Active solid-state devices (e.g. – transistors – solid-state diode – Responsive to non-electrical signal – Magnetic field
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-14
2004-08-31
Nelms, David (Department: 2818)
Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode
Responsive to non-electrical signal
Magnetic field
C257SE27006, C360S324110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06784509
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-246583, filed on Aug. 15, 2001; the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a magnetoresistance effect element, magnetic head and magnetic reproducing apparatus, and more particularly, to a magnetoresistance effect element structured to flow a sense current perpendicularly of the film surface of a magnetoresistance effect film, as well as a magnetic head and a magnetic reproducing apparatus using the magnetoresistance effect element.
Read-out of information recorded in a magnetic recording medium conventionally relied on a method of moving a reproducing magnetic head having a coil relative to the recording medium and detecting a current induced in the coil by electromagnetic induction then generated. Later, a magnetoresistance effect element was developed, and has been brought into practical use as a magnetic field sensor as well as a magnetic head (MR head) incorporated in a magnetic reproducing apparatus such as a hard disk drive.
For years, magnetic recording mediums have been progressively downsized and enhanced in capacity, and the relative speed between the reproducing magnetic head and the magnetic recording medium during information read-out operation has been decreased accordingly. Under the circumstances, there is the increasing expectation for MR heads capable of extracting large outputs even with small relative speeds.
As an answer to the expectation, it has been reported that multi-layered films, so called an “artificial lattice films”, which are made by alternately depositing ferromagnetic metal films and nonmagnetic metal films, such as the combination of Fe layers and Cr layers or the combination of Fe layers and Cu layers, under certain conditions, and bringing closely located ferromagnetic metal films into antiferromagnetic coupling, exhibit giant magnetoresistance effects (see Phys. Rev. Lett. Vol. 61, p2474 (1988), Phys. Rev. Lett., Vol. 64, p2304 (1990), for example). Artificial films, however, need a large magnetic field for magnetic saturation, and are not suitable as film materials for MR heads.
On the other hand, there are reports about realization of a large magnetoresistance effect by using a multi-layered film of the sandwich structure of a ferromagnetic layer on a nonmagnetic layer and a ferromagnetic layer even when the ferromagnetic layer is not under ferromagnetic coupling. According to this report, one of two layers sandwiching the nonmagnetic layer is fixed in magnetization beforehand by application of an exchanging bias magnetic field thereto, and the other ferromagnetic layer is magnetically reversed with an external magnetic field (signal magnetic field, for example). It results in changing the relative angle between the magnetization directions of these two ferromagnetic layers on opposite surfaces of the nonmagnetic layer, and exerting a large magnetoresistance effect. The multi-layered structure of this kind is often called “spin valve” (see Phys. Rev. B, Vol. 45, p806 (1992), J. Appl. Phys., Vol. 69, p 4774 (1981) and others).
Spin valves that can be magnetically saturated under a low magnetic field are suitable as MR heads and are already brought into practical use. However, their magnetoresistance ratios are only 20% maximum. Therefore, to cope with area recording densities not lower than 100 Gbpsi (gigabits per square inch), there is the need of a magnetoresistance effect element having a higher magnetoresistance ratio.
Structures of magnetoresistance effect elements are classified into CIP (current-in-plane) type structures permitting a sense current to flow in parallel to the film plane of the element and CPP (current-perpendicular-to-plane) type structures permitting a sense current to flow perpendicularly to the film plane of the element. Considering that CPP type magnetoresistance effect elements were reported to exhibit magnetoresistance ratios as large as approximately ten times those of CIP type elements (J. Phys. Condens. Mater., Vol. 11, p. 5717 (1999) and others), realization of the magnetoresistance raio of 100% is not impossible.
However, CPP type elements having been heretofore reported mainly use artificial lattices, and a large total thickness of films and a large number of boundary faces caused a large variation of resistance (absolute output value). To realize a satisfactory magnetic property required for a head, the use of a spin valve structure is desirable.
FIG. 30
is a cross-sectional view that schematically showing a CPP type magnetoresistance effect element having a spin valve structure. A magnetoresistance effect film M is interposed between an upper electrode
52
and a lower electrode
54
, and a sense current flows perpendicularly to the film plane. The magnetoresistance effect film M shown here has the basic film structure sequentially made by depositing a base layer
12
, antiferromagnetic layer
14
, magnetization-pinned layer
16
, nonmagnetic intermediate layer
18
, magnetization free layer
20
and protective layer
22
on the lower electrode
54
.
As these layers are basically made of metals. The magnetization-pinned layer (called pinned layer) is a magnetic layer in which magnetization is fixed substantially in one direction. The magnetization free layer
20
(called free layer) is a magnetic layer in which the direction of magnetization can freely change depending upon an external magnetic field.
This kind of spin valve structure, however, has a smaller total thickness and fewer boundary faces than those of artificial lattices. Therefore, if a current is supplied perpendicularly to the film plane, then the resistance becomes small and the absolute output value becomes smaller.
For example, if a spin valve film having a film structure heretofore used in a CIP structure is directly used in a CPP structure and a current is supplied perpendicularly of the film plane, the absolute value of the output per 1 &mgr;m
2
, A&Dgr;R, is only about 1 m&OHgr;&mgr;m
2
. That is, for practically using a CPP using a spin valve film, increase of the output is an important issue. For this purpose, it is very effective to increase the resistance value of a portion of the magnetoresistance effect element taking part in spin-dependent conduction and thereby increase the resistance change.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Output of a CPP type magnetoresistance effect element is determined by spin-dependent scattering along the interface between a magnetic layer and a nonmagnetic layer (interface scattering) and spin-dependent scattering in the magnetic layer (bulk scattering). Taking it into account, a large output increase can be expected by using a material exhibiting large spin-dependent interface scattering to form the interface with the nonmagnetic layer and using a material exhibiting large spin-dependent bulk scattering to form the substantial part occupying the majority part of the magnetic layer.
If a nonmagnetic back layer is inserted along one of interfaces of the magnetically pinned layer or magnetically free layer not contacting the nonmagnetic intermediate layer, spin-dependent interface scattering along the interface between the pinned layer and the nonmagnetic back layer or the interface between the free layer and the nonmagnetic back layer can be used. Thus, if a material exhibiting large spin-dependent interface scattering is used to form the interface between the pinned layer and the nonmagnetic back layer or between the free layer and the nonmagnetic back layer, the output increases.
Insertion of a different material in a location within the pinned layer or the free layer results in bringing a modulation in the band structure, and it may possibly increase the output.
The Inventors proceeded with their own trial and researches from that point of view, and reached the invention of the unique magnetoresistance effect element explained below.
According to the embodiment of the in
Iwasaki Hitoshi
Kamiguchi Yuzo
Koui Katsuhiko
Nagata Tomohiko
Sahashi Masashi
Ho Tu-Tu
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
Nelms David
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
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