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. 02, 2005
Filed:
Mar. 27, 2003
Brian W. Karr, Savage, MN (US);
Mark T. Kief, Savage, MN (US);
Janusz J. Nowak, Eden Prairie, MN (US);
Brian W. Karr, Savage, MN (US);
Mark T. Kief, Savage, MN (US);
Janusz J. Nowak, Eden Prairie, MN (US);
Seagate Technology LLC, Scotts Valley, CA (US);
Abstract
The present invention is a tunneling magnetoresistive (TMR) stack configured to operate in a current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) mode, wherein a sense current flows substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal plane of the barrier layer. The TMR stack has a plurality of layers including a barrier layer. The barrier layer may made of titanium and may be oxidized with an aggressive oxidation method, such as with UV illumination, for a predetermined time period. The barrier layer may be formed on a first ferromagnetic layer before oxidation, and then a second ferromagnetic layer may be formed on the oxidized barrier layer. The TMR stack exhibits an increased magnetoresistive (MR) ratio, a lower RA product, a higher breakdown voltage of the TMR stack, and greater thermal stability.