1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to magnetic read sensors, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for providing a magnetic read sensor having a thin pinning layer and improved magnetoresistive coefficient ΔR/R.
2. Description of Related Art
The heart of a computer is typically a magnetic disk drive which includes a rotating magnetic disk, a slider that has write and read heads, a suspension arm above the rotating disk and an actuator arm. The suspension arm biases the slider into contact with a parking ramp or the surface of the disk when the disk is not rotating but, when the disk rotates, air is swirled by the rotating disk adjacent an air bearing surface (ABS) of the slider causing the slider to ride on an air bearing a slight distance from the surface of the rotating disk. When the slider rides on the air bearing the actuator arm swings the suspension arm to place the write and read heads over selected circular tracks on the rotating disk where field signals are written and read by the write and read heads. The write and read heads are connected to processing circuitry that operates according to a computer program to implement the writing and reading functions.
Conventional magnetoresistive (MR) sensors, such as those used in magnetic recording disk drives, operate on the basis of the anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) effect in which a component of the read element resistance varies as the square of the cosine of the angle between the magnetization in the read element and the direction of sense current flow through the read element. Recorded data can be read from a magnetic medium because the external magnetic field from the recorded magnetic medium (the signal field) causes a change in the direction of magnetization in the read element, which in turn causes a change in resistance in the read element and a corresponding change in the sensed current or voltage.
A different and more pronounced magnetoresistance, called giant magnetoresistance (GMR), has been observed in a variety of magnetic multilayered structures, the essential feature being at least two ferromagnetic metal layers separated by a non-ferromagnetic metal layer. The physical origin of the GMR effect is that the application of an external magnetic field causes a variation in the relative orientation of neighboring ferromagnetic layers. This in turn causes a change in the spin-dependent scattering of conduction electrons and thus the electrical resistance of the structure. The resistance of the structure thus changes as the relative alignment of the magnetizations of the ferromagnetic layers changes.
A particularly useful application of GMR is a sandwich structure, called a spin valve, comprising two uncoupled ferromagnetic layers separated by a nonmagnetic metal layer in which the magnetization of one of the ferromagnetic layers is pinned. The pinning may be achieved by depositing the layer onto an antiferromagnetic layer, which exchange-couples to the pinned layer. The unpinned layer or free ferromagnetic layer is free to rotate in the presence of any small external magnetic field.
Spin valve structures have been identified in which the resistance between two uncoupled ferromagnetic layers is observed to vary as cosine of the angle between the magnetizations of the two layers and is independent of the direction of current flow. The spin valve produces a magnetoresistance that, for selected combinations of materials, is greater in magnitude than AMR. In general, the larger ΔR/R is the better the spin valve's performance.
Spin valve (GMR) read heads require two main improvements for future high density recording needs, which are larger signal for detecting ever smaller magnetic bits and smaller read gaps requiring thinner pinning layers. Most previously described spin valve use antiferromagnetic or pinning layer deposited adjacent to the pinned layer for exchange coupling to fix or pin the magnetization of the pinned layer. Through exchange anisotropy with the antiferromagnetic layer, the magnetization of the pinned layer is held rigid against small field excitations, such as those that occur from the signal field to be sensed.
In the presence of some magnetic fields the magnetic moment of the pinned layer can be rotated antiparallel to the pinned direction. The question then is whether the magnetic moment of the pinned layer will return to the pinned direction when the magnetic field is relaxed. This depends upon the strength of the exchange coupling field and the coercivity of the pinned layer. If the coercivity of the pinned layer exceeds the exchange coupling field between the pinning and pinned layers the exchange coupling field will not be strong enough to bring the magnetic moment of the pinned layer back to the original pinned direction. Until the magnetic spins of the pinning layer are reset, the read head is rendered inoperative. Accordingly, there is a strong felt need to increase the exchange coupling field between the pinning layer and the pinned layer so that the spin valve sensor has improved thermal stability.
Another parameter that indicates the performance of the pinning of the pinned layer is the pinning field Hp between the pinning and pinned layers. The pinning field, which is somewhat dependent upon the exchange coupling field Hex, is the applied field at which the magnetic moment of the pinned layer commences to rotate in a substantial manner. If the pinning field Hp is low, the orientation of the pinned layer will not be controlled thereby degrading performance of the read head. Accordingly, it is desirable to maximize the pinning field Hp.
The thickest layer in a spin valve sensor is typically the pinning layer. An exceptionally thin pinning layer, which is capable of pinning the pinned layer, is iridium manganese (IrMn). While this pinning layer is highly desirable from the standpoint of reducing the read gap between the first and second shield layers, the magnetoresistive coefficient ΔR/R of the sensor has been relatively low when the iridium manganese (IrMn) pinning layer is formed. It should be noted that when the magnetoresistive coefficient ΔR/R is increased that the linear bit density is still further increased because the read head has an improved read signal and can read more bits per linear inch along the track.
It can be seen then that there is a need for a method and apparatus for providing a magnetic read sensor having a thin pinning layer and improved magnetoresistive coefficient ΔR/R.