Patent ID: 8514524
Filing Date: 2013-08-20
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. A process to manufacture a MR device in a stable compound shield system, having compound top and bottom shields, for use with a magnetic read-write head, comprising: providing a first spacer layer and depositing thereon a first ferromagnetic (FM) sub-shield layer; depositing on said first FM sub-shield layer a first antiferromagnetically coupled trilayer (AFCT) comprising a Ru layer sandwiched between two FM layers; depositing over said antiferromagnetically coupled trilayer a second FM sub-shield layer; depositing a first capping layer, thereby completing formation of said compound bottom shield and reducing said compound bottom shield's magnetic moment to zero; depositing said MR device; depositing an antiferromagnetic (AFM) layer over said compound top shield, thereby allowing the presence of only a single magnetic domain state in said compound top shield; and depositing a second capping layer on said AFM layer, thereby completing formation of said compound top shield and assuring a reproducible shield magnetic domain orientation, a directional anisotropy, and controlled rotation of all shield domains in an applied external field.