SPIN VALVE SENSOR HAVING IMPROVED INTERFACE BETWEEN PINNING LAYER AND PINNED LAYER STRUCTURE.

摘要

A BILAYER INTERLAYER COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND LAYERS OF COBALT IRON (COFE) AND NICKEL IRON (NIFE) RESPECTIVELY IS LOCATED BETWEEN A NICKEL OXIDE PINNING LAYER (132) AND A COBALT IRON (COFE) PINNEDLAYER STRUCTURE (204) OF A SPIN VALVE SENSOR (130). THE PINNED LAYER STRUCTURE (204) MAY BE AN ANTIPARALLEL (AP) PINNED LAYER STRUCTURE OR A SINGLE PINNED LAYER OF COBALT IRON (COFE). THE BILAYER INTERLAYER REDUCES THE COERCIVITY OF THE COBALT IRON (COFE) PINNED LAYER STRUCTURE (204) SO THAT A MAGNETIC MOMENT OF THE PINNED LAYER STRUCTURE (204) IS RETURNED TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION BY EXCHANGE COUPLING WITH THE PINNING LAYER (132) WHEN THE MAGNETIC MOMENT IS ROTATED TO SOME DIRECTION OTHET THAN THE PINNED DIRECTION. THE SPIN VALVE SENSOR (130) MANIFESTS AN IMPROVED MAGNETORESISTIVE COEFFICIENT (DR/R) AND THERMAL STABILITY. (FIG. 12).