Anthony M. Mack

Exchange tab stabilized readback transducers for areal densities exceeding 20 Gb/in/sup 2/

We present results from a high-density giant magnetoresistive magnetic recording reader using exchange bias stabilization. This novel reader design approach reduces the amount of parasitic resistance, as the sense current is not delivered through high resistivity permanent magnets. Heads were demonstrated to deliver areal densities in excess of 24 Gb/inch/sup 2/. The electrical performance of these heads, in particular, amplitude sensitivity, microtrack profiles and areal density capability are presented. Reader film properties and manufacturability of this approach are discussed in detail.

Thermally stable spin valve films with synthetic antiferromagnet pinned by NiMn for recording heads beyond 20 Gbit/in.2

The thermal stability of spin valve films with synthetic antiferromagnet (SAF) pinned by antiferromagnetic IrMn, NiO, and NiMn layers were studied. The SAF layer enhances the thermal stability in general; however, the blocking temperature (and the blocking temperature distribution) of the antiferromagnet is still important for the magnetic rigidity of the pinned layer. Once the temperature reaches the blocking temperature the SAF layer can go into either the spin flip or flop state, depending upon the magnetic moment ratio of the reference layer and pinned layers. The GMR linear head response can be distorted for nonlinearity. The NiMn pinned SAF structure shows magnetic and thermal stability which makes it practical for the real products. A high GMR of 11% can be obtained in both bottom and top NiMn SAF spin valves by advanced processes. Recording heads were built using such stacks which demonstrated recording areal density of 20 Gbit/in.2 and beyond.

STUDY OF EXCHANGE ANISOTROPY IN NIFE/NIMN AND NIFE/IRMN EXCHANGE COUPLED FILMS

Exchange anisotropy in NiFe/NiMn and NiFe/IrMn exchange coupled films was studied as a function of temperature using vibrating sample magnetometry. The exchange field was measured using three different methods: (1) as a shift of the hysteresis loop measured in an external field applied parallel to the exchange field direction; (2) calculated from the initial susceptibility in the field applied perpendicular to the exchange field; and (3) calculated from the shift of minor reversible hysteresis loops measured in external fields applied in a few different directions close to the perpendicular to the exchange field. The values of the exchange field in NiFe/NiMn samples measured using methods 2 and 3 were similar and approximately twice as high as the values measured using method 1. For the NiFe/IrMn samples methods 2 and 3 gave exchange field values slightly exceeding the values obtained using method 1. The results are explained using a model in which it is assumed that the interfacial interactions between a...

Angular dependence of giant magnetoresistance properties of exchange biased spin valves

Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) responses were studied as a function of applied measurement field angle in FeMn and NiMn pinned spin valves. As the measurement field varies away from the pinning field direction, the peak GMR ratio and the free layer coercivity decrease. The GMR curve changes from unsymmetrical to symmetrical with respect to the applied field polarity. The GMR responses from the component parallel to the applied field are proportional to the cosine of the angle between the pinning and the applied field. The results can be described well by a simple vector model, and an empirical method to measure the pinning field rotation is established.

Domain control in magnetic shields using patterned permanent magnet underlayer

The domain state of a magnetic shield in a recording head can be controlled by an adjacent patterned permanent magnet layer. A 1.1-μm-thick electroplated Ni80Fe20 (NF) film with slight uniaxial magnetic anisotropy was patterned into rectangular magnetic shields with various dimensions over patterned thin film made from a 0.1-μm-thick CoCrPt permanent magnet (PM). The shape of the adjacent biasing PM layer should be the shape of a desired final domain in NF. Domain structure in the NF layer and the process of magnetic saturation were imaged using wide-field Kerr microscopy. The NF and PM layers are magnetically coupled and, therefore, a magnetic state with parallel magnetization is preferred. The PM direction of magnetization is set in high magnetic field and the final NF domain state is controlled by the shape of PM features. The simplest stable domain structure in a rectangular thin shield is of an “envelope” type. Using a PM underlayer, either clockwise or counterclockwise domain structure is preferred....

23.8 Gb/in.2 areal density demonstration

We have demonstrated 23.8 Gb/in.2 areal density using a merged read-write grant magnetoresistive head, with an oriented thin film medium tested with broadband electronics and enhanced EPR4 channels. The medium had high signal to noise ratio metrics that was robust unto temperatures as high as 75 °C. A unique aspect of the head design at such a narrow track width is the simultaneous enhancement of the transducer sensitivity while keeping product and system manufacturability in the forefront. The areal density was demonstrated at a track density of 45.8 k tracks/in., using photolithographically defined poles and linear density of 520 k bits/in.

Exchange tab readback transducer using reactive ion etching to define the trackwidth

IrMn was used to stabilize the free layer in exchange tab type magnetic recording readback heads. These heads were fabricated using either reactive ion etching (RIE) or argon ion beam etching (IBE) to define the trackwidth. The two processes were used to eliminate the coupling between the exchange tab material (IrMn) and the free layer (NiFe), which creates a sensitive, nonhysteretic, linear, stable free layer. Wafer level test structures were measured during the head build process and results for the RIE and IBE processes are compared. Transmission electron micrographs were taken. Undercutting of the electrodes can be seen on the RIE processed heads. Spin-stand data for the read heads were compared and the RIE processed heads had a larger low frequency amplitude and sensitivity. Micro-track profiles and tack scans were also taken using the RIE processed heads. The increased process latitude that the RIE process has over the IBE process leads to, on average, overall better performing heads.

A study of the induced anisotropy in a ferromagnetic grain from an exchange coupled antiferromagnetic grain with uniaxial anisotropy

Approximate analytic solutions for the energy of an antiferromagnetic (AF) grain, which experiences an external exchange torque from a ferromagnetic grain have been obtained for a wide range of AF thickness. The accuracy of the analytic expression is within 2.0% of the exact solution, which do not have a closed analytical form. The model predicts that there are two critical AF grain thickness for each particular exchange energy strength. Below the first critical thickness, the induced anisotropy energy is well approximated by an uniaxial anisotropy term. Above the second critical thickness the induced anisotropy is unidirectional. In the intermediate range the induced anisotropy can not be expressed simply as uniaxial or unidirectional. The exchange bias and coercivity in NiFe/IrMn films have been studied as a function of the IrMn thickness, and the results are consistent with the proposed theory.

Lumped-element RC model for high-data-rate thin-film heads

We have developed a lumped-element model for a thin-film giant magnetoresistive head with an inductive writer and used it to study the effect on the data rate capability. Our work shows that the reader can be approximated well by a resistor (R/sub eff/) and a capacitor (C/sub eff/) in parallel. The paper discusses the relative importance of different contributors to C/sub eff/ and addresses the effect of C/sub eff/ on the spectrum of the read-back signal and the electrical reader pulsewidth (PW50) in detail. The model predictions and spin-stand data agree reasonably well. The paper also reports on our study of the amount of writer-to-reader coupling in the transducer. Our work points out the importance of minimizing the parasitic capacitance between elements in the writer and reader and avoiding direct coupling between the writer and reader leads.