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.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 21, 2001
Filed:
Oct. 19, 1999
Song S. Xue, Eden Prairie, MN (US);
Qing I. He, Bloomington, MN (US);
Hong Wang, Savage, MN (US);
Kristin J. Duxstad, Eden Prairie, MN (US);
Michael B. Hintz, Mahtomedi, MN (US);
Seagate Technology LLC, Scotts Valley, CA (US);
Abstract
A giant magnetoresistive spin valve read sensor includes a bilayer seed layer and a stack of films. The bilayer seed layer includes a TaN seed layer and a NiFeCr seed layer. The stack of films includes a free layer adjacent the NiFeCr seed layer, a pinning layer, a pinned layer positioned between the free layer and the pinning layer, and a spacer layer positioned between the free layer and the pinned layer. The bilayer seed layer is used to promote the texture and grain growth of each of the layers subsequently grown upon the seed layer. The free layer has a rotatable magnetic moment, while the pinned layer has a fixed magnetic moment. The resistance of the giant magnetoresistive spin valve read sensor varies as a function of an angle formed between the magnetization of the free layer and the magnetization of the pinned layer.