Method and system for providing an antiferromagnetically coupled writer
View Patent ↗A method and system for fabricating a magnetic transducer are described. The magnetic transducer includes a pole and a nonmagnetic intermediate layer adjacent to the pole. The pole has a paddle and a pole tip including a plurality of sidewalls. The pole includes a first magnetic pole layer, at least one antiferromagnetic coupling (AFC) structure on the first magnetic pole layer, and a second magnetic pole layer on the AFC structure(s). At least a portion of the first magnetic pole layer resides on the sidewalls of the pole tip. The paddle has a paddle width in a track width direction. The pole tip has a pole tip width in a track width direction that is less than the paddle width.
1. A method for fabricating a magnetic write transducer having an intermediate layer, the intermediate layer being nonmagnetic, the method comprising:
providing a trench in the intermediate layer, the trench having a paddle region, a pole tip region, a profile, and a location corresponding to a pole of the magnetic transducer, the paddle region having a paddle width in a track width direction, pole tip region having a pole tip width in a track width direction that is less than the paddle width;
providing a first magnetic pole layer in the trench, the first magnetic pole layer covering the sidewalls of the pole tip region;
providing at least one antiferromagnetic coupling (AFC) structure on the first magnetic pole layer; and
providing a second magnetic layer on the at least one AFC structure;
planarizing the magnetic transducer, a remaining portion of the first magnetic pole layer, a remaining portion of the at least one AFC structure, and a remaining portion of the second magnetic pole layer forming the pole, the remaining portion of the at least one AFC structure residing only in the paddle of the pole, and the remaining portion of the first magnetic pole layer substantially filling the pole tip such that the pole tip is ferromagnetic.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing each of the at least one AFC structure further includes:
depositing a nonmagnetic layer.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of depositing the nonmagnetic layer further includes:
sputtering the nonmagnetic layer.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the nonmagnetic layer includes at least one of Ru, NiCr, and Cr.
5. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of providing each of the at least one AFC structure further includes:
depositing a first ferromagnetic layer; and
depositing a second ferromagnetic layer, the nonmagnetic layer residing between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of depositing the first ferromagnetic layer further includes:
sputtering the first ferromagnetic layer; and
wherein the step of depositing the second ferromagnetic layer further includes sputtering the second ferromagnetic layer.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first magnetic pole layer has a first thickness and a second magnetic pole layer has a second thickness less than the first thickness.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first magnetic pole layer has a first thickness and a second magnetic pole layer has a second thickness greater than the first thickness.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first magnetic pole layer has a first thickness and a second magnetic pole layer has a second thickness substantially equal to the first thickness.
10. A method for fabricating a magnetic transducer having an intermediate layer, the intermediate layer being nonmagnetic, the method comprising:
providing a trench in the intermediate layer, the trench having a paddle region, a pole tip region, a profile, and a location corresponding to a pole of the magnetic transducer, the paddle region having a paddle width in a track width direction, pole tip region having a pole tip width in a track width direction that is less than the paddle width;
plating a first magnetic pole layer in the trench, the first magnetic pole layer substantially filling the pole tip region;
sputtering at least one antiferromagnetic coupling (AFC) structure on the first magnetic pole layer, each of the at least one AFC structure including at least a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, and a nonmagnetic layer between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer, the nonmagnetic layer including Ru, the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer including at least one of Co 1-x Fe x and Co 1-x-y- Z y Fe x , where x is at least 0.55 and not more than 0.75, y is less than or equal to 0.05, and Z is at least one of Ni, Cu, Cr, Mo, B, Pt, P, Rh and Pd;
plating a second magnetic layer on the at least one AFC structure;
planarizing the magnetic transducer, a remaining portion of the first magnetic pole layer, a remaining portion of the at least one AFC structure, and a remaining portion of the second magnetic pole layer forming the pole, the remaining portion of the at least one AFC structure residing only in the paddle of the pole, and the remaining portion of the first magnetic pole layer substantially filling the pole tip such that the pole tip is ferromagnetic.