Patent ID: 7060321

Claim:
A process for manufacturing a top spin valve structure, comprising: providing a lower primary magnetic shield on which is a first dielectric layer; on a selected area of said first dielectric layer, depositing a layer of conductive material for use as a connecting lead to the structure; on the conductive lead material, selectively depositing a layer of a ferromagnetic material for use as an exchange magnet for providing longitudinal bias to the structure; on said first dielectric layer and on the exchange magnet layer, depositing a layer of magnetic material for use as a free layer in said spin valve; on the free layer depositing a layer of non-magnetic material; on the layer of non-magnetic material, depositing a layer of magnetic material for use as a pinned layer in said spin valve; on the pinned layer, depositing a layer of an anti-ferromagnetic material for use as a pinning layer in said spin valve, thereby completing formation of the top spin valve; on the anti-ferromagnetic layer, depositing a layer of material for use as a decoupling layer; on the decoupling layer, depositing a layer of high permeability ferromagnetic material, said material having an electrical resistivity greater than about 125 micro-ohm-cm and a thickness such that the product of its moment and thickness is 2 to 5 times that of the free layer, thereby forming a thin film shield; on the thin film shield, depositing a second dielectric layer; and on the second dielectric layer, depositing an upper primary magnetic shield.