Underlayer for reference layer of polycrystalline CPP GMR sensor stack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9412399-B2
Application number	US-201414488735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2014
Priority date	Sep 17, 2014
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a magnetic head having an amorphous ferromagnetic reference layer. The ferromagnetic reference layer may have amorphous structure as a result of an amorphous ferromagnetic underlayer that the ferromagnetic reference layer is deposited thereon. The amorphous ferromagnetic reference layer enhances magnetoresistance, leading to an improved magnetic head.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A magnetic head, comprising:
a sensor stack, wherein the sensor stack includes:
an antiferromagnetic layer;
a first crystalline ferromagnetic underlayer;
an amorphous ferromagnetic layer disposed on the crystalline ferromagnetic underlayer;
a nonmagnetic layer disposed over the amorphous ferromagnetic layer;
a second crystalline ferromagnetic underlayer disposed over the nonmagnetic layer; and
a ferromagnetic free layer disposed on the second crystalline ferromagnetic underlayer.

2. The magnetic head of claim 1 , wherein the ferromagnetic free layer is amorphous.

3. The magnetic head of claim 1 , further comprising an amorphous ferromagnetic reference layer, wherein the amorphous ferromagnetic reference layer is deposited on the first crystalline ferromagnetic underlayer at a temperature between about 50 K to about 100 K.

4. A magnetic head, comprising:
a sensor stack, wherein the sensor stack includes:
an antiferromagnetic layer;
a first crystalline ferromagnetic underlayer;
an amorphous ferromagnetic reference layer disposed over the crystalline ferromagnetic underlayer;
a nonmagnetic layer disposed on the amorphous ferromagnetic reference layer;
a second crystalline ferromagnetic underlayer disposed over the nonmagnetic layer;
a ferromagnetic free layer disposed on the second crystalline ferromagnetic underlayer;
a first amorphous ferromagnetic underlayer disposed between the first crystalline ferromagnetic underlayer and the amorphous ferromagnetic reference layer; and
a second amorphous ferromagnetic underlayer disposed between the nonmagnetic layer and the second crystalline ferromagnetic underlayer.

5. The magnetic head of claim 4 , wherein the second amorphous ferromagnetic underlayer comprises CoFeBTa, CoTiB or CoFeGe.

6. A hard disk drive, comprising:
a magnetic media;
a magnetic write head; and
a magnetic read head, wherein the magnetic read head includes:
a sensor stack, wherein the sensor stack includes:
an antiferromagnetic layer;
a first crystalline ferromagnetic underlayer disposed over the antiferromagnetic layer;
a first amorphous ferromagnetic underlayer disposed over the first crystalline ferromagnetic underlayer;
an amorphous ferromagnetic reference layer disposed over the first amorphous ferromagnetic underlayer;
a first nonmagnetic layer disposed over the amorphous ferromagnetic reference layer;
a second crystalline ferromagnetic underlayer disposed over the first nonmagnetic layer;
a second amorphous ferromagnetic underlayer disposed over the second crystalline ferromagnetic; and
an amorphous ferromagnetic free layer disposed over the second amorphous ferromagnetic underlayer.

7. The hard disk drive of claim 6 , wherein the first amorphous ferromagnetic underlayer comprises CoFeBTa, CoTiB or CoFeGe.

8. The hard disk drive of claim 7 , wherein the second amorphous ferromagnetic underlayer comprises CoFeBTa, CoTiB or CoFeGe.

9. The hard disk drive of claim 6 , further comprising a ferromagnetic pinned layer disposed on the antiferromagnetic layer, wherein the first amorphous ferromagnetic underlayer is disposed over the ferromagnetic pinned layer.

10. The hard disk drive of claim 9 , further comprising a second nonmagnetic layer disposed on the ferromagnetic pinned layer, wherein the first amorphous ferromagnetic underlayer is disposed over the second nonmagnetic layer.

11. The hard disk drive of claim 10 , wherein the amorphous ferromagnetic reference layer is disposed on the first amorphous ferromagnetic underlayer, the first nonmagnetic layer is disposed on the amorphous ferromagnetic reference layer, the second amorphous ferromagnetic underlayer is disposed over the first nonmagnetic layer, and the amorphous ferromagnetic free layer is disposed on the second amorphous ferromagnetic underlayer.

Assignees

• HGST Netherlands BV

Inventors

• Childress Jeffrey Robinson
• Choi Young-Suk
• Nakatani Tomoya
• Read John Creighton

Classifications

• G11B5/3903 Primary

  using magnetic thin film layers or their effects, the films being part of integrated structures · CPC title

• G01R33/093 Primary

  using multilayer structures, e.g. giant magnetoresistance sensors (thin magnetic films H01F10/00) · CPC title

• H10N50/85

  Materials of the active region · CPC title

• G11B5/3906

  Details related to the use of magnetic thin film layers or to their effects · CPC title

• G11B2005/3996

  large or giant magnetoresistive effects [GMR], e.g. as generated in spin-valve [SV] devices · CPC title