Method of making a current-perpendicular to the plane (CPP) magnetoresistive (MR) sensor
AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorsJanusz J. Nowak, Konstantin R. Nikolaev, Khoung T. Tran, Mark T. Kief
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Abstract
A magnetoresistive (MR) sensor having a decreased electrical profile due to a confining of the device sense current within a conductive nanoconstriction. The MR sensor includes a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) stack and a layer of high resistivity material within the GMR stack. The layer of high resistivity material includes a nanoconstriction precursor. When a punch current is applied at the nanoconstriction precursor, a conductive nanoconstriction is formed through the layer of high resistivity material at the nanoconstriction precursor.
Claims22
A method of making a current-perpendicular-to-the-plane (CPP) magnetoresistive (MR) sensor comprising:
- forming a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) stack including a layer of high resistivity material;
- forming a nanoconstriction precursor in the layer of high resistivity material;
- and
- applying a punch current to form a conductive nanoconstriction through the layer of high resistivity material at the nanoconstriction precursor.
A method of forming a conductive nanoconstriction in a layer of high resistivity material, the method comprising:
- forming a nanoconstriction precursor in the layer of high resistivity material;
- and
- applying a punch current to form a conductive nanoconstriction through the layer of high resistivity material at the nanoconstriction precursor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.