Magnetic reader having a crystal decoupling structure

• US 9,508,365 B1
• Filed: 06/24/2015
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Zhipeng, Zheng, Yuankai, Leng, Qunwen, Jiang, Xin, Zhao, Tong, Diao, Zhitao, Kaiser, Christian, Fang, Jianxin
• Primary Examiner(s): Garcia, Carlos E
• Application Number:
  US14/749,260
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 5/3116 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 5/3163 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 5/39 using magneto-resistive devices or effects
• 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 5/3906 Details related to the use of magnetic thin film layers or to their effects
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3912 Arrangements in which the active read-out elements are transducing in association with active magnetic shields, e.g. magnetically coupled shields G11B5/3916 takes precedence

Abstract

A magnetic read apparatus has an air-bearing surface (ABS) and includes a shield, a crystal decoupling structure on the shield and a read sensor on the crystal decoupling structure. The crystal decoupling structure includes at least one of a magnetic high crystalline temperature amorphous alloy layer and a combination of a high crystalline temperature amorphous layer and an amorphous magnetic layer. The high crystalline temperature amorphous layer has a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred degrees Celsius. The amorphous magnetic layer is amorphous as-deposited.

Claims

1. A magnetic read apparatus having an air-bearing surface (ABS) comprising:

a shield;

a crystal decoupling structure on the shield, the crystal decoupling structure including at least one of a magnetic high crystalline temperature amorphous alloy layer and a combination of a high crystalline temperature amorphous layer and an amorphous magnetic layer, the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer having a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred and fifty degrees Celsius, the amorphous magnetic layer being amorphous as-deposited, the magnetic high crystalline temperature amorphous alloy layer having a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred and fifty degrees Celsius;

a magnetic seed layer on the crystal decoupling structure; and

a read sensor on the crystal decoupling structure and on the magnetic seed layer.

2. The magnetic read apparatus of claim 1 wherein the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer includes at least one of Ta, Hf, W and Ti.

3. The magnetic read apparatus of claim 1 wherein the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer is between the shield and the amorphous magnetic layer.

4. The magnetic read apparatus of claim 1 wherein the amorphous magnetic layer is between the shield and the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer.

5. The magnetic read apparatus of claim 1 wherein the read sensor includes:

a pinning layer;

a pinned layer on the pinning layer;

a nonmagnetic spacer layer; and

a free layer, the nonmagnetic spacer layer being between the free layer and the pinned layer.

6. The magnetic read apparatus of claim 1 wherein the amorphous magnetic layer is a CoFeB layer.

7. A magnetic read apparatus having an air-bearing surface (ABS) comprising:

a shield;

a crystal decoupling structure on the shield, the crystal decoupling structure including at least one of a magnetic high crystalline temperature amorphous alloy layer and a combination of a high crystalline temperature amorphous layer and an amorphous magnetic layer different from the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer, the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer having a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred and fifty degrees Celsius, the amorphous magnetic layer being amorphous as-deposited, the magnetic high crystalline temperature amorphous alloy layer having a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred and fifty degrees Celsius, the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer including at least one of Ta, Hf, W and Ti; and

a read sensor on the crystal decoupling structure,

wherein the high crystalline temperature layer has a thickness of not more than 3 Angstroms.

8. A magnetic read apparatus having an air-bearing surface (ABS) comprising:

a shield;

a crystal decoupling structure on the shield, the crystal decoupling structure including at least one of a magnetic high crystalline temperature amorphous alloy layer and a combination of a high crystalline temperature amorphous layer and an amorphous magnetic layer, the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer having a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred fifty degrees Celsius, the amorphous magnetic layer being amorphous as-deposited, the having a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred fifty degrees Celsius having a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred fifty degrees Celsius; and

a read sensor on the crystal decoupling structure;

wherein the crystal decoupling structure includes the combination and wherein the combination further includes an additional high crystalline temperature amorphous layer, the amorphous magnetic layer being between the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer and the additional high crystalline temperature amorphous layer.

9. The magnetic read apparatus of claim 8 wherein the crystal decoupling structure includes an additional amorphous magnetic layer, the additional high crystalline temperature amorphous layer being between the amorphous magnetic layer and the additional amorphous magnetic layer.

10. A disk drive comprising:

at least one medium; and

at least one slider including at least one magnetic transducer having an air-bearing surface (ABS) configured to reside in proximity to the at least one medium during use, the at least one magnetic transducer including a shield, a crystal decoupling structure, a magnetic seed layer on the crystal decoupling structure and a read sensor, the crystal decoupling structure being on the shield, the crystal decoupling structure including at least one of a magnetic high crystalline temperature amorphous alloy layer and a combination of a high crystalline temperature amorphous layer and an amorphous magnetic layer, the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer having a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred and fifty degrees Celsius, the amorphous magnetic layer being amorphous as-deposited, the having a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred fifty degrees Celsius having a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred fifty degrees Celsius, the crystal decoupling structure being between the shield and the read sensor, the read sensor residing on the magnetic seed layer.

11. A magnetic read apparatus having an air-bearing surface (ABS) comprising:

a shield;

a crystal decoupling structure on the shield, the crystal decoupling structure including at least one of a magnetic high crystalline temperature amorphous alloy layer and a combination of a high crystalline temperature amorphous layer and an amorphous magnetic layer, the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer having a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred and fifty degrees Celsius, the amorphous magnetic layer being amorphous as-deposited, the having a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred fifty degrees Celsius having a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred fifty degrees Celsius, wherein the crystal decoupling structure includes the magnetic high crystalline temperature amorphous alloy layer and the combination of the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer and the amorphous magnetic layer;

a magnetic seed layer on the crystal decoupling structure; and

a read sensor on the crystal decoupling structure and on the magnetic seed layer.

12. A method for providing a magnetic read apparatus

having an air-bearing surface (ABS) comprising:

providing a shield;

providing a crystal decoupling structure on the shield, the crystal decoupling structure including at least one of a magnetic high crystalline temperature amorphous alloy layer and a combination of a high crystalline temperature amorphous layer and an amorphous magnetic layer, the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer having a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred and fifty degrees Celsius, the amorphous magnetic layer being amorphous as-deposited, the having a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred fifty degrees Celsius having a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred fifty degrees Celsius;

providing a magnetic seed layer on the crystal decoupling structure; and

providing a read sensor on the crystal decoupling structure, the step of providing the read sensor including heating a portion of the magnetic read apparatus to a temperature of at least two hundred and fifty degrees Celsius and not more than the crystalline temperature, the read sensor residing on the seed layer.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer includes at least one of Ta, Hf, W and Ti.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of providing the crystal decoupling structure further includes:

depositing the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer on the shield; and

depositing the amorphous magnetic layer on the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of providing the crystal decoupling structure further includes:

depositing the amorphous magnetic layer on the shield; and

depositing the high crystalline temperature amorphous layer on the amorphous magnetic layer.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of providing the read sensor further includes:

providing a pinning layer, the pinning layer being deposited while the portion of the magnetic read apparatus is heated;

providing a pinned layer on the pinning layer;

providing a nonmagnetic spacer layer; and

providing a free layer, the nonmagnetic spacer layer being between the free layer and the pinned layer.