Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Japan, Ltd.

Yasunari Tajima

Satoshi Shigematsu

Daniele Mauri

Katsuro Watanabe

Jinshan Li

Takao Imagawa

Koichi Nishioka

Shigeru Tadokoro

Wen-yaung Lee

Hiroyuki Hoshiya

Kouichi Nishioka

Shuichi Kojima

Norihiro Ookawa

Shigekazu Suwabe

Koji Okazaki

Hiroshi Kamio

Shin Noguchi

An anti-parallel pinned sensor is provided with a spacer that increases the anti-parallel coupling strength of the sensor. The anti-parallel pinned sensor is a GMR or TMR sensor having a pure ruthenium or ruthenium alloy spacer. The thickness of the spacer is less than 0.8 nm, preferably between 0.1 and 0.6 nm. The spacer is also annealed in a magnetic field that is 1.5 Tesla or higher, and preferably greater than 5 Tesla. This design yields unexpected results by more than tripling the pinning field over that of typical AP-pinned GMR and TMR sensors that utilize ruthenium spacers which are 0.8 nm thick and annealed in a relatively low magnetic field of approximately 1.3 Tesla.

Enhanced anti-parallel-pinned sensor using thin ruthenium spacer and high magnetic field annealing

Exchange coupling energy between an anti-ferromagnetic layer and a first ferromagnetic layer, and an anti-ferromagnetic coupling energy between the first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer by way of an Ru anti-ferromagnetic coupling layer of a spin valve device are increased thereby increasing the magnetoresistance ratio and decreasing the coercivity of the free layer of the spin valve film. In an MnPt anti-ferromagnetic bottom type synthetic ferri-type spin valve film in which an underlayer, an anti-ferromagnetic layer comprising MnPt, a first ferromagnetic layer comprising CoFe, an anti-ferromagnetic coupling layer comprising Ru, a second ferromagnetic layer comprising CoFe, an intermediate non-magnetic layer comprising Cu, a free layer comprising synthetic films of CoFe and NiFe and a protective layer are stacked over a substrate, the Fe composition X in CoFeX of the first ferromagnetic layer is set as about: 20&#x3c;x&#x2266;50 at %.

Magnetoresistive head and manufacturing method thereof

A magnetic domain control underlayer is formed below a magnetoresistive multi-layered film thereby bringing the magnetic domain control film into contact with both lateral end faces of a free layer and appropriate magnetic domain control can be attained in a state of minimizing a surplus bias magnetic field from the magnetic domain control film.

Magnetoresistive head having magnetic domain control film in contact with underlayer and with ends of free layer

A spin valve magnetic head, providing on a substrate, a laminated structure that has an antiferromagnetic layer, fixation layer, non-magnetic layer and unconstraint layer, and having a first underlayer of Ta, a second underlayer of NiFeCr and a third underlayer of NiFe, which underlayers are interposed between the substrate and the laminated structure.

Spin valve magnetic head with three underlayers

Magnetic sensor

A magnetoresistive head comprising a magnetoresistive film having electric resistance varying with a magnetic field, a pair of electrodes for causing a current to flow into the magnetoresistive film, and a soft magnetic film for applying a transverse biasing field to the magnetoresistive film, the soft magnetic film containing at least one material of iron, cobalt, and nickel, and at least one compound of zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, hafnium oxide, titanium oxide, beryllium oxide, magnesium oxide, a rare earth oxygen compound, zirconium nitride, hafnium nitride, aluminum nitride, titanium nitride, beryllium nitride, magnesium nitride, silicon nitride, and a rare earth nitrogen compound. The electric resistance of the soft magnetic film is raised by adding a compound thereto and current diverted from the magnetoresistive film to the soft magnetic film decreases, so that the reproducing voltage of the magnetoresistive head rises.

Magnetoresistive head and manufacturing method therefor

A magnetic head having a magnetoresistive head having a spin valve structure in which a composite magnetic layer of a rotatable magnetizing direction layer and oxide or the like is used for a lower shielding layer and/or an upper shielding layer and a magnetic disk apparatus using such a head are disclosed. According to the invention, a magnetic head having a head of a magnetoresistance effect type generating a high output with low noises and a magnetic disk apparatus having a large quantity with high recording density can be realized.

Magnetic head and magnetic disk apparatus provided therewith

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Yasunari Tajima