The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.

The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.

Date of Patent:
Sep. 19, 2000

Filed:

Jul. 14, 1998
Applicant:
Inventors:

Satoshi Shigematsu, Kawasaki, JP;

Takao Imagawa, Mito, JP;

Koichi Nishioka, Hiratsuka, JP;

Hiroshi Kamio, Odawara, JP;

Katsuhisa Usami, Hitachi, JP;

Assignee:

Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;

Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G11B / ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
428692 ; 4286 / ; 4286 / ; 4286 / ; 4286 / ; 428900 ; 360113 ; 338 / ; 324252 ;
Abstract

Magnetoresistive and spin valve heads have a layered structure. Common to each of the layered structures of these heads is the combination of a soft-magnetic layer of essentially NiFe near a spacer layer of essentially Ta, which is used for insuring (111) crystal orientation of the NiFe layer. An isolate layer is interposed between the spacer layer and the soft-magnetic layer to prevent a diffusion boundary from being created at the interface of these layers which tends to degrade the soft-magnetic property of the NiFe layer, especially when the thickness of the soft-magnetic layer is 10 and nm or less. The isolate layer is one of a composition in which the principal component is a magnetic element that is not solid soluble with Ta, a composition in which the principal component is a non-magnetic element that is not solid soluble with Ni and Fe, a composition in which the principal component is at least one of the elements of Co, Fe, Ti, V, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, W, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Re, Os, Ir, Pt and Au; or a composition in which the principal component is of Co.sub.(100-x) Fe.sub.(x), where 20.gtoreq.X>O. The isolate layer has a structure that is amorphous, an fcc structure.


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