Method and system for providing a magnetic transducer having a high moment bilayer magnetic seed layer for a trailing shield

• US 8,582,241 B1
• Filed: 05/23/2012
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital (Fremont) LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Han, Dehua, Hong, Ying, Liu, Feng, Pan, Tao, Yu, Chengtao R., Zhang, Bo
• Primary Examiner(s): Castro, Angel
• Application Number:
  US13/479,095
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 360/119.11, 360/125.43, 360/125.56, 360/235.4, 428/829, 428/832
• US Class Current: 360/125.43
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/1278 specially adapted for magnetisations perpendicular to the surface of the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3116 Shaping of layers, poles or gaps for improving the form of the electrical signal transduced, e.g. for shielding, contour effect, equalizing, side flux fringing, cross talk reduction between heads or between heads and information tracks G11B5/3113, G11B5/245 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/315 Shield layers on both sides of the main pole, e.g. in perpendicular magnetic heads

Abstract

A method and system for providing a magnetic read transducer is described. The magnetic recording transducer includes a write pole, a nonmagnetic gap, a magnetic seed layer, a trailing shield and coil(s) that energize the write pole. The write pole is configured to write to a media. The nonmagnetic gap is between the write pole and the magnetic seed layer. The magnetic seed layer includes a high moment layer and a magnetic buffer layer. The high moment layer is between the nonmagnetic gap and the magnetic buffer layer. The high moment layer has a saturation magnetization greater than 2.3 T and a first corrosion potential. The magnetic buffer layer has a second corrosion potential less than the first corrosion potential. The magnetic seed layer is between the trailing shield and the nonmagnetic gap layer. The magnetic buffer layer is between the trailing shield and the high moment layer.

Claims

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

a write pole configured to write to a media;

a nonmagnetic gap;

a magnetic seed layer including a high moment layer and a magnetic buffer layer, the high moment layer being between the nonmagnetic gap and the magnetic buffer layer, the nonmagnetic gap being between the magnetic seed layer and the write pole, the high moment layer having a saturation magnetization greater than 2.3 T and a first corrosion potential, the magnetic buffer layer having a second corrosion potential less than the first corrosion potential;

a trailing shield, the magnetic seed layer being between the trailing shield and the nonmagnetic gap layer, the magnetic buffer layer being between the trailing shield and the high moment layer; and

at least one coil for energizing the write pole.

2. The magnetic recording transducer of claim 1 wherein the saturation magnetization is at least 2.4 T.

3. The magnetic recording of claim 1 wherein the high moment layer further includes Co_xFe_1-x, where x is at least 0.27 and not more than 0.35.

4. The magnetic recording transducer of claim 1 wherein the magnetic buffer layer has a saturation magnetization of at least 2.0 T.

5. The magnetic recording transducer of claim 1 wherein the magnetic buffer layer includes Ni_xFe_1-x, where x is at least 0.1 and not more than 0.2.

6. The magnetic recording transducer of claim 1 wherein the high moment layer has a first thickness, the magnetic buffer layer has a second thickness and the ratio of the first thickness divided by the second thickness is at least 2.

7. The magnetic recording transducer of claim 6 wherein the ratio is at least 2.5.

8. The magnetic recording transducer of claim 6 wherein the magnetic seed layer has a total thickness of at least four hundred Angstroms and not more than one thousand Angstroms.

9. The magnetic recording transducer of claim 1 wherein the trailing shield has a trailing shield saturation magnetization and the magnetic buffer layer has a buffer layer saturation magnetization, the buffer layer saturation magnetization being at least equal to the trailing shield saturation magnetization and less than the saturation magnetization of the high moment layer.

10. The magnetic recording transducer of claim 1 wherein the trailing shield has a trailing shield texture, the magnetic buffer layer has a buffer layer texture, and the high moment layer has a high moment layer texture, the buffer layer texture being closer to the trailing shield texture than the high moment layer texture.

11. The magnetic recording transducer of claim 1 wherein the magnetic seed layer is a sputtered magnetic seed layer and the trailing shield is a plated trailing shield.

12. The magnetic recording transducer of claim 1 further comprising:

a nonmagnetic seed layer between the magnetic seed layer and the nonmagnetic gap.

13. The magnetic recording transducer of claim 12 wherein the nonmagnetic seed layer includes Ni_xCr_1-x, where x is at least 0.75 and not more than 0.85.

14. A magnetic recording disk drive comprising:

a media;

a slider;

a magnetic transducer coupled with the slider and having an air-bearing surface (ABS) configured to reside in proximity to the media during operation, the magnetic transducer including a write pole, a nonmagnetic gap, a magnetic seed layer, a trailing shield, and at least one coil, the write pole configured to write to the media, the magnetic seed layer including a high moment layer and a magnetic buffer layer, the high moment layer being between the nonmagnetic gap and the magnetic buffer layer, the nonmagnetic gap being between the magnetic seed layer and the write pole, the high moment layer having a saturation magnetization greater than 2.3 T and a first corrosion potential, the magnetic buffer layer having a second corrosion potential less than the first corrosion potential, the magnetic seed layer being between the trailing shield and the nonmagnetic gap layer, the magnetic buffer layer being between the trailing shield and the high moment layer, the at least one coil for energizing the write pole.

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

providing a write pole configured to write to a media;

providing a nonmagnetic gap;

providing a magnetic seed layer including a high moment layer and a magnetic buffer layer, the high moment layer being between the nonmagnetic gap and the magnetic buffer layer, the nonmagnetic gap being between the magnetic seed layer and the write pole, the high moment layer having a saturation magnetization greater than 2.3 T and a first corrosion potential, the magnetic buffer layer having a second corrosion potential less than the first corrosion potential;

providing a trailing shield, the magnetic seed layer being between the trailing shield and the nonmagnetic gap layer, the magnetic buffer layer being between the trailing shield and the high moment layer; and

providing at least one coil for energizing the write pole.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the saturation magnetization is at least 2.4 T.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the high moment layer further includes Co_xFe_1-x, where x is at least 0.27 and not more than 0.35.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the magnetic buffer layer has a saturation magnetization of at least 2.0 T.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the magnetic buffer layer includes Ni_xFe_1-x, where x is at least 0.1 and not more than 0.2.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the high moment layer has a first thickness, the magnetic buffer layer has a second thickness and the ratio of the first thickness divided by the second thickness is at least 2.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the ratio is at least 2.5.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the magnetic seed layer has a total thickness of at least four hundred Angstroms and not more than one thousand Angstroms.

23. The method of claim 15 wherein the trailing shield has a trailing shield saturation magnetization and the magnetic buffer layer has a buffer layer saturation magnetization, the buffer layer saturation magnetization being at least equal to the trailing shield saturation magnetization and less than the saturation magnetization of the high moment layer.

24. The method of claim 15 wherein the trailing shield has a trailing shield texture, the magnetic buffer layer has a buffer layer texture, and the high moment layer has a high moment layer texture, the buffer layer texture being closer to the trailing shield texture than the high moment layer texture.

25. The method of claim 15 wherein the magnetic seed layer is a sputtered magnetic seed layer and the trailing shield is a plated trailing shield.

26. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

providing a nonmagnetic seed layer between the magnetic seed layer and the nonmagnetic gap.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the nonmagnetic seed layer includes Ni_xCr_1-x, where x is at least 0.75 and not more than 0.85.