Method and system for providing a magnetic read transducer having an improved signal to noise ratio
AssigneeWestern Digital (Fremont), LLC
InventorsChristian Kaiser, Qunwen Leng, Mahendra Pakala, Daniele Mauri
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Abstract
A method and system for providing a magnetic read transducer is described. The magnetic read transducer includes a magnetoresistive sensor a shield, and a spin pumping barrier layer. The magnetoresistive sensor includes a pinned layer, a spacer layer, and a free layer. The spacer layer is nonmagnetic and resides between the pinned layer and the free layer. The free layer is between the pinned layer and the shield. The spin pumping barrier layer is between the shield and the free layer.
Claims23
A magnetic read transducer comprising:
- a magnetoresistive sensor including a pinned layer, a spacer layer, and a free layer, the spacer layer being nonmagnetic and residing between the pinned layer and the free layer;
- a shield, the free layer residing between the pinned layer and the shield;
- and
- a spin pumping barrier layer between the shield and the free layer, wherein the spin pumping barrier layer includes at least one of aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, zinc oxide, Si, Ge, ZnSe, Ta, and copper oxide.
A magnetic read transducer comprising:
- a first shield;
- a magnetoresistive sensor including a pinned layer, a spacer layer, and a free layer, the spacer layer being a first tunneling barrier layer and residing between the pinned layer and the free layer, the magnetoresistive sensor having a first resistance area product (RA);
- a second tunneling barrier layer adjoining the free layer, the free layer residing between the second tunneling barrier layer and the first tunneling barrier layer, the second tunneling barrier having a thickness of at least five and not more than fifteen Angstroms, the second tunneling barrier layer including MgO, the second tunneling barrier layer having a second RA not more than twenty percent of the first RA, the second RA being at least 10 mΩ-μm2 and not more than 100 mΩ-μm2, wherein the spin pumping barrier layer includes at least one of aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, zinc oxide, Si, Ge, ZnSe, Ta, and copper oxide;
- a capping layer adjoining the second tunneling barrier layer, the second tunneling barrier layer residing between the capping layer and the free layer;
- and
- a second shield, the capping layer residing between the free layer and the second shield.
A magnetic recording disk comprising:
- a media;
- a slider;
- a read transducer coupled with the slider, the read transducer including a magnetoresistive sensor, a shield, and a spin pumping barrier layer, the magnetoresistive sensor including a pinned layer, a spacer layer, and a free layer, the spacer layer being nonmagnetic and residing between the pinned layer and the free layer, the free layer residing between the pinned layer and the shield, the spin pumping barrier layer residing between the shield and the free layer, the spin pumping barrier layer including at least one of aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, zinc oxide, Si, Ge, ZnSe, Ta, and copper oxide.
A method for fabricating a magnetoresistive structure for use in a magnetic transducer, the method comprising:
- providing a magnetoresistive sensor including a pinned layer, a spacer layer, and a free layer, the spacer layer being nonmagnetic and residing between the pinned layer and the free layer;
- a spin pumping barrier layer, the spin pumping barrier layer including at least one of aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, zinc oxide, Si, Ge, ZnSe, Ta, and copper oxide;
- providing a shield, the free layer residing between the pinned layer and the shield, the spin pumping barrier layer being between the shield and the free layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.