METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING A BARRIER FOR A MAGNETORESISTIVE STRUCTURE UTILIZING HEATING

• US 20100328822A1
• Filed: 06/26/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Corporation
• Inventors: PARK, CHANDO, PAKALA, MAHENDRA, LENG, QUNWEN
• Granted Patent: US 8,381,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 360/324.1
• 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: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: F27D 19/00 Arrangements of controlling devices
• CPC Class Codes: F27D 7/06 Forming or maintaining special atmospheres or vacuum within heating chambers F27D7/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/098 comprising tunnel junctions, e.g. tunnel magnetoresistance sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/127 Structure or manufacture of heads, e.g. inductive
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3109 Details G11B5/3103 takes precedence
• 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: H01F 10/3254 the spacer being semiconducting or insulating, e.g. for spin tunnel junction [STJ]
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 10/3268 the exchange coupling being asymmetric, e.g. by use of additional pinning, by using antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic coupling interface, i.e. so-called spin-valve [SV] structure, e.g. NiFe/Cu/NiFe/FeMn
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 41/303 with exchange coupling adjustment of magnetic film pairs, e.g. interface modifications by reduction, oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 41/307 insulating or semiconductive spacer
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/01 Manufacture or treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/10 Magnetoresistive devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49039 with dual gap materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49041 with significant slider/housing shaping or treating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49043 Depositing magnetic layer or coating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49044 : Plural magnetic deposition layers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49046 : with etching or machining of magnetic material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49048 : Machining magnetic material [e.g., grinding, etching, polishing]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49052 : by etching

Abstract

A method and system for providing a magnetic recording transducer is described. The method and system include providing a pinned layer for a magnetic element. In one aspect, a portion of a tunneling barrier layer for the magnetic element is provided. The magnetic recording transducer annealed is after the portion of the tunneling barrier layer is provided. The annealing is at a temperature higher than room temperature. A remaining portion of the tunneling barrier layer is provided after the annealing. In another aspect, the magnetic transducer is transferred to a high vacuum annealing apparatus before annealing the magnetic transducer. In this aspect, the magnetic transducer may be annealed before any portion of the tunneling barrier is provided or after at least a portion of the tunneling barrier is provided. The annealing is performed in the high vacuum annealing apparatus. A free layer for the magnetic element is also provided.

Claims

1. A method for providing magnetic recording transducer comprising:

providing a pinned layer of a magnetic element;

providing a portion of a tunneling barrier layer for the magnetic element;

annealing the magnetic recording transducer after the portion of the tunneling barrier layer is provided at a temperature higher than room temperature;

providing a remaining portion of the tunneling barrier layer, the remaining portion being provided after the annealing of the magnetic recording transducer; and

providing a free layer for the magnetic element.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the temperature is not more than four hundred degrees centigrade.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the temperature is not more than two hundred degrees centigrade.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the temperature is at least one hundred degrees centigrade.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transferring magnetic transducer to a high vacuum annealing apparatus before annealing the magnetic transducer and after the portion of the nonmagnetic spacer layer is formed.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of transferring the magnetic transducer is performed while precluding exposure of the magnetic transducer to an ambient environment.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the high vacuum is not more than 9×

10<sup>−

8</sup> Torr.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the high vacuum is not more than 5×

10<sup>−

8</sup> Torr.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the high vacuum is not more than 2×

10<sup>−

8</sup> Torr.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the high vacuum is not more than 8×

10<sup>−

9</sup> Torr.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the pinned layer is a synthetic antiferromagnet (SAF) including a first ferromagnetic layer having a first magnetization, a second ferromagnetic layer having a second magnetization, and a nonmagnetic layer between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the tunneling barrier layer has a total thickness and the portion of the tunneling barrier layer is not less than twenty percent of the total thickness.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the tunneling barrier layer has a total thickness and the portion of the tunneling barrier layer is not less than forty percent of the total thickness.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the tunneling barrier layer has a total thickness and the portion of the tunneling barrier layer is not less than eighty percent of the total thickness.

15. A method for providing magnetic recording transducer having an air-bearing surface (ABS) comprising:

providing a pinned layer of a magnetic element;

providing a portion of a tunneling barrier layer of the magnetic element, the tunneling barrier layer a total thickness upon completion, the portion of the tunneling barrier layer being at least twenty percent and less than one hundred percent of the total thickness;

transferring magnetic transducer to a high vacuum annealing apparatus;

annealing the magnetic recording transducer in the high vacuum annealing apparatus after the portion of the tunneling barrier layer is provided at a temperature of at least one hundred degrees centigrade and not more than two hundred degrees centigrade, the high vacuum annealing apparatus having a pressure of not more than 5×

10<sup>−

8</sup> Torr during the anneal;

providing a remaining portion of the tunneling barrier layer after the annealing of the magnetic recording transducer; and

providing a free layer of the magnetic element.

16. A method for providing magnetic recording transducer having an air-bearing surface (ABS) comprising:

providing a pinned layer of a magnetic element;

transferring magnetic transducer to a high vacuum annealing apparatus before annealing the magnetic transducer;

annealing the magnetic recording transducer in the high vacuum annealing apparatus at a temperature higher than room temperature;

providing a tunneling barrier layer of the magnetic element; and

providing a free layer of the magnetic element.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the temperature is not more than four hundred degrees centigrade.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the temperature is not more than two hundred degrees centigrade.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the temperature is at least one hundred degrees centigrade.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the high vacuum is not more than 9×

10<sup>−

8</sup> Torr.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the high vacuum is not more than 5×

10<sup>−

8</sup> Torr.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the high vacuum is not more than 2×

10<sup>−

8</sup> Torr.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the high vacuum is not more than 8×

10<sup>−

9</sup> Torr.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of transferring the magnetic transducer is performed while precluding exposure of the magnetic transducer to an ambient environment.

25. The method of claim 16 wherein the tunneling barrier layer has a total thickness and wherein a portion of the tunneling barrier layer is provided before the annealing.

26. The method of 16 wherein the step of providing the tunneling barrier layer is after the step of annealing the magnetic transducer.

27. The method of 16 wherein the step of providing the tunneling barrier layer is before the step of annealing the magnetic transducer.

28. A magnetic recording transducer having an air-bearing surface (ABS) comprising:

a magnetic element including a pinned layer, a tunneling barrier layer including MgO, and a free layer, the tunneling barrier layer having a crystal structure and an orientation, the tunneling barrier layer having a desired stoichiometry; and

a hard bias structure adjacent to the magnetic element.

29. The magnetic recording transducer of claim 28 wherein the desired stoichiometry includes an atomic ratio of Mg to O of less than 1.2:

1 and at least 1;

1.