Magnetic sensor with perpendicular anisotrophy free layer and side shields

1. A magnetic sensor comprising:

a sensor stack separating a top magnetic shield from a bottom magnetic shield, the sensor stack comprising a reference magnetic element having a reference magnetization orientation direction and a free magnetic element having a free magnetization orientation direction substantially perpendicular to the reference magnetization orientation direction, and a non-magnetic spacer layer separating the reference magnetic element from the free magnetic element; and

a first side magnetic shield and a second side magnetic shield disposed between the top magnetic shield and the bottom magnetic shield, and the sensor stack disposed between the first side magnetic shield and the second side magnetic shield, and the first side magnetic shield or the second side magnetic shield comprise an electrically insulating layer electrically insulating the top magnetic shield from the bottom magnetic shield.

2. A magnetic sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the free magnetic element comprises a layer of CoFeB and a layer of TbCoFe, FePt, CoPt, or MnA 1 .

3. A magnetic sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the non-magnetic spacer layer is an oxide material.

4. A magnetic sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the reference magnetic element comprises a synthetic antiferromagnet stabilized with an antiferromagnetic layer.

5. A magnetic sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the free magnetic layer has a length that is less than a length of the reference magnetic element.

6. A magnetic sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the reference magnetic element comprises a pinned layer stabilized with an antiferromagnetic layer.

7. A magnetic sensor according to claim 6 , wherein the free magnetic layer has a length that is less than a length of the reference magnetic element.

8. A magnetic sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the reference magnetic element comprises a pinned layer stabilized with a hard magnetic layer.

9. A magnetic sensor according to claim 8 , wherein the free magnetic layer has a length that is less than a length of the reference magnetic element.

10. A magnetic sensor according to claim 8 , wherein the pinned layer comprises CoFeB and the hard magnetic layer comprises CoPt, CoCrPt, or FePt.

11. A magnetic sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the first side magnetic shield and a second side magnetic shield comprise a plurality of magnetic layers separated by non-magnetic spacer layers.

12. A magnetic sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the non-magnetic spacer layers are electrically insulating.

13. A magnetic sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the non-magnetic spacer layers are electrically conducting.

14. A magnetic sensor comprising:

a sensor stack between a top magnetic shield and a bottom magnetic shield, the sensor stack comprising a reference magnetic element having a reference magnetization orientation direction and a free magnetic element having a free magnetization orientation direction substantially perpendicular to the reference magnetization orientation direction, and a non-magnetic spacer layer separating the reference magnetic element from the free magnetic element;

a first side magnetic shield and a second side magnetic shield separating the top magnetic shield from the bottom magnetic shield, and the sensor stack between the first side magnetic shield and the second side magnetic shield, and the first side magnetic shield or the second side magnetic shield comprise two or more magnetic layers separated by a spacer layer; and

an electrically insulating layer separates the first side magnetic shield or the second side magnetic shield from the top magnetic shield and the bottom magnetic shield.

15. A magnetic sensor according to claim 14 , wherein the non-magnetic spacer layers are electrically insulating.

16. A magnetic sensor according to claim 14 , wherein the non-magnetic spacer layers are electrically conducting.

17. A magnetic sensor according to claim 14 , wherein the free magnetic layer has a length that is less than a length of the reference magnetic element.

18. A magnetic sensor comprising:

a sensor stack between a top magnetic shield and a bottom magnetic shield, the sensor stack comprising a reference magnetic element having a reference magnetization orientation direction and a free magnetic element having a free magnetization orientation direction substantially perpendicular to the reference magnetization orientation direction, and a non-magnetic spacer layer separating the reference magnetic element from the free magnetic element, the reference magnetic element comprising two or more magnetic layers; and

a first side magnetic shield and a second side magnetic shield separating the top magnetic shield from a bottom magnetic shield, the sensor stack disposed between the first side magnetic shield and the second side magnetic shield, and the first side magnetic shield or the second side magnetic shield comprise two or more magnetic layers separated by spacer layer; and

an electrically insulating layer separates the first side magnetic shield or the second side magnetic shield from the top magnetic shield and the bottom magnetic shield.

19. A magnetic sensor according to claim 18 , wherein the reference magnetic element comprises a synthetic antiferromagnet stabilized with an antiferromagnetic layer.

20. A magnetic sensor according to claim 18 , wherein the reference magnetic element comprises a pinned layer stabilized with a hard magnetic layer.