Magnetic recording read transducer having a laminated free layer

• US 9,070,381 B1
• Filed: 06/17/2013
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Cheng-Han, Kaiser, Christian, Zheng, Yuankai, Leng, Qunwen, Hu, Chih-Ching
• Primary Examiner(s): Klimowicz, Will J
• Application Number:
  US13/919,782
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 360324-3242
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3106 where the integrated or assembled structure comprises means for conditioning against physical detrimental influence, e.g. wear, contamination G11B5/3133 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3906 Details related to the use of magnetic thin film layers or to their effects

Abstract

A method and system provide a magnetic transducer including a first shield, a read sensor, and a second shield. The read sensor is between the first shield and the second shield. The read sensor has a free layer including a plurality of ferromagnetic layers interleaved with and sandwiching at least one additional layer. Each of the ferromagnetic layers includes at least one of Fe, Co and B and has a first corrosion resistance. The additional layer(s) have a second corrosion resistance greater than the first corrosion resistance.

Claims

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

a first shield;

a second shield; and

a read sensor between the first shield and the second shield, the read sensor including a free layer including a plurality of ferromagnetic layers interleaved with and sandwiching at least one additional layer, each of the plurality of ferromagnetic layers including B and at least one of Fe and Co, each of the ferromagnetic layers having a first corrosion resistance, the at least one additional layer has a second corrosion resistance greater than the first corrosion resistance, the at least one additional layer including at least one of NiFe, Ru, Ti, Mg, MgO, Ta, Cr and alumina, the free layer further including a magnetic layer including CoFe and adjoining one of the plurality of ferromagnetic layers.

2. The magnetic transducer of claim 1 wherein the read sensor includes a nonmagnetic spacer layer and a ferromagnetic reference layer, the nonmagnetic spacer layer being between the free layer and the ferromagnetic reference layer.

3. The magnetic transducer of claim 1 wherein the read sensor includes at least one edge, the magnetic transducer further comprising:

at least one magnetic bias structure adjacent to the at least one edge and residing between the first shield and the second shield.

4. The magnetic transducer of claim 1 wherein the each of the plurality of ferromagnetic layer includes Co_xB_z where x+z=1, x is less than 1 and z is less than 1 and greater than 0.

5. The magnetic transducer of claim 4 wherein z is less than or equal to 0.3.

6. The magnetic transducer of claim 4 wherein z is less than or equal to 0.2.

7. The magnetic transducer of claim 1 wherein the at least one additional layer is at least one-half Angstrom and not more than ten Angstroms thick.

8. The magnetic transducer of claim 7 wherein the at least one additional layer is at least two Angstroms thick and not more than four Angstroms thick.

9. The magnetic transducer of claim 1 of wherein the plurality of ferromagnetic layers includes a first ferromagnetic layer having a first composition and a second ferromagnetic layer having a second composition equal to the first composition.

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

a first shield;

a second shield; and

a read sensor between the first shield and the second shield, the read sensor including a free layer including a CoFe magnetic layer and a plurality of ferromagnetic layers interleaved with and sandwiching at least one additional layer, each of the plurality of ferromagnetic layers including Co_xB_y where x+y=1, x is less than 1, and y is less than or equal to 0.2 and greater than zero, the at least one additional layer including at least one of NiFe, Ru, Ti, Mg, MgO, Ta, Cr and alumina.

11. A disk drive comprising:

a media;

a slider including a magnetic read transducer having an air-bearing surface (ABS), the slider including a magnetic transducer having a first shield, a second shield, and a read sensor between the first shield and the second shield, the read sensor including a free layer including a CoFe magnetic layer, a plurality of ferromagnetic layers interleaved with and sandwiching at least one additional layer, each of the plurality of ferromagnetic layers including B and at least one of Fe and Co and having a first corrosion resistance, the at least one additional layer having a second corrosion resistance greater than the first corrosion resistance, the at least one additional layer including at least one of NiFe, Ru, Ti, Mg, MgO, Ta, Cr and alumina.

12. A method for providing a magnetic transducer having an air-bearing surface (ABS) and comprising:

providing a first shield;

providing a second shield; and

providing a read sensor between the first shield and the second shield, the read sensor including a free layer including a CoFe magnetic layer, a plurality of ferromagnetic layers interleaved with and sandwiching at least one additional layer, each of the plurality of ferromagnetic layers including B and at least one of Fe and Co and having a first corrosion resistance, the at least one additional layer having a second corrosion resistance greater than the first corrosion resistance, the at least one additional layer including at least one of NiFe, Ru, Ti, Mg, MgO, Ta, Cr and alumina, the CoFe magnetic layer adjoining one of the plurality of ferromagnetic layers.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the read sensor includes a nonmagnetic spacer layer and a ferromagnetic reference layer, the nonmagnetic spacer layer being between the free layer and the ferromagnetic reference layer.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the each of the plurality of ferromagnetic layer includes Co_xB_z where x+z=1, x is less than 1 and z is less than 1 and greater than 0.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein z is less than or equal to 0.2.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one additional layer is at least one-half Angstrom and not more than ten Angstroms thick.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least one additional layer is at least two Angstroms thick and not more than four Angstroms thick.

18. The method of claim 12 of wherein the plurality of ferromagnetic layers includes a first ferromagnetic layer having a first composition and a second ferromagnetic layer having a second composition equal to the first composition.