Electrical leads having ordered-phase crystalline structures for magnetoresistive sensors used in magnetic heads and fabrication method therefor

摘要

A magnetic head including an electrical lead layer that is comprised of a material having an ordered-phase crystalline structure. In a preferred embodiment, the ordered-phase crystalline structure of the electrical lead is epitaxially matched to the crystalline structure of the hard bias layer upon which it is formed, and there is no need for a seed layer for the electrical leads. Electrical leads comprised of the materials used in the invention having an ordered-phase crystalline structure, particularly a B2, L1₀, L1₁, and L1₂ structure, will have significantly reduced resistivity over the prior art electrical leads that are typically composed of rhodium or tantalum. As a result, thinner electrical leads can be fabricated which carry the same, or even greater, current than the prior art rhodium or tantalum leads. The preferred leads are comprised of NiAl, FeCo, or CuZn having a B2 crystalline structure, and alternative embodiments are comprised of CuAu, Cu₃Au, CuPt, and Cu₃Pt.