Patent ID: 7262941

Claim:
A bottom spin valve magnetoresistive sensor element comprising: a substrate; a magnetoresistive-property-enhancing seed layer formed on said substrate; a pinning layer of antiferromagnetic material formed on said seed layer; a synthetic antiferromagnetic pinned (SyAP) layer formed on said pinning layer, said SyAP layer further comprising: a second antiparallel (AP 2 ) pinned layer of ferromagnetic material formed on said pinning layer; a non-magnetic coupling layer formed on said second antiparallel (AP 2 ) pinned layer; and a first antiparallel (AP 1 ) pinned layer formed on said non-magnetic coupling layer to complete said SyAP layer; a non-magnetic spacer layer formed on said first antiparallel (AP 1 ) layer of said SyAP layer; a ferromagnetic free layer formed on said non-magnetic spacer layer; a non-magnetic material layer formed on said ferromagnetic free layer; a specularly reflecting capping layer formed on said non-magnetic material layer, said capping layer comprising a layer of oxidized Fe 95 Ta 5 or oxidized (Fe 65 Co 35 ) 97 V 3 ; and said free layer being longitudinally magnetized and said pinned magnetic layers being magnetized transversely to said free layer.