Control and manipulation of pinned layer remanence of a platinum manganese based bottom spin valve
AssigneeHitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherland B.V.
InventorDulip Welipitiya
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus provide a magnetic head that includes a magnetoresistive read sensor. A remanence of a pinned layer within the read sensor can be improved without substantially altering other physical or magnetic properties of the read sensor. Changing a sputtering gas flow rate during deposition of an antiferromagnetic layer within the read sensor can lower the remanence of the pinned layer and hence a remanence of the read sensor.
Claims21
A method of forming an exchange coupling layer of a magnetoresistive sensor, comprising:
- depositing a ferromagnetic pinned layer structure that has a magnetic moment;
- depositing an antiferromagnetic (AFM) layer exchange coupled to the pinned layer structure for pinning the magnetic moment of the pinned layer structure, wherein depositing the AFM layer includes sputter depositing an AFM material in an atmosphere of a sputtering gas within a chamber;
- and
- selecting a flow rate for the sputtering gas into the chamber to obtain a desired remanence of the ferromagnetic pinned layer structure.
A method of forming a magnetic head having an exchange coupling layer, comprising:
- depositing a ferromagnetic pinned layer structure that has a magnetic moment;
- sputter depositing an antiferromagnetic (AFM) layer exchange coupled to the pinned layer structure for pinning the magnetic moment of the pinned layer structure, wherein the sputter depositing is performed according to a process where a flow rate of a sputtering gas into a deposition chamber is specifically selected to provide a desired remanence of the ferromagnetic pinned layer structure;
- forming a free layer structure;
- and
- forming a nonmagnetic spacer layer between the free layer structure and the pinned layer structure.
A method of lowering remanence in a magnetic head, comprising:
- depositing a ferromagnetic pinned layer structure that has a magnetic moment;
- and
- lowering an initially established remanence of the ferromagnetic pinned layer structure by sputter depositing a platinum manganese (PtMn) layer exchange coupled to the pinned layer structure for pinning the magnetic moment of the pinned layer structure, wherein the sputter depositing is performed according to a process where a flow rate of argon into a deposition chamber is specifically selected to provide a desired remanence of the ferromagnetic pinned layer structure that is lower than the initially established remanence.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.