Seagate Technology Incorporated

Edward Stephens Murdock

Sining Mao

Zheng Gao

Alexander Mikhailovich Shukh

Anthony M Mack

Nurul Amin

Brenda Anne Everitt

Zine-Eddine Boutaghou

Michael Allen Seigler

Taras Grigorievich Pokhil

Sharat Batra

Ladislav Rudolf Pust

Kevin Jon Schulz

Frank Edgar Stageberg

James Keith Price

Steven A Mastain

Sunita B Gangopadhyay

Jumna P Ramdular

Jian Chen

John C Heitke

Ananth Naman

Timothy Radke

Jin Li

Herein is disclosed a method and apparatus for controlling a lapping process, so as to create a read/write head that contains a primary magnetoresistive read element with a desired stripe height. An improved lapping guide is achieved by incorporating a secondary magnetoresistive element into a read/write head. By virtue of its location on the same read/write head as a primary magnetoresistive element (used for reading data during operation of the disc drive), the secondary element is located in close proximity to the primary element, resulting in smaller tolerances in aligning or relating the top edges of the primary and secondary elements. Accordingly, the secondary magnetoresistive element more reliably serves as a proxy for the primary element. Optionally, the secondary magnetoresistive element may be fashioned with identical dimensions as the primary element, so as to render the secondary element equivalent to the primary element with regard to magnetic sensitivity. During lapping, the magnetic sensitivity of the secondary magnetoresistive element is monitored and used as a proxy measurement of the magnetic sensitivity of the primary magnetoresistive read element.

Lapping sensor for recording heads having guide element kept

Disclosed are a spin valve magnetoresistive sensor and methods of fabricating the same. The sensor includes a free layer, a synthetic antiferromagnetic. (SAF) layer, a spacer layer positioned between the free layer and the SAF layer, and a Mn-based antiferromagnetic pinning layer in contact with the SAF layer. The SAF layer includes first and second ferromagnetic CoFe layers and an Ru spacer layer positioned between and directly in contact with the first and second CoFe ferromagnetic layers.

Spin valve/GMR sensor using synthetic antiferromagnetic layer pinned by Mn-alloy having a high blocking temperature

A spin valve sensor comprising a ferromagnetic free layer, a ferromagnetic pinned layer, a layer of non-ferromagnetic material positioned between the free layer and the pinned layer, and an antitferromagnetic pinning layer positioned adjacent to the pinned layer such that the pinning layer is in direct contact with the pinned layer. The free layer comprises a multi-layer stack including a non-magnetic insulating spacer positioned between a first and a second ferromagnetic sublayer. The non-magnetic insulating spacer provides a specular electron scattering effect. The first and the second ferromagnetic sublayers each have passive end regions separated by a central active region. The spin valve sensor further includes bias means positioned between the first and the second ferromagnetic sublayers in the passive end regions.

Spin valve sensor having increased GMR ratio and decreased sensitivity to crosstalk noise

A magnetic head having an air bearing surface, a substrate, a basecoat, a data transducer and a plurality of insulating layers. The basecoat is positioned upon the substrate. The data transducer, which is positioned upon the basecoat adjacent the air bearing surface of the magnetic head, includes a plurality of metallic layers. The plurality of insulating layers are positioned upon the basecoat adjacent the data transducer opposite the air bearing surface of the data transducer. At least one insulating layer of the plurality of insulating layers is substantially coplanar to at least one of the plurality of metallic layers. A portion of the insulating layer is formed of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion less than a coefficient of thermal expansion of the material forming the substrate.

Transducing head having a reduced thermal pole tip recession

A giant magnetoresistance recording head includes a writer having a top pole, a shared pole, a conductive coil and a write gap region. The top pole includes a first top pole piece and a second top pole piece. The second top pole piece is formed at least in part over the first top pole piece and is recessed from the air bearing surface. The first top pole piece is formed over a top flat surface of the shared pole and is separated from the shared pole by the write gap region. The shared pole has a recess on the top surface. The recess is placed under the top pole and filled with a non-magnetic material. The non-magnetic recess in the shared pole defines the throat height of the writer.

Recording head with throat height defined by nonmagnetic recess in shared pole

The present invention comprises a magnetoresistive sensor including a cap layer, a free layer, a spacer layer, a pinned layer, an oxide layer, a pinning layer, a seed layer, and a substrate layer. The sensor consists of the cap layer adjacent the free layer. The free layer is adjacent to the spacer layer. The spacer layer is adjacent to the pinned layer. The pinned layer is adjacent to the oxide layer. The oxide layer is adjacent to the pinning layer. The pinning layer is adjacent to the seed layer and the seed layer is adjacent to the substrate. The present invention also comprises a method of manufacturing the magnetoresistive sensor including forming a layered structure. An electron specular scattering effect occurs at the oxide interface to achieve enhanced GMR responses while maintaining thermostability.

Spin valve sensors with an oxide layer utilizing electron specular scattering effect

A method of fabricating a spin valve sensor includes sequentially depositing, without breaking vacuum, a seed layer and an antiferromagnetic layer. Sequentially depositing the seed layer and the antiferromagnetic layer includes depositing a seed layer on a substrate; depositing a Mn-alloy layer of the antiferromagnetic layer directly on top of the seed layer; and depositing a buffer layer of the antiferromagnetic layer directly on top of the Mn-alloy layer. The seed layer, the Mn-alloy layer and the buffer layer are annealed. After annealing, a portion of the buffer layer is etched and a synthetic antiferromagnetic layer is deposited on top of the buffer layer. A spacer layer is deposited on top of the synthetic antiferromagnetic layer, and a free layer is deposited on top of the spacer layer.

