Magnetoresistive head and magnetic disk apparatus

• US 6,172,859 B1
• Filed: 07/22/1996
• Issued: 01/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Japan Limited (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Watanabe, Katsuro, Kamio, Hiroshi, Imagawa, Takao, Tadokoro, Shigeru, Kawabe, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): OMETZ, DAVID LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US08/683,978
• Time in Patent Office: 1,632 Days
• Field of Search: 360/113, 360/126, 360/327.1, 360/327.3, 360/327.31, 360/327.32, 360/327.33, 428/692, 324/252, 338/32.R, 365/158
• US Class Current: 360/327.3
• 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: G11B 2005/3996 large or giant magnetoresistive effects [GMR], e.g. as generated in spin-valve [SV] devices
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/012 Recording on, or reproducing or erasing from, magnetic disks G11B17/00, G11B19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3903 using magnetic thin film layers or their effects, the films being part of integrated structures
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3932 Magnetic biasing films
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5526 Control therefor; circuits, track configurations or relative disposition of servo-information transducers and servo-information tracks for control thereof G11B5/556 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/59683 for magnetoresistive heads

Abstract

A magnetoresistive head in which Barkhausen noise is substantially suppressed and a variation in reproduction is minimized, and a magnetic disk apparatus using the same magnetic head have been provided. The feature of the magnetic head and the magnetic disk apparatus of the invention resides in the provision of the longitudinal bias layer which comprises a hard magnetic thin film formed on an underlayer made of either of a ferromagnetic thin film having a body-centered cubic lattice crystal structure formed of body-centered cells, an amorphous ferromagnetic thin film or antiferromagnetic thin film having a body-centered cubic lattice crystal structure formed of body-centered cells.

Claims

1. A magnetoresistive head having a magnetoresistive film for converting a magnetic signal to an electric signal utilizing a magnetoresistive effect, a pair of electrodes for supplying a signal detection current to said magnetoresistive film, and a longitudinal bias layer which applies a longitudinal bias field to said magnetoresistive film, wherein said longitudinal bias layer comprises:

an underlayer composed of one of a ferromagnetic thin film having a crystal structure of a body-centered cell and an antiferromagnetic thin film having a crystal structure of a body-centered cell; and

a hard magnetic thin film which is formed on said underlayer.

2. A magnetoresistive head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said underlayer is composed of said ferromagnetic thin film which is a ferromagnetic thin film having a crystal structure of body-centered cubic lattice.

3. A magnetoresistive head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said underlayer is composed of said antiferromagnetic thin film which is an antiferromagnetic thin film having a crystal structure of a body-centered cubic lattice.

4. A magnetoresistive head as claimed in one of claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein said magnetoresistive film comprises a ferromagnetic layer which exhibits an anisotropic magnetoresistive effect, and a transverse biasing method which applies a transverse bias field to said magnetoresistive film.

5. A magnetoresistive head as claimed in one of claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein said magnetoresistive film comprises a multi-layered film which includes a first magnetic thin film, an intermediate layer of a non-magnetic conductive thin film and a second magnetic thin film, wherein a direction of magnetization in said first magnetic thin film is fixed by the exchange interaction between said first magnetic thin film and an antiferromagnetic layer which is formed adjacent to said first magnetic thin film, and a direction of magnetization in said second magnetic thin film is substantially perpendicular to the direction of magnetization in said first magnetic thin film in absence of an external magnetic field, and wherein an electrical resistance of said magnetoresistive film changes according to a change of a relative angle between directions of magnetization in said first magnetic thin film and said second magnetic thin film.

6. The magnetoresistive head as claimed in one of claims 1 and 2, wherein said ferromagnetic thin film having said crystal structure of a body-centered cubic cell is Fe, Fe—

Ni alloy, Fe—

Co alloy or Fe—

Ni—

Co alloy.

7. The magnetoresistive head as claimed in one of claims 1 and 2, wherein said ferromagnetic thin film having said crystal structure of a body-centered cubic cell comprises at least one of Fe, Fe—

Ni alloy, Fe—

Co alloy or Fe—

Ni—

Co alloy, and an addition of M₃ where M₃ is at least one element selected from the group of Si, V, Cr, Nb, Mo, Ta and W.

