Method of making a top spin valve sensor with an in-situ formed seed layer structure for improving sensor performance

A method of making a magnetic head assembly comprising the steps of:

• making a write head as follows:
• forming ferromagnetic first and second pole piece layers in pole tip, yoke and back gap regions wherein the yoke region is located between the pole tip and back gap regions;
• forming a nonmagnetic nonconductive write gap layer between the first and second pole piece layers in the pole tip region;
• forming an insulation stack with at least one coil layer embedded therein between the first and second pole piece layers in the yoke region;
• and
• connecting the first and second pole piece layers at said back gap region;
• and
• making a read head as follows:
• forming a spin valve sensor with first and second seed layers that interface one another with the first seed layer being aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and the second seed layer being nickel oxide based;
• forming a nonmagnetic second read gap layer;
• forming a ferromagnetic first shield layer with the spin valve sensor located between the first shield layer and the second read gap layer and the spin valve sensor and the second read gap layer located between the first shield layer and the first pole piece layer;
• and
• making the spin valve sensor as follows:
• forming the first seed layer by ion beam sputtering aluminum oxide (Al2O3) in an ion beam sputtering chamber with the chamber maintained with a vacuum;
• without breaking said vacuum, forming the second seed layer by ion beam sputtering a nickel oxide based material directly on the first seed layer in said chamber;
• forming a ferromagnetic free layer structure directly on and interfacing the second seed layer that has a magnetic moment that is free to rotate in response to signal fields;
• forming a nonmagnetic conductive spacer layer directly on and interfacing the free layer structure;
• forming a ferromagnetic pinned layer structure directly on and interfacing the spacer layer that has a magnetic moment;
• and
• forming an antiferromagnetic pinning layer directly on and interfacing the pinned layer structure for pinning the magnetic moment of the pinned layer structure.

A method of making a read head comprising the steps of:

• providing a sputtering chamber;
• providing a substrate in the chamber;
• providing an aluminum (Al) or aluminum oxide (Al2O3) target in the sputtering chamber opposite said substrate;
• providing an ion beam gun in the chamber;
• pulling a vacuum in the chamber;
• bombarding the aluminum (Al) target in an oxygen atmosphere or aluminum oxide (Al2O3) target with ions from the ion beam gun causing aluminum (Al) or aluminum oxide (Al2O3) to be sputtered from the target and deposited on the substrate to form a first seed layer of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) thereon;
• providing a nickel based target opposite said substrate in the chamber;
• without breaking said vacuum bombarding the nickel based target with ions from the ion beam gun in an oxygen atmosphere causing material to be sputtered from the nickel based target to form a nickel oxide based second seed layer directly on and interfacing the first seed layer;
• depositing a ferromagnetic free layer structure that has a magnetic moment that is free to rotate in response to signal fields directly on and interfacing the second seed layer;
• depositing a nonmagnetic conductive spacer layer directly on and interfacing the free layer structure;
• depositing a ferromagnetic pinned layer structure that has a magnetic moment directly on the spacer layer;
• and
• depositing an antiferromagnetic pinning layer directly on and interfacing the pinned layer structure for pinning the magnetic moment of the pinned layer structure.