Apparatus having tunnel magnetoresistive sensor for contact recording

• US 9,293,158 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2015
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Biskeborn, Robert G., Lo, Calvin S.
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, BRIAN E
• Application Number:
  US14/620,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20150162027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 405 Days
• Field of Search: 360/324.2, 360/316, 360/121
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/00826 comprising a plurality of single poles or gaps or groups thereof operative at the same time
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/255 comprising means for protection against wear in thin film structures G11B5/3106
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3909 Arrangements using a magnetic tunnel junction

Abstract

Various embodiments relate to an apparatus having an array of sensors sharing a common media-facing surface, each sensor having an active sensing region, magnetic shields flanking the active sensing region, and gaps between the active sensing region and the magnetic shields. At least one of the gaps includes an electrically conductive layer having a refractory material. Other embodiments relate to an apparatus having a sensor with an active sensing region, magnetic shields flanking the active sensing region, and gaps between the active sensing region and the magnetic shields. At least one of the gaps includes an electrically conductive layer having a modified region at a media facing side thereof, the modified region being at least one of nonconductive and mechanically hardened.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an array of sensors sharing a common media-facing surface, each sensor having an active sensing region, magnetic shields flanking the active sensing region, and gaps between the active sensing region and the magnetic shields,

wherein at least one of the gaps includes an electrically conductive layer having a refractory material.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the active sensing region of each sensor includes an active tunnel magnetoresistive region, wherein the active tunnel magnetoresistive region includes a free layer, a tunnel barrier layer and a reference layer.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein no writers are present on the common media-facing surface.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the refractory material includes a metal selected from a group consisting of tungsten, titanium-tungsten, tungsten carbide, rhodium, ruthenium and iridium, and alloys thereof.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensors are electronic lapping guides.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the refractory material is selected from a group consisting of conductive oxide, a conductive nitride and a conductive carbide.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, comprising a seed layer disposed between the refractory material and a surface underlying the refractory material.

8. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, comprising a layer of a second refractory material above an upper one of the magnetic shields and/or below a lower one of the magnetic shields.

9. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, comprising a ferromagnetic layer above an upper one of the shields and/or below a lower one of the shields.

10. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, comprising:

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

a controller electrically coupled to the sensor.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a sensor having an active sensing region, magnetic shields flanking the active sensing region, and gaps between the active sensing region and the magnetic shields,

wherein at least one of the gaps includes an electrically conductive layer having a modified region at a media facing side thereof, the modified region being at least one of nonconductive and mechanically hardened.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising an array of the sensors sharing a common media-facing surface.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein no writers are present on the common media-facing surface.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the active sensing region includes a free layer, a tunnel barrier layer and a reference layer.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the modified region is an oxidized portion of the electrically conductive layer.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the electrically conductive layer includes aluminum, wherein the modified region includes aluminum oxide.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, comprising a layer of refractory material above an upper one of the magnetic shields and/or below a lower one of the magnetic shields.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the refractory material includes a material selected from a group consisting of tungsten, titanium-tungsten, tungsten carbide, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, a conductive oxide, a conductive nitride, a conductive carbide, and non-annealed sendust.

19. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising a ferromagnetic layer above an upper one of the magnetic shields and/or below a lower one of the magnetic shields.

20. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, comprising:

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

a controller electrically coupled to the sensor.