Read Rite Corporation

Read-rite Smi Corporation

Masateru Nose

Tomoki Fukagawa

Hiroshi Nishida

Fuminori Hikami

Hideyasu Nagai

Fuminori Higami

Masanori Ueno

A spin-valve magnetic resistance sensor. In one embodiment, the spin-valve magnetic resistance sensor includes a pair of ferromagnetic layers with a non-magnetic layer sandwiched in between. The pair of ferromagnetic layers, the non-magnetic layer and an antiferromagnetic layer are laminated on a substrate. The antiferromagnetic layer is formed using an antiferromagnetic material which uses a Pt&mdash;Mn&mdash;X alloy, Ir&mdash;Mn&mdash;X alloy, Rh&mdash;Mn&mdash;X alloy, Ru&mdash;Mn&mdash;X alloy or Pd&mdash;Mn&mdash;X alloy. X indicates one or more elements selected from a set consisting of elements of groups IIA, IVA, VA, IIIB and IVB of the periodic table. X is in the range of 0.1 at % to 15 at %.

Spin-valve magnetic resistance sensor and thin-film magnetic head

The present invention provides a spin-valve magnetic resistance sensor in which an underlayer, which has a second underlayer film with an fcc structure consisting of an alloy formed by combining one or more elements selected from a set consisting of elements of group VIIIa and group Ib of the periodic table, and one or more elements selected from a set consisting of elements of groups IIa, IVa, Va, VIa, IIb, Ib and IVb of the periodic table, such as NiFeCrTi or NiCrTi, etc., is formed on the substrate, and a magnetic resistance (MR) film which has an antiferromagnetic layer consisting of a Pt,Mn,alloy or an Ir,Mn,alloy is laminated on top of this underlayer. The composition ratio of the element with the smallest free energy of oxide formation among the elements contained in the alloy of the second underlayer film is in the range of 0.1 atomic % to 15 atomic %.

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Takaoka, Japan

Masateru Nose