Method of fabricating a spin valve/GMR sensor having a synthetic antiferromagnetic layer pinned by Mn-alloy

A writer for perpendicular recording on bilayer media with suppressed skew angle effect on the width of the recorded track is disclosed. The writer has a wide and flat trailing edge and a narrow leading edge. In a preferred embodiment, the pole has a trapezoidal cross-section. To suppress the skew effect on the width of the recorded track, the slope angle of the pole sides may be greater than the maximum skew angle in a drive.

Perpendicular magnetic recording heads with write pole shaped to reduce skew effects during writing

A magnetic recording head having an air bearing surface comprises a writer having a substantially planar single piece top pole, a shared pole and a conductive coil. The top pole and shared pole are separated by a write gap region. A magnetic stud is positioned adjacent the write gap region near the air bearing surface. The magnetic stud provides a uniform magnetic flux supply to the write gap region. The magnetic stud has a variable height along the air bearing surface. An inner surface of the magnetic stud substantially conforms to an outer surface of the conductive coil. The shared pole includes a recess, and at least a portion of the conductive coil is positioned in the recess. The recess in the shared pole is filled with an insulator that substantially surrounds the portion of the conductive coil positioned in the recess. A capping layer is formed on the portion of the conductive coil positioned in the recess. The shared pole includes a common top surface comprising a top surface of the magnetic stud, a top surface of the insulator and a top surface of the capping layer. The common top surface is made substantially planar by chemical-mechanical polishing.

Planar writer for merged GMR recording head

A spin valve sensor is disclosed that comprises a first layer of ferromagnetic material and a second layer of ferromagnetic material. A first layer of non-ferromagnetic material is positioned between the first and second layers of ferromagnetic material. A pinning layer is positioned adjacent to the first layer of ferromagnetic material such that the pinning layer is in contact with the first layer of ferromagnetic material. The spin valve includes synthetic antiferromagnetic bias means extending over passive end regions of the second layer of ferromagnetic material for producing a longitudinal bias in the passive end regions of a level sufficient to maintain the passive end regions in a single domain state. A method for forming a spin valve sensor with exchange tabs is also disclosed.

Spin valve sensor with exchange tabs

A method and apparatus for reducing the amount of off-track pickup by a read/write head in a disc drive are disclosed. The read element of the head is placed in a separation zone formed between two pole pieces. The separation zone is positioned along with the read element over a current data track. Another separation zone is formed between the two pole pieces at the sides of the read element. This separation zone formed at the sides of the read element is positioned over adjacent data tracks and has a smaller width to prevent the stray magnetic flux from the adjacent tracks from reaching the read element.

Disc drive reader with reduced off-track pickup

A method and apparatus for dissipating heat generated in a sensor element of a vertical magnetoresistive recording head or flux guide magnetoresistive recording head having a recess formed in the lower and/or upper magnetic shields for enhancing efficiency during reading data from a magnetic medium. Heat is dissipated through a non-magnetic metal filler layer ( ) formed in the shield recesses ( ) between an upper ( ) or lower ( ) metal shield and a sensor element ( ) comprising a magnetoresistive head structure. The metal filler ( ) must be non-magnetic, must avoid an electrical short between the sensor element and the upper ( ) or lower ( ) magnetic shield, and must be compatible with the adjacent shield in terms of adhesion thereto and the thermal expansion coefficient thereof. An insulator layer ( ) comprising an electrical insulator is formed between the sensor element ( ) and the metal filler ( ) to insure electrical insulation. The metal filler ( ) acts as a thermal path from the sensor element ( ) to the metal shields ( ).

Reducing sensor temperature in magnetoresistive recording heads

A magnetic read head (,) for use in a magnetic data storage and retrieval system has a first current contact (,), a second current contact (,), a magnetoresistive read sensor (,), and a demagnetization field balance element (,). Positioned between the first and second current contacts (,) are both the magnetoresistive read sensor (,) and the demagnetization field balance element (,). The demagnetization field balance element (,) is both electrically isolated from and magnetically coupled to the magnetoresistive read sensor (,).

Highly sensitive spin valve heads using a self-aligned demag-field balance element

A spin valve sensor is constructed with an electrically conductive antiferromagnetic pinning layer. A first ferromagnetic layer is placed proximate the pinning layer. A second ferromagnetic layer is included with a non-ferromagnetic electrically conductive layer placed between the first and second ferromagnetic layers. A boundary layer of electrically insulating material is placed proximate to the second layer of ferromagnetic material opposite the non-ferromagnetic electrically conductive layer. Preferred embodiments exhibit an enhanced giant magnetoresistive (GMR) effect presumably due to scattering that is more specular at the interface with the electrically insulating material.

Enhanced spin-valve/GMR magnetic sensor with an insulating boundary layer

A spin valve sensor and a method of fabricating the same are disclosed. The spin valve sensor includes a first layer of ferromagnetic material and a second layer of ferromagnetic material, with the second layer of ferromagnetic material having a thickness of less than about 100 .ANG.. A first layer of non-ferromagnetic conducting material is positioned between the first and second layers of ferromagnetic material. A NiMn pinning layer is positioned adjacent to the second layer of ferromagnetic material such that the pinning layer is in contact with the second layer of ferromagnetic material, wherein the NiMn pinning layer has a thickness of less than about 200 .ANG. and provides a pinning field for pinning a magnetization of the second layer of ferromagnetic material in a first direction.

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Edina, MN, United States of America

Edward Stephens Murdock