Patent ID: 7331100

Claim:
A process to manufacture a CPP GMR read head, comprising: providing a lower shield layer having an upper surface and then cleaning said upper surface through plasma etching; depositing a layer of tantalum, between about 3 and 10 Angstroms thick, on said cleaned surface; depositing a layer of NiCr, between about 30 and 60 Angstroms thick, on said layer of tantalum whereby said tantalum and NiCr layers together form a seed layer; depositing a layer of IrMn on said seed layer; on said IrMn layer, depositing an AP2 layer; depositing a layer of AFM coupling material on said AP2 layer; depositing an AP1 layer on said layer of AFM coupling material; depositing a non-magnetic spacer layer on said AP1 layer; depositing a free layer on said non-magnetic spacer layer; and forming a capping layer on said free layer.