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US 7,610,674 B2Granted
Method to form a current confining path of a CPP GMR device
AssigneeHeadway Technologies, Inc.
InventorsKunliang Zhang, Daniel G Abels, Min Li, Yu-Hsia Chen
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Abstract
Concerns about inadequate electromigration robustness in CCP CPP GMR devices have been overcome by adding magnesium to the current confining structures that are presently in use. In one embodiment the alumina layer, in which the current carrying copper regions are embedded, is fully replaced by a magnesia layer. In other embodiments, alumina is still used but a layer of magnesium is included within the structure before it is subjected to ion assisted oxidation.
Claims5
A method to form a current confining path as part of a CPP GMR device, comprising:
- providing a magnetically pinned layer and depositing thereon a first copper layer;
- depositing a layer of MgCu alloy on said first copper layer;
- following a pre-treatment, subjecting said MgCu layer to ion assisted oxidation whereby said MgCu layer segregates into regions of magnesia and free copper;
- depositing a second copper layer on said copper-magnesia layer, whereby current flow between said first and second copper layers is confined to said regions of free copper;
- and
- depositing a magnetically free layer on said second copper layer.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.