US 2002/0157238 A1Published application

Method of manufacturing magnetoresistive device and method of manufacturing thin-film magnetic head

AssigneeTDK Corporation

InventorsKoji Shimazawa, Noriyuki Ito, Koichi Terunuma

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Abstract

A magnetoresistive device comprises: an MR element; two bias field applying layers that apply a longitudinal bias magnetic field to the MR element; and two electrode layers that are located adjacent to one of the surfaces of each of the bias field applying layers and overlap one of the surfaces of the MR element. The MR element incorporates a protection layer located on a soft magnetic layer. In the method of manufacturing the magnetoresistive device, a coating layer that will be removed in a later step is formed on the protection layer in advance. Before forming the electrode layers, the coating layer and an oxide layer that is formed through natural-oxidizing part of the top surface of the coating layer are removed through etching. After the electrode layers are formed, the portion of the protection layer located in the region between the two electrode layers is oxidized, and a high resistance layer is thereby formed.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistive device comprising:

a magnetoresistive element having two surfaces that face toward opposite directions and two side portions that face toward opposite directions;
two bias field applying layers that are located adjacent to the side portions of the magnetoresistive element and apply a bias magnetic field to the magnetoresistive element;
and
two electrode layers that feed a current used for magnetic signal detection to the magnetoresistive element, each of the electrode layers being adjacent to one of surfaces of each of the bias field applying layers and overlapping one of the surfaces of the magnetoresistive element;
wherein
the magnetoresistive element incorporates:
a nonmagnetic layer having two surfaces that face toward opposite directions;
a soft magnetic layer located adjacent to one of the surfaces of the nonmagnetic layer that is closer to the electrode layers;
a pinned layer, located adjacent to the other one of the surfaces of the nonmagnetic layer, whose direction of magnetization is fixed;
an antiferromagnetic layer located adjacent to one of surfaces of the pinned layer that is farther from the nonmagnetic layer, the antiferromagnetic layer fixing the direction of magnetization of the pinned layer;
a conductive protection layer located adjacent to one of surfaces of the soft magnetic layer that is farther from the nonmagnetic layer;
and a high resistance layer that is formed through increasing a resistance of a portion of the protection layer that is located in a region between the two electrode layers;
the method comprising the steps of:
forming the antiferromagnetic layer, the pinned layer, the nonmagnetic layer, the soft magnetic layer and the protection layer that make up the magnetoresistive element in this order, and forming a coating layer on the protection layer, the coating layer being to be removed in a later step;
forming the bias field applying layers;
removing the coating layer and exposing one of surfaces of the protection layer;
forming the two electrode layers on the bias field applying layers such that the electrode layers overlap the one of the surfaces of the protection layer;
and
forming the high resistance layer by increasing the resistance of the portion of the protection layer that is located in the region between the two electrode layers, and completing the magnetoresistive element.

16 more elements

A method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head comprising:

a magnetoresistive element having two surfaces that face toward opposite directions and two side portions that face toward opposite directions;
two bias field applying layers that are located adjacent to the side portions of the magnetoresistive element and apply a bias magnetic field to the magnetoresistive element;
and
two electrode layers that feed a current used for magnetic signal detection to the magnetoresistive element, each of the electrode layers being adjacent to one of surfaces of each of the bias field applying layers and overlapping one of the surfaces of the magnetoresistive element;
wherein
the magnetoresistive element incorporates:
a nonmagnetic layer having two surfaces that face toward opposite directions;
a soft magnetic layer located adjacent to one of the surfaces of the nonmagnetic layer that is closer to the electrode layers;
a pinned layer, located adjacent to the other one of the surfaces of the nonmagnetic layer, whose direction of magnetization is fixed;
an antiferromagnetic layer located adjacent to one of surfaces of the pinned layer that is farther from the nonmagnetic layer, the antiferromagnetic layer fixing the direction of magnetization of the pinned layer;
a conductive protection layer located adjacent to one of surfaces of the soft magnetic layer that is farther from the nonmagnetic layer;
and a high resistance layer that is formed through increasing a resistance of a portion of the protection layer that is located in a region between the two electrode layers;
the method comprising the steps of:
forming the antiferromagnetic layer, the pinned layer, the nonmagnetic layer, the soft magnetic layer and the protection layer that make up the magnetoresistive element in this order, and forming a coating layer on the protection layer, the coating layer being to be removed in a later step;
forming the bias field applying layers;
removing the coating layer and exposing one of surfaces of the protection layer;
forming the two electrode layers on the bias field applying layers such that the electrode layers overlap the one of the surfaces of the protection layer;
and
forming the high resistance layer by increasing the resistance of the portion of the protection layer that is located in the region between the two electrode layers, and completing the magnetoresistive element.

16 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.