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US 2005/0286177 A1Published application
Extended pinned layer on top of lead/HB to avoid amplitude flipping
AssigneeHitachi Global Storage Technologies
InventorHardayal Gill
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A magnetoresistive sensor having a self pinned structure formed above a free layer and having a pinning stabilization structure to avoid flipping of the magnetic moment of the pinned layer. The pinned layer stabilization structure includes hard magnetic structures formed over the leads in an area outside of the active area of the sensor, and a magnetic layer extends over the active area of the sensor and over the hard magnetic structures outside of the active area of the sensor.
Claims22
A magnetoresistive sensor, comprising:
- a sensor stack having a top surface and first and second laterally opposed sides defining a width there between, the sensor stack comprising:
- a magnetic free layer;
- a non-magnetic spacer layer formed over the free layer;
- and
- a pinned layer formed over the spacer layer;
- first and second hard magnetic bias layers extending laterally from the laterally opposed sides of the sensor stack;
- first and second leads disposed over the first and second hard magnetic layers respsectively;
- a first electrically conductive, non-magnetic lead formed over the first hard magnetic bias layer, the first lead terminating at the sensor stack and extending outward therefrom;
- a second electrically conductive, non-magnetic lead formed over the second hard magnetic bias layer, the second lead terminating at the sensor stack and extending outward therefrom;
- a third hard magnetic structure formed over the first lead, terminating at the sensor stack and extending laterally outward therefrom;
- a fourth hard magnetic structure formed over the second lead, terminating at the sensor stack and extending laterally outward therefrom;
- and
- a layer of magnetic material (stabilizing layer) extending across at least a portion of the top of the sensor stack and extending across at least a portion of each of the third and fourth hard magnetic structures.
10 more elements
A magnetic recording system, comprising:
- a magnetic medium;
- an actuator;
- a slider connected with the actuator for movement adjacent to the magnetic medium;
- and
- A magnetoresistive sensor, comprising:
- a sensor stack having a top surface and first and second laterally opposed sides defining a width there between, the sensor stack comprising:
- a magnetic free layer;
- a non-magnetic spacer layer formed over the free layer;
- and
- a pinned layer formed over the spacer layer;
- first and second hard magnetic bias layers extending laterally from the laterally opposed sides of the sensor stack;
- first and second leads disposed over the first and second hard magnetic layers respsectively;
- a first electrically conductive, non-magnetic lead formed over the first hard magnetic bias layer, the first lead terminating at the sensor stack and extending outward therefrom;
- a second electrically conductive, non-magnetic lead formed over the second hard magnetic bias layer, the second lead terminating at the sensor stack and extending outward therefrom;
- a third hard magnetic structure formed over the first lead, terminating at the sensor stack and extending laterally outward therefrom;
- a fourth hard magnetic structure formed over the second lead, terminating at the sensor stack and extending laterally outward therefrom;
- and
- a layer of magnetic material (stabilizing layer) extending across at least a portion of the top of the sensor stack and extending across at least a portion of each of the third and fourth hard magnetic structures.
15 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.