MAGNETIC TUNNEL JUNCTION HAVING A MAGNETIC INSERTION LAYER AND METHODS OF PRODUCING THE SAME

• US 20120127603A1
• Filed: 11/23/2010
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co), Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands BV (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Gao, Zheng, Hong, Liubo, Hsiao, Richard, Park, Chando, Park, Chang-Man, Oh, Sangmun
• Granted Patent: US 8,427,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 360/75
• 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: G01R 33/098 comprising tunnel junctions, e.g. tunnel magnetoresistance sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2005/3996 large or giant magnetoresistive effects [GMR], e.g. as generated in spin-valve [SV] devices
• 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 5/3909 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 10/3272 by use of anti-parallel coupled [APC] ferromagnetic layers, e.g. artificial ferrimagnets [AFI], artificial [AAF] or synthetic [SAF] anti-ferromagnets
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 10/3286 Spin-exchange coupled multilayers having at least one layer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 10/3295 Spin-exchange coupled multilayers wherein the magnetic pinned or free layers are laminated without anti-parallel coupling within the pinned and free layers
• 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 428/1114 having tunnel junction effect
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1121 Multilayer

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a barrier layer having a crystalline structure, a first magnetic layer above the barrier layer, a magnetic insertion layer above the first magnetic layer, and a second magnetic layer above the magnetic insertion layer, the second magnetic layer having a textured face-centered cubic (fcc) structure. The first magnetic layer comprises a high spin polarization magnetic material having a crystalline structure and a characteristic of crystallization being more similar to the crystalline structure of the barrier layer than a crystalline structure of the second magnetic layer and the magnetic insertion layer comprises a magnetic material having a crystalline structure and a characteristic of crystallization being more similar to the crystalline structure of the second magnetic layer than the crystalline structure of the barrier layer. Additional magnetic head structures and methods of producing magnetic heads are described according to more embodiments.

Claims

1. A magnetic head, comprising:

a barrier layer;

a first magnetic layer above the barrier layer;

a magnetic insertion layer above the first magnetic layer; and

a second magnetic layer above the magnetic insertion layer.

2. The magnetic head of claim 1, wherein the first magnetic layer comprises a high spin polarization magnetic material having a crystalline structure and a characteristic of crystallization being more similar to a crystalline structure of the barrier layer than a crystalline structure of the second magnetic layer.

3. The magnetic head of claim 1, wherein the magnetic insertion layer comprises a magnetic material having a crystalline structure and a characteristic of crystallization being more similar to a crystalline structure of the second magnetic layer than a crystalline structure of the barrier layer.

4. The magnetic head of claim 1, wherein the magnetic insertion layer comprises CoFeB doped with a material selected from a group consisting of:

Ta, Ru, Hf, and mixtures thereof.

5. The magnetic head of claim 1, wherein the first magnetic layer comprises CoFe, the second magnetic layer comprises NiFe, and the barrier layer comprises MgO.

6. The magnetic head of claim 5, wherein the first magnetic layer is a multilayer, comprising:

a first layer comprising CoFe; and

a second layer comprising CoFeB above the first layer.

7. The magnetic head of claim 1, wherein the second magnetic layer has a textured face-centered cubic (fcc) structure.

8. The magnetic head of claim 1, wherein the barrier layer has a crystalline structure.

9. The magnetic head of claim 1, further comprising, below the barrier layer:

an antiferromagnetic (AFM) layer; and

a synthetic antiferromagnetic (SAF) layer above the AFM layer.

10. A magnetic data storage system, comprising:

a magnetic head as recited in claim 1;

a drive mechanism for passing a magnetic medium over the magnetic head; and

a controller electrically coupled to the magnetic head for positioning the magnetic head.

11. The magnetic head of claim 1, wherein a portion of the first magnetic layer has a characteristic of being crystallized from an interface with the barrier layer, the degree of crystallization depending on a distance in a stack height from the barrier layer.

12. The magnetic head of claim 1, wherein a portion of the magnetic insertion layer has a characteristic of being crystallized from an interface with the second magnetic layer, the degree of crystallization depending on a distance in a stack height from the second magnetic layer.

13. A magnetic head, comprising:

a barrier layer having a crystalline structure;

a first magnetic layer above the barrier layer;

a magnetic insertion layer above the first magnetic layer; and

a second magnetic layer above the magnetic insertion layer, the second magnetic layer having a textured face-centered cubic (fcc) structure,

wherein the first magnetic layer comprises a high spin polarization magnetic material having a crystalline structure and a characteristic of crystallization being more similar to the crystalline structure of the barrier layer than a crystalline structure of the second magnetic layer, and

wherein the magnetic insertion layer comprises a magnetic material having a crystalline structure and a characteristic of crystallization being more similar to the crystalline structure of the second magnetic layer than the crystalline structure of the barrier layer.

14. A magnetic data storage system, comprising:

a magnetic head as recited in claim 13;

a drive mechanism for passing a magnetic medium over the magnetic head; and

a controller electrically coupled to the magnetic head for positioning the magnetic head.

15. A method for forming a magnetic head, the method comprising:

forming a barrier layer;

forming a first magnetic layer above the barrier layer;

forming an insertion layer above the first magnetic layer, the insertion layer being comprised of a magnetic material; and

forming a second magnetic layer above the insertion layer.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the barrier layer has a crystalline structure and the second magnetic layer has a face-centered cubic structure.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first magnetic layer comprises a high spin polarization magnetic material having an amorphous structure.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising annealing the barrier layer, the first magnetic layer, the insertion layer, and the second magnetic layer, wherein the annealing causes the first magnetic layer to have a crystalline structure more similar to a crystalline structure of the barrier layer than a crystalline structure of the second magnetic layer, and wherein the annealing causes the magnetic insertion layer to have a crystalline structure more similar to the crystalline structure of the second magnetic layer than the crystalline structure of the barrier layer.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the first magnetic layer comprises CoFe, the second magnetic layer comprises NiFe, and the barrier layer comprises MgO.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first magnetic layer is a multilayer, and further comprising:

forming a first layer comprising CoFe above the barrier layer; and

forming a second layer comprising CoFeB above the first layer.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the insertion layer comprises CoFeB doped with a material selected from a group consisting of:

Ta, Ru, Hf, and mixtures thereof.