8. The magnetoresistive head as claimed in claim 7, wherein said ferromagnetic thin film having said body-centered cubic cell crystal structure is an alloy having Fe and Cr as main components.

9. The magnetoresistive head as claimed in claim 8 wherein said alloy including Fe and Cr as main components has Cr from 5 to 45 atomic percentage.

10. The magnetoresistive head as claimed in one of claims 1 and 3, wherein said underlayer having said antiferromagnetic thin film is an alloy including as main components Cr, Mn and M₅ where M₅ is at least one element selected from the group of Cu, Au, Ag, Co, Ni, Ru, Rh, Pd, Re, Os, Ir and Pt.

11. The magnetoresistive head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said underlayer produces an exchange coupling between said magnetoresistive film and said hard magnetic thin film.

12. The magnetoresistive head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said underlayer and said hard magnetic layer are formed in direct contact with one another and in contact with said magnetoresistive film.

13. A magnetoresistive head having a magnetoresistive film, the electrical resistance of which changes in response to a magnetic field, a transverse bias layer exhibiting a soft magnetic property which impresses a transverse bias field to said magnetoresistive film, a spacer film made of a non-magnetic material which magnetically separates said transverse bias layer and said magnetoresistive film, a longitudinal bias layer which is disposed abutting both sides of a laminated film composed of said magnetoresistive film, said transverse bias layer and said spacer film, and which applies a longitudinal bias field to said magnetoresistive film, and a pair of electrodes which supply a current to said magnetoresistive film, wherein said longitudinal bias layer comprises:

an underlayer which is made of one of a ferromagnetic thin film, antiferromagnetic thin film and amorphous ferromagnetic thin film; and

a hard magnetic film which is formed on said underlayer, and

wherein said transverse bias layer which applies the transverse bias field to said magnetoresistive film comprises;

at least one of Ni—

Fe alloy, Co, Ni—

Fe—

Co alloy; and

at least one of compounds selected from the group of zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, hafnium oxide, titanium oxide, beryllium oxide, magnesium oxide, tantalum oxide, rare-earth oxide compound, zirconium nitride, hafnium nitride, alumininum nitride, and rare earth nitride compound.

14. The magnetoresistive head as claimed in claim 13, wherein said transverse bias layer which applies the transverse bias field to said magnetoresistive film has a resistivity of 70 μ

Ω

cm or more.

15. The magnetoresistive head as claimed in claim 14, wherein said transverse bias layer is a Ni—

Fe alloy including nickel from 78 to 84 atomic percentage.

16. A magnetoresistive head as claimed in claim 13, wherein each of said ferromagnetic thin film and said antiferromagnetic thin film have a crystal structure of a body-centered cell.

17. A magnetoresistive head as claimed in claim 16, wherein each of said ferromagnetic thin film and said antiferromagnetic thin film of said underlayer have a crystal structure of a body-centered cubic lattice.

18. A magnetic disk apparatus having a magnetic recording medium for recording information, a magnetic head for reading and writing said information, said head having a magnetoresistive element having a longitudinal bias layer provided by forming a hard magnetic thin film on an underlayer made of one of a ferromagnetic thin film having a crystal structure of a body-centered cell and an antiferromagnetic thin film having a crystal structure of a body-centered cell, an actuator for moving said magnetic head to a position designated on said magnetic recording medium, and a controller for controlling transmission and reception of said information during reading and writing using said magnetic head and for controlling movement of said actuator.

19. A magnetoresistive head as claimed in claim 18, wherein each of said ferromagnetic thin film and said antiferromagnetic thin film have a crystal structure of a body-centered cubic lattice.

20. The magnetic disk apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein said underlayer produces an exchange coupling between said magnetoresistive film and said hard magnetic thin film.

21. The magnetic disk apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein said underlayer and said hard magnetic layer are formed in direct contact with one another and in contact with said magnetoresistive film.