Method of making a top spin valve sensor with an in-situ formed seed layer structure for improving sensor performance
US6306266A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 17, 2000 |
| Grant date | Oct 23, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 17, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B2005/3996
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method constructs first and second seed layers of a seed layer structure in-situ for a top spin valve sensor for increasing magnetoresistive coefficient dr/R of the sensor, reducing a ferromagnetic coupling field H.sub.FC between pinned and free layers of the sensor and reducing coercivity H.sub.C of the free layer. The first layer, which is aluminum oxide (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3), is ion beam sputter deposited on a first shield layer in a sputtering chamber under a specified pressure. The second seed layer, which is nickel oxide based, is deposited on the first seed layer by ion beam sputter deposition without breaking the vacuum of the chamber. The free layer is then directly deposited on the second seed layer followed by formation of the remainder of the layers of the spin valve sensor. In one embodiment of the invention a read gap layer and the first seed layer are located between a first shield layer and the second seed layer while in the second embodiment of the invention the first seed layer is the only layer between the first shield layer and the second seed layer.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.