SPIN VALVE STRUCTURE

摘要

A high GMR spin valve structure having multiple layers of a ferromagnetic material (26,30) and a conductive non-magnetic material (28) can be monolithically integrated with silicon circuits (50) by first growing an accommodating buffer layer (24) on a silicon wafer (22). The accommodating buffer layer is a layer of monocrystalline oxide spaced apart from the silicon wafer by an amorphous oxide layer (32) of silicon oxide. The amorphous oxide layer dissipates strain and permits the growth of a high quality monocrystalline oxide accommodating buffer layer. The accommodating buffer layer is lattice matched to both the underlying silicon wafer and the overlying ferromagnetic layer. Any lattice mismatch between the accommodating buffer layer and the underlying silicon substrate is taken care of by the amorphous oxide layer.