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US 8,945,405 B2Granted
Magnetic sensor with composite magnetic shield
AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorsVladyslav Alexandrovich Vas'ko, Venkateswara Rao Inturi, Michael C. Kautzky, Zhihong Lu, Mark T. Kief, Yifan Zhang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A magneto-resistive reader includes a first magnetic shield element, a second magnetic shield element and a magneto-resistive sensor stack separating the first magnetic shield element from the second magnetic shield element. The first shield element includes two ferromagnetic anisotropic layers separated by a grain growth suppression layer.
Claims19
A method of forming a magneto-resistive reader comprising:
- depositing a first shield element, the first shield element comprising two ferromagnetic anisotropic layers separated by a grain growth suppression layer;
- annealing the first shield element at a magnetic set anneal temperature to form a set annealed first shield;
- depositing a magneto-resistive sensor stack on the annealed first shield;
- annealing the magneto-resistive sensor stack at a magnetic cross set anneal temperature to form a cross set annealed magneto-resistive sensor stack;
- and
- depositing a second shield element on the cross set annealed magneto-resistive sensor stack.
3 more elements
A method of forming a first shield for a tunneling magneto-resistive reader comprising:
- depositing a first shield element, the first shield element comprising two ferromagnetic anisotropic layers separated by a grain growth suppression layer;
- annealing the first shield element at a magnetic set anneal temperature to form a set annealed first shield;
- polishing an exposed surface of the first shield element to form a smooth exposed first shield surface;
- depositing a chemical mechanical polishing stop layer on the smooth exposed first shield surface;
- depositing an insulating material about the first shield element;
- removing insulating material by chemical mechanical polishing down to the chemical mechanical polishing stop layer;
- removing the chemical mechanical polishing stop layer, forming a polished first shield element;
- depositing a magneto-resistive sensor stack on the polished first shield;
- annealing the magneto-resistive sensor stack at a magnetic cross set anneal temperature to form a cross set annealed magneto-resistive sensor stack.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.