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US 2017/0372731 A1Published application
Tunnel valve read sensor with crystalline alumina tunnel barrier deposited using room temperature techniques
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsRobert G. Biskeborn, Calvin S. Lo, Teya Topuria
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Abstract
In one general embodiment, a method includes forming a first magnetic layer, forming a tunnel barrier layer above the first magnetic layer, and forming a second magnetic layer above the tunnel barrier layer. The tunnel barrier layer includes crystalline alumina. The tunnel barrier layer is formed at a temperature of less than 100 degrees centigrade.
Claims19
A method, comprising:
- forming a first magnetic layer;
- forming a tunnel barrier layer above the first magnetic layer;
- and
- forming a second magnetic layer above the tunnel barrier layer,
- the tunnel barrier layer comprising crystalline alumina,
- the tunnel barrier layer being formed at a temperature of less than 100 degrees centigrade.
3 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- an array of magnetic tunnel junction devices arranged along a tape bearing surface of a magnetic tape head module, each magnetic tunnel junction device having a reference layer, a free layer, and a tunnel barrier layer between the free and reference layers,
- wherein the tunnel barrier layer of each magnetic tunnel junction device is primarily crystalline alumina,
- wherein each tunnel barrier layer has a physical gradient in a degree of crystallinity that increases from a bottom to a top thereof, with the highest degree of crystallinity being at the top of the tunnel barrier layer.
An apparatus, comprising:
- an array of magnetic tunnel junction devices arranged along a tape bearing surface of a magnetic tape head module, each magnetic tunnel junction device having a reference layer, a free layer, and a tunnel barrier layer between the free and reference layers,
- wherein the tunnel barrier layer of each magnetic tunnel junction device is primarily crystalline alumina,
- wherein an upper surface of the free layer or reference layer under each tunnel barrier layer has physical characteristics of being cleaned at a milling angle of between 40 and 80 degrees for a duration sufficient to remove an amorphous native oxide sublayer therefrom, wherein the physical characteristics include absence of a metal oxide along the upper surface having an oxygen to metal ratio in the metal oxide that is outside an approximately stoichiometric ratio.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.