference layer having a reference magnetization, which is fixed and has a first magnetic orientation. The layer stack comprises a magnetically free layer. The magnetically free layer has a magnetically free magnetization. The magnetically free magnetization is variable in the presence of an external magnetic field. The magnetically free magnetization has a second magnetic orientation in a ground state. One of the first or the second magnetic orientation is oriented in-plane and the other is oriented out-of-plane. The layer stack comprises a metal multilayer. In this case, either the metal multilayer is arranged adjacent to the magnetically free layer, or the metal multilayer constitutes the magnetically free layer.

Magnetoresistive sensor and fabrication method for a magnetoresistive sensor

A multilayer exchange spring recording media consist of a magnetically hard magnetic storage layer strongly exchange coupled to a softer nucleation host. The strong exchange coupling can be through a coupling layer or direct. The hard magnetic storage layer has a strong perpendicular anisotropy. The nucleation host consists of one or more ferromagnetic coupled layers. For a multilayer nucleation host the anisotropy increases from layer to layer. The anisotropy in the softest layer of the nucleation host can be two times smaller than that of the hard magnetic storage layer. The lateral exchange between the grains is small. The nucleation host decreases the coercive field significantly while keeping the energy barrier of the hard layer almost unchanged. The coercive field of the total structure depends on one over number of layers in the nucleation host. The invention proposes a recording media that overcomes the writeability problem of perpendicular recording media.

A device according to an embodiment may comprise a magneto-resistive structure comprising a magnetic free layer with a spontaneously generated in-plane closed flux magnetization pattern and a magnetic reference layer having a non-closed flux magnetization pattern.

Magneto-resistive structured device having spontaneously generated in-plane closed flux magnetization pattern

An embodiment relates to a magnetic sensor device () comprising a magneto-resistive structure (). The magneto-resistive structure () comprises a magnetic free layer () configured to spontaneously generate a closed flux magnetization pattern in the free layer (). The magneto-resistive structure () also comprises a magnetic reference layer () having a non-closed flux reference magnetization pattern. The magnetic sensor device () further comprises a current generator () configured to generate an electric current in one or more layers of the magneto-resistive structure (). The electric current has a non-zero directional component perpendicular to the reference magnetization pattern.

Magnetic sensor device and method for a magnetic sensor device having a magneto-resistive structure

The present disclosure relates to a magnetic sensor device having at least one magneto-resistive structure. The magneto-resistive structure comprises a magnetic free layer configured to generate a closed flux magnetization pattern in the free layer, and a magnetic reference layer having non-closed flux reference magnetization pattern; and a magnetic flux concentrator configured to increase a flux density of an external magnetic field in the magnetic free layer.

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Herzogenburg, Austria

Dieter Suess