Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Head – Magnetoresistive reproducing head
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-23
2001-06-26
Davis, David (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Head
Magnetoresistive reproducing head
Reexamination Certificate
active
06252750
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a read head with a file resettable double antiparallel (AP) pinned spin valve sensor and more particularly to a spin valve sensor wherein a current pulse is employed for resetting magnetic spins of first and second pinnning layers that pin first and second AP pinned layer structures of the spin valve sensor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A spin valve sensor is employed by a read head for sensing magnetic fields on a moving magnetic medium, such as a rotating magnetic disk. A typical sensor includes a nonmagnetic electrically conductive first spacer layer sandwiched between a ferromagnetic pinned layer and a ferromagnetic free layer. An antiferromagnetic pinning layer interfaces the pinned layer for pinning a magnetic moment of the pinned layer 90° to an air bearing surface (ABS) which is an exposed surface of the sensor that faces the magnetic medium. First and second leads are connected to the spin valve sensor for conducting a sense current therethrough. A magnetic moment of the free layer is free to rotate in positive and negative directions from a quiescent or bias point position in response to positive and negative magnetic field signals from a rotating magnetic disk. The quiescent position, which is typically parallel to the ABS, is the position of the magnetic moment of the free layer with the sense current conducted through the sensor in the absence of signal fields. If the quiescent position of the magnetic moment is not parallel to the ABS in the absence of a signal field the positive and negative responses of the free layer to positive and negative signal fields will not be equal which results in read signal asymmetry which is discussed in more detail hereinbelow.
The thickness of the spacer layer is chosen so that shunting of the sense current and a magnetic coupling between the free and pinned layers are minimized. This thickness is typically less than the mean free path of electrons conducted through the sensor. With this arrangement, a portion of the conduction electrons are scattered at the interfaces of the spacer layer with respect to the pinned and free layers. When the magnetic moments of the pinned and free layers are parallel with respect to one another scattering is at. a minimum and when their magnetic moments are antiparallel scattering is maximized. Changes in scattering in response to signal fields from a rotating disk changes the resistance of the spin valve sensor as a function of cos &thgr;, where &thgr; is the angle between the magnetic moments of the pinned and free layers. The sensitivity of the sensor is quantified as magnetoresistive coefficient dr/R where dr is the change in resistance of the sensor between parallel and antiparallel orientations of the pinned and free layers and R is the resistance of the sensor when the moments are parallel.
The transfer curve (readback signal of the spin valve head versus applied signal from the magnetic disk) of a spin valve sensor is a substantially linear portion of the aforementioned function of cos &thgr;. The greater this angle, the greater the resistance of the spin valve to the sense current and the greater the readback signal (voltage sensed by processing circuitry). With positive and negative signal fields from a rotating magnetic disk (assumed to be equal in magnitude), it is important that positive and negative changes of the resistance of the spin valve sensor be equal in order that the positive and negative magnitudes of the readback signals are equal. When this occurs a bias point on the transfer curve is considered to be zero and is located midway between the maximum positive and negative readback signals. When the direction of the magnetic moment of the free layer is parallel to the ABS, and the direction of the magnetic moment of the pinned layer is perpendicular to the ABS in a quiescent state (absence of signal fields) the bias point is located at zero and the positive and negative readback signals will be equal when sensing positive and negative signal fields from the magnetic disk. The readback signals are then referred to in the art as having symmetry about the zero bias point. When the readback signals are not equal the readback signals are asymmetric which equates to reduced storage capacity.
The location of the bias point on the transfer curve is influenced by three major forces on the free layer, namely a demagnetization field (H
D
) from the pinned layer, a ferromagnetic coupling field (H
F
) between the pinned layer and the free layer, and sense current fields (H
I
) from all conductive layers of the spin valve except the free layer. When the sense current is conducted through the spin valve sensor, the pinning layer (if conductive), the pinned layer and the first spacer layer, which are all on one side of the free layer, impose sense current fields on the free layer that rotate the magnetic moment of the free layer in a first direction. The ferromagnetic coupling field from the pinned layer further rotates the magnetic moment of the free layer in the first direction. The demagnetization field from the pinned layer on the free layer rotates the magnetic moment of the free layer in a direction opposite to the first direction. Accordingly, the demagnetization field opposes the sense current and ferromagnetic coupling fields and can be used for counterbalancing.
In some spin valve sensors an antiparallel (AP) pinned layer structure is substituted for the typical single layer pinned layer. The AP pinned layer structure includes a nonmagnetic AP coupling layer between first and second AP pinned layers. The first AP pinned layer is exchange coupled to the antiferromagnetic pinning layer which pins the magnetic moment of the first AP pinned layer in the same direction as the magnetic spins of the pinning layer. By exchange coupling between the first and second AP pinned layers the magnetic moment of the second AP pinned layer is pinned antiparallel to the magnetic moment of the first AP pinned layer. An advantage of the AP pinned layer structure is that demagnetization fields of the first and second AP pinned layers partially counterbalance one another so that a small demagnetization field is exerted on the free layer for improved biasing of the free layer. Further, the first AP pinned layer can be thinner than the single pinned layer which increases an exchange coupling field between the pinning layer and the first AP pinned layer.
In both the single pinned layer and the AP pinned layer type of spin valve sensor the magnetic spins of the pinning layer are set by applying a field from an exterior source in the presence of heat from an exterior source. This is typically accomplished at the wafer and/or row level in the construction of multiple magnetic heads arranged in rows and columns on a wafer. It is not practical to employ this process to reset the magnetic spins of the pinning layer at the file level magnetic head mounted in a magnetic disk drive because of a degradation of the head components by the applied heat. If the magnetic spins of the pinning layer become disoriented at the file level the disk drive may be rendered inoperable.
Over the years a significant amount of research has been conducted to improve symmetry of the read signals, the magnetoresistive coefficient dr/R and the read gap. The read gap, which is the distance between the first and second shield layers, should be minimized to increase the linear bit reading density of the read head. These efforts have increased the storage capacity of computers from kilobytes to megabytes to gigabytes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
I have provided a spin valve sensor which has improved magnetoresistive coefficient dr/R, improved read signal symmetry, a narrower gap and which can be reset in a magnetic disk drive in contrast to being reset at the wafer or row level. This has been accomplished by providing first and second AP pinned structures with the first AP pinned structure being on one side of the free layer and separated therefrom by a
Castro Angel
Davis David
Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich
International Business Machines - Corporation
Johnston Ervin F.
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