Spin valve head with a current channeling layer
US6665154B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 17, 2001 |
| Grant date | Dec 16, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 24, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B2005/3996
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Spin valve heads with overlaid leads have several advantages over butted contiguous junction designs, including larger signal output and better head stability. However, in any overlaid design there is always present at least one high resistance layer between the GMR layer and the conductive leads. This leads to an effective read width that is greater than the actual physical width. This problem has been overcome by inserting a highly conductive channeling layer between the GMR stack and the conducting lead laminate. This arrangement ensures that, at the intersection between the leads and the GMR stack, virtually all the current moves out of the free layer into the leads thereby providing an effective read width for the device that is very close to the physical read width defined by the spacing between the two leads. A process for manufacturing the device is also described.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.