Patent ID: 7289304
Filing Date: 2007-10-30
Classification: B82Y,G01R,G11B

Abstract:
1. A current-perpendicular-to-the-plane magnetoresistive read head for reading magnetically recorded data from tracks on a magnetic recording medium when a sense current is applied to the head, the head comprising: a first electrical lead consisting of a shield layer of electrically-conductive magnetically-permeable material; a seed layer on the first shield; a self-pinned antiparallel (AP) pinned structure comprising a first AP-pinned (AP1) ferromagnetic layer on the seed layer and having an in-plane magnetization direction, a second AP-pinned (AP2) ferromagnetic multilayer having an in-plane magnetization direction substantially antiparallel to the magnetization direction of the AP1 layer, and an AP coupling (APC) layer between and in contact with the AP1 layer and the AP2 multilayer, each of the AP1 layer and the AP2 multilayer having a thickness greater than 50 Å, the AP2 multilayer comprising a CoFe alloy layer and a NiFe alloy layer between the APC layer and the CoFe alloy layer, and the APC layer consisting essentially of Ir and having a thickness less than or equal to 5 Å, the AP-pinned structure having a saturation magnetization greater than 5 kOe; a nano-oxide layer comprising an oxidized surface layer of the CoFe layer; an electrically conductive nonmagnetic spacer layer on the oxidized surface layer of the CoFe layer; a free ferromagnetic layer on the spacer layer and having an in-plane magnetization direction oriented substantially orthogonal to the magnetization directions of the AP1 layer and the AP2 multilayer in the absence of an external magnetic field; a capping layer on the free ferromagnetic layer; and a second electrical lead consisting of a shield layer of electrically-conductive magnetically-permeable material on the capping layer, the self-pinned AP-pinned structure, spacer layer and free ferromagnetic layer being located between said first and second leads, said sense current being directed into one of said leads, perpendicularly through the layers of the sel-pinned AP-pinned structure, spacer layer and free ferromagnetic layer and out said other lead.