Process methods for noise reduction of TMR magnetic transducer

• US 20080266719A1
• Filed: 04/30/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands BV (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Tabib, Jila, Flint, Eric W., Dang, Peter M., Sun, Yongjian, Pocker, Daryl J., York, Brian R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,855,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 360/313
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 25/00 Nanomagnetism, e.g. magnetoimpedance, anisotropic magnetoresistance, giant magnetoresistance or tunneling magnetoresistance
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/093 using multilayer structures, e.g. giant magnetoresistance sensors thin magnetic films H01F10/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3163 Fabrication methods or processes specially adapted for a particular head structure, e.g. using base layers for electroplating, using functional layers for masking, using energy or particle beams for shaping the structure or modifying the properties of the basic layers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3906 Details related to the use of magnetic thin film layers or to their effects
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3909 Arrangements using a magnetic tunnel junction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1114 having tunnel junction effect
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/32 Composite [nonstructural laminate] of inorganic material having metal-compound-containing layer and having defined magnetic layer

Abstract

A hard disk drive slider comprises a tunneling magnetoresistance transducer, which comprises an insulator barrier. A nitrogen atom from a nitrogen atmosphere occupies an oxygen atom vacancy within the insulator barrier, such that noise in read data from the tunneling magnetoresistance transducer is reduced.

Claims

1. A hard disk drive slider comprising:

a tunneling magnetoresistance transducer, wherein said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer comprises;

an insulator barrier, wherein a nitrogen atom from a nitrogen atmosphere occupies an oxygen atom vacancy within said insulator barrier, such that noise in read data from said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer is reduced.

2. The hard disk drive slider of claim 1 wherein said insulator barrier comprises a compound containing oxygen.

3. The hard disk drive slider of claim 1 wherein said insulator barrier comprises approximately stoichiometric magnesium oxide, titanium dioxide, or alumina.

4. The hard disk drive slider of claim 1 wherein said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer comprises a first ferromagnetic lead.

5. The hard disk drive slider of claim 1 wherein said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer comprises a second ferromagnetic lead.

6. The hard disk drive slider of claim 1 wherein said slider comprises an overcoat comprising carbon.

7. The hard disk drive slider of claim 6 wherein said slider comprises an adhesion layer coupled to said slider and said overcoat.

8. A hard disk drive comprising:

a base casting for providing coupling points for components and sub-assemblies of said hard disk drive;

a motor-hub assembly to which at least one disk is coupled allowing rotation of said disk about an axis approximately perpendicular and centered to said disk, wherein said motor-hub assembly is coupled to said base casting, wherein said disk comprises at least one surface of data tracks; and

a slider coupled to said base casting by means of a suspension and an actuator whereby said slider is arcuately moved across said data tracks, wherein said slider comprises;

a tunneling magnetoresistance transducer, wherein said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer comprises; and

an insulator barrier, wherein a nitrogen atom from a nitrogen atmosphere occupies an oxygen atom vacancy within said insulator barrier, such that noise in read data from said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer is reduced.

9. The hard disk drive of claim 8 wherein said insulator barrier comprises a compound containing oxygen or nitrogen.

10. The hard disk drive of claim 8 wherein said insulator barrier comprises approximately stoichiometric magnesium oxide, titanium dioxide, or alumina.

11. The hard disk drive of claim 8 wherein said slider comprises an overcoat comprising carbon.

12. The hard disk drive of claim 8 wherein said slider comprises an adhesion layer comprising silicon.

13. A method of fabricating an overcoat for a tunneling magnetoresistance transducer whereby noise is reduced in read data from said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer comprising:

cleaning an air-bearing surface wherein said air-bearing surface comprises said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer;

exposing said air-bearing surface comprising said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer to a nitrogen atmosphere;

depositing an adhesion layer that covers said air-bearing surface, wherein said adhesion layer comprises silicon; and

covering said air-bearing surface and said adhesion layer with an overcoat comprising carbon.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said cleaning said air-bearing surface comprises sputter etching in a sputtering chamber.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein said depositing said adhesion layer comprises radio frequency plasma sputtering.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein said depositing said adhesion layer comprises ion beam sputtering.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein said exposing said air-bearing surface comprises back-filling said sputtering chamber with said nitrogen atmosphere.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said back-filling comprises controlling the flow rate of a gas comprising nitrogen, such as nitrogen gas or nitric oxide gas into said sputtering chamber.

19. A method of repairing a hard disk drive slider wherein a tunneling magnetoresistance transducer of said slider has been damaged by dislodged oxygen atoms comprising:

cleaning said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer;

exposing said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer to a nitrogen atmosphere;

depositing an adhesion layer that covers said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer; and

covering said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer and said adhesion layer with an overcoat.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said trimming said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer comprises.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein said exposing said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer comprises back-filling said sputtering chamber with said nitrogen atmosphere.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said back-filling comprises controlling the flow rate of a gas comprising nitrogen such as nitrogen gas or nitric oxide gas into said sputtering chamber.

23. A method of repairing a tunneling magnetoresistance transducer insulator barrier that has been damaged by dislodged oxygen atoms comprising:

trimming said insulator barrier;

exposing said insulator barrier to a nitrogen atmosphere; and

depositing a subsequent layer onto said insulator barrier.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said trimming said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer comprises plasma etching such as ion milling or reactive ion etching in a vacuum chamber.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein said exposing said tunneling magnetoresistance transducer comprises back-filling said vacuum chamber with said nitrogen atmosphere.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein said back-filling comprises controlling the flow rate of said nitrogen atmosphere, such as nitrogen or nitric oxide into said vacuum chamber.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein said back-filling further comprises controlling the time said insulator barrier is exposed to said nitrogen atmosphere.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein said depositing said subsequent layer comprises radio frequency plasma sputtering.

29. The method of claim 23 wherein said depositing said subsequent layer comprises ion beam sputtering.