AMR Sensor with a soft adjacent layer having high magnetization, high resistivity, low intrinsic anisotropy and near zero magnetostriction

A thin film magnetoresistive (MR) read head that has an air bearing surface (ABS), comprising:

• an anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) sensor, the AMR sensor including:
• a ferromagnetic magnetoresistive (MR) stripe;
• only one soft adjacent layer (SAL);
• and
• a non-magnetic, non-conductive spacer layer sandwiched between the MR stripe and the SAL;
• first and second leads connected to the AMR sensor for conducting a sense current through the AMR sensor so that a portion of sensor current is conducted through the MR stripe for causing the MR stripe to exert a sense current field on the SAL which causes the SAL to bias the MR stripe transverse to the ABS;
• the SAL being an alloy of CoHfNb with high resistivity for minimizing shunting of the sense current through the SAL, low intrinsic anisotropy for obtaining soft magnetic properties of the SAL and near zero magnetostriction for promoting magnetic stability of the SAL;
• and
• a NiFeCr seed layer interfacing the SAL.