MR sensor with blunt contiguous junction and slow-milling-rate read gap

A transducer comprising:

• a magnetoresistive sensor formed of a plurality of layers that terminate at a substantially blunt end,
• a metal layer abutting said end and biasing said sensor,
• a read gap containing a plurality of adjoining amagnetic layers, at least one of which adjoins said sensor and said metal layer, and
• a magnetic shield separated from said sensor by said read gap wherein at least one of said amagnetic layers contains DLC that has been heated to at least about 300° C.

A transducer comprising:

• a magnetoresistive sensor formed of a plurality of layers that terminate at a substantially blunt end,
• a metal layer abutting said end and biasing said sensor,
• a read gap containing a plurality of adjoining amagnetic layers, at least one of which adjoins said sensor and said metal layer, and
• a magnetic shield separated from said sensor by said read gap, wherein at least one of said amagnetic layers contains at least one material from the group consisting of polycrystalline DLC, ta-C, cubic-BN, AlB12, ZrO2, Nb2O5, Y2O5, HfO2, MgO and BaTiO3.

A transducer comprising:

• a magnetoresistive sensor formed of a plurality of layers that terminate at a substantially blunt end,
• a metal layer abutting said end and biasing said sensor,
• a read gap containing a plurality of adjoining amagnetic layers, at least one of which adjoins said sensor and said metal layer, and
• a magnetic shield separated from said sensor by said read gap, wherein at least one of said amagnetic layers contains at least one material from the group consisting of polycrystalline DLC, ta-C, TiC, TaC, SiC, B4C, WC, TiB2, TaB2, AlB12, cubic-BN, B4N, BCN, β-C3N4, ZrC, ZrN, VC, NbB2, W2B5, LaB6 and SiB6.

A method for forming a transducer comprising:

• forming a metal layer,
• forming an amagnetic layer over said metal layer such that said amagnetic layer has an ion milling rate substantially less than that of alumina, including selecting a material for forming said amagnetic layer from the group consisting of polycrystalline DLC, ta-C, TiO2, cubic-BN, AlB12, ZrO2, Nb2HfO2, MgO and BaTiO3,
• forming a plurality of sensor layers over said amagnetic layer, including forming at least one magnetoresistive layer,
• forming a mask over an active area of said sensor layers,
• removing by ion milling a portion of said sensor layers that is not covered by said mask, including removing said portion at a substantially greater rate than said ion milling rate of said amagnetic layer, thereby forming an end to said sensor layers and a top to said amagnetic layer,
• forming a metal layer contiguous to said end and to said top, and
• removing said mask.

A method for forming a transducer comprising:

• forming a metal layer,
• forming first and second amagnetic layers atop said shield layer, at least one of said amagnetic layers having an ion milling rate substantially less than that of alumina, including selecting a material for forming at least one of said amagnetic layers from the group consisting of TiC, TaC, SiC, B4C, WC, TiB2, TaB2, AlB12, β-C3N4, cubic-BN, B4N, BCN, ZrC, ZrN, VC, NbB2, W2B5, LaB6, SiB6,
• forming a plurality of sensor layers over said amagnetic layer, including forming at least one magnetoresistive layer,
• forming a mask over an active area of said sensor layers,
• removing by ion milling a portion of said sensor layers that is not covered by said mask, including removing said portion at a substantially greater rate than said ion milling rate of said amagnetic layer, thereby forming an end to said sensor layers and a top to said amagnetic layer,
• forming a metal layer contiguous to said end and to said top, and
• removing said mask.

A method for forming a transducer comprising:

• forming a metal layer,
• forming an initial amagnetic layer atop said metal layer,
• forming a subsequent amagnetic layer over said initial amagnetic layer such that said subsequent amagnetic layer has an ion milling rate substantially less than that of alumina,
• forming a plurality of sensor layers over said amagnetic layer, including forming at least one magnetoresistive layer,
• forming a mask over an active area of said sensor layers,
• removing by ion milling a portion of said sensor layers that is not covered by said mask, including removing said portion at a substantially greater rate than said ion milling rate of said amagnetic layer, thereby forming an end to said sensor layers and a top to said amagnetic layer,
• forming a metal layer contiguous to said end and to said top,
• removing said mask,
• monitoring for the presence of particles from said initial amagnetic layer during said removing by ion milling, and
• controlling said ion milling based upon said monitoring.

A method for forming a transducer comprising:

• forming a metal layer,
• forming an amagnetic layer over said metal layer such that said amagnetic layer has an ion milling rate substantially less than that of alumina, wherein forming said amagnetic layer includes heating said amagnetic layer to a temperature greater than about 300° C.,
• forming a plurality of sensor layers over said amagnetic layer, including forming at least one magnetoresistive layer,
• forming a mask over an active area of said sensor layers,
• removing by ion milling a portion of said sensor layers that is not covered by said mask, including removing said portion at a substantially greater rate than said ion milling rate of said amagnetic layer, thereby forming an end to said sensor layers and a top to said amagnetic layer,
• forming a metal layer contiguous to said end and to said top, and
• removing said mask.