Spin-orbit torque induced magnetization switching in a magnetic recording head

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10650847-B2
Application number	US-201916560844-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2019
Priority date	Dec 14, 2016
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to magnetic media devices, and more specifically, to a magnetic media drive employing a magnetic recording head. The recording head includes a main pole, a trailing shield hot seed layer, a spin Hall layer disposed between the main pole and the trailing shield hot seed layer, and a spin-torque layer disposed between the main pole and the trailing shield hot seed layer. Spin-orbit torque (SOT) is generated from the spin Hall layer. The spin-torque layer magnetization switching or precession is induced by the SOT. The SOT based head reduces the switching current and the Vjump due to higher spin polarization ratio, which improves energy efficiency. In addition, the spin Hall layer and the spin-torque layer are easier to form compared to the conventional pseudo spin-valve structure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A magnetic recording head, comprising:
a main pole;
a trailing shield hot seed layer;
a spin Hall layer disposed between the main pole and the trailing shield hot seed layer, wherein the spin Hall layer is recessed from a media facing surface; and
a spin-torque layer disposed between the main pole and the trailing shield hot seed layer, wherein the spin-torque layer includes a surface at the media facing surface.

2. The magnetic recording head of claim 1 , wherein the spin Hall layer comprises beta phase Tantalum, beta phase tungsten, platinum, hafnium, an alloy of tungsten with hafnium, iridium, or bismuth doped copper, (Bi,Sb)Te, MnIr, XMn (X=Fe, Pd, Ir, and Pt), or antiferromagnets.

3. The magnetic recording head of claim 1 , wherein the spin-torque layer is coupled to the spin Hall layer.

4. The magnetic recording head of claim 1 , wherein the spin-torque layer has a height ranging from about 3 nm to about 25 nm and a thickness ranging from about 1.5 nm to about 15 nm.

5. The magnetic recording head of claim 4 , wherein the spin Hall layer has a height ranging from about 5 nm to about 25 nm and a thickness ranging from about 2.5 nm to about 100 nm.

6. The magnetic recording head of claim 5 , wherein the height of the spin Hall layer is greater than the height of the spin-torque layer.

7. The magnetic recording head of claim 1 , wherein the spin Hall layer has a width that is greater than a width of the main pole at the media facing surface.

8. The magnetic recording head of claim 1 , wherein the spin Hall layer has a width that is greater than a width of the spin-torque layer.

9. A magnetic recording head, comprising:
a trailing shield hot seed layer;
a leading shield;
a main pole, wherein the main pole includes a first surface at a media facing surface, a second surface facing the trailing shield hot seed layer, a third surface opposite the second surface, a fourth surface connecting the second surface and the third surface, and a fifth surface opposite the fourth surface;
a spin Hall structure recessed from the media facing surface, wherein the spin Hall structure surrounds at least three surfaces of the second, third, fourth and fifth surfaces of the main pole; and
a spin-torque structure coupled to the spin Hall structure, wherein the spin-torque structure surrounds at least three surfaces of the second, third, fourth and fifth surfaces of the main pole at the media facing surface.

10. The magnetic recording head of claim 9 , wherein the spin Hall structure comprises beta phase Tantalum, beta phase tungsten, platinum, hafnium, an alloy of tungsten with hafnium, iridium, or bismuth doped copper, (Bi,Sb)Te, MnIr, XMn (X=Fe, Pd, Ir, and Pt), or antiferromagnets.

11. The magnetic recording head of claim 9 , wherein the spin-torque structure has a thickness ranging from about 1.5 nm to about 15 nm.

12. The magnetic recording head of claim 11 , wherein the spin Hall structure has a thickness ranging from about 2.5 nm to about 100 nm.

13. The magnetic recording head of claim 9 , wherein the spin-torque structure and the spin Hall structure surround the second, fourth and fifth surfaces of the main pole.

14. The magnetic recording head of claim 9 , wherein the spin-torque structure and the spin Hall structure surround the second, third, fourth and fifth surfaces of the main pole.

15. A data storage device, comprising:
a magnetic recording head, comprising:
a main pole;
a trailing shield hot seed layer;
a spin Hall layer disposed between the main pole and the trailing shield hot seed layer, wherein the spin Hall layer is recessed from a media facing surface; and
a spin-torque layer disposed between the main pole and the trailing shield hot seed layer, wherein the spin-torque layer includes a surface at the media facing surface.

16. The data storage device of claim 15 , wherein the spin Hall layer comprises beta phase Tantalum, beta phase tungsten, platinum, hafnium, an alloy of tungsten with hafnium, iridium, or bismuth doped copper, (Bi,Sb)Te, MnIr, XMn (X=Fe, Pd, Ir, and Pt), or antiferromagnets.

17. The data storage device of claim 15 , wherein the spin-torque layer is coupled to the spin Hall layer.

18. The data storage device of claim 15 , wherein the spin-torque layer has a height ranging from about 3 nm to about 25 nm and a thickness ranging from about 1.5 nm to about 15 nm.

19. The data storage device of claim 18 , wherein the spin Hall layer has a height ranging from about 5 nm to about 25 nm and a thickness ranging from about 2.5 nm to about 100 nm.

20. The data storage device of claim 19 , wherein the height of the spin Hall layer is the same as or greater than the height of the spin-torque layer.

Assignees

• Western Digital Tech Inc

Inventors

• Li Zhanjie
• Song Suping
• Ho Kuok San

Classifications

• G11B5/372

  in magnetic thin films · CPC title

• G11B5/3116 Primary

  Shaping of layers, poles or gaps for improving the form of the electrical signal transduced, e.g. for shielding, contour effect, equalizing, side flux fringing, cross talk reduction between heads or between heads and information tracks (G11B5/3113, G11B5/245 take precedence) · CPC title

• G11B5/3146

  magnetic layers · CPC title

• G11B5/3133

  including layers not usually being a part of the electromagnetic transducer structure and providing additional features, e.g. for improving heat radiation, reduction of power dissipation, adaptations for measurement or indication of gap depth or other properties of the structure (G11B5/3106 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G11B2005/0024

  Microwave assisted recording · CPC title