Method and system for providing a magnetic transducer having improved shield-to-shield spacing
View Patent ↗A method and system for providing a magnetic transducer is described. The method and system include providing a magnetic structural barrier layer and a crystalline magnetic layer on the magnetic structural barrier layer. The magnetic structural barrier layer may reside on a shield. The method and system also include providing a nonmagnetic layer on the crystalline magnetic layer. A pinning layer is provided on the nonmagnetic layer. Similarly, a pinned layer is provided on the pinning layer. The pinning layer is magnetically coupled with the pinned layer. The method and system also include providing a free layer and a nonmagnetic spacer layer between the pinned layer and the free layer.
1. A magnetic structure comprising:
a magnetic shield layer;
a magnetic structural barrier layer on the magnetic shield layer, the magnetic structural barrier layer being amorphous as-deposited but at least partially crystalline after fabrication of the completed magnetic structure;
a crystalline magnetic layer on the magnetic structural barrier layer, the magnetic structural barrier layer breaking a crystal structure coupling between the magnetic shield layer and the crystalline magnetic layer;
a nonmagnetic layer on the crystalline magnetic layer;
a pinning layer on the nonmagnetic layer;
a pinned layer on the pinning layer, the pinning layer being magnetically coupled with the pinned layer;
a free layer; and
a nonmagnetic spacer layer between the pinned layer and the free layer.
2. The magnetic structure of claim 1 wherein the magnetic structural barrier layer includes at least one of Co, Ni, and Fe and B.
3. The magnetic structure of claim 1 wherein the magnetic structural barrier layer includes at least one of CoFeB, CoFeBTa, CoFeZr, and NiFeB.
4. The magnetic structure of claim 1 wherein crystalline magnetic layer has a crystalline magnetic layer thickness of at least ten and not more than three hundred Angstroms.
5. The magnetic structure of claim 4 wherein the crystalline magnetic layer thickness is at least thirty-five and not more than fifty Angstroms.
6. The magnetic structure of claim 5 wherein the nonmagnetic layer has a thickness of at least two and not more than thirty Angstroms.
7. The magnetic structure of claim 5 wherein the nonmagnetic layer thickness is at least five and not more than twenty Angstroms.
8. The magnetic structure of claim 1 wherein the crystalline magnetic layer is a sputtered crystalline magnetic layer.
9. The magnetic structure of claim 1 wherein the nonmagnetic spacer layer includes at least one of a tunneling barrier layer and a conductive layer.
10. The magnetic structure of claim 1 wherein the magnetic structural barrier layer has a thickness of fifty Angstroms.
11. The magnetic structure of claim 1 wherein the magnetic structural barrier layer adjoins the magnetic shield layer and is magnetically coupled with the magnetic shield layer.
12. The magnetic structure of claim 1 wherein the magnetic structural barrier layer has a thickness of fifty Angstroms.
13. The magnetic structure of claim 1 wherein the magnetic structural barrier layer is completely crystalline after fabrication of the completed magnetic structure.
14. A magnetic transducer comprising:
a first shield;
a magnetic structural barrier layer adjoining the first shield and magnetically coupled with the first shield, the magnetic structural barrier layer having a thickness of fifty Angstroms, being amorphous as-deposited but at least partially crystalline after fabrication of the completed magnetic transducer, and including at least one of CoFeB, NiFeB, CoFeBTa, CoFeZr, and a spin glass;
a sputtered crystalline magnetic layer, the magnetic structural barrier layer residing between the first shield and the sputtered crystalline magnetic layer, the sputtered crystalline magnetic layer including at least one of NiFe, CoFe, CoFeNi, NiFeCr;
a nonmagnetic layer on the crystalline magnetic layer, the nonmagnetic layer having a thickness of at least two and not more than thirty Angstroms, the nonmagnetic layer including at least one of Ru, NiFeCr, Cu, and Hf, the magnetic structural barrier layer breaking a crystal structure coupling between the shield and the sputtered crystalline magnetic layer;
an antiferromagnetic (AFM) layer, the nonmagnetic layer residing between the AFM layer and the sputtered crystalline magnetic layer, the AFM layer being at least forty and not more than one hundred Angstroms thick;
a synthetic antiferromagnetic layer on the AFM layer;
a free layer;
a nonmagnetic spacer layer between the synthetic antiferromagnetic layer and the free layer; and
a second shield on the free layer, a shield-to-shield spacing corresponding to a distance between the second shield and the sputtered crystalline magnetic layer.
15. A disk drive comprising:
a slider; and
a head residing on the slider, the head including a magnetic transducer having a first shield, a magnetic structural barrier layer, a crystalline magnetic layer on the magnetic structural barrier layer, a nonmagnetic layer on the crystalline magnetic layer, a pinning layer on the nonmagnetic layer, a pinned layer on the pinning layer, a free layer, and a nonmagnetic spacer layer between the pinned layer and the free layer, the magnetic structural barrier layer being magnetically coupled with the first shield, the magnetic structural barrier layer being amorphous as-deposited but at least partially crystalline after fabrication of the completed magnetic transducer, the magnetic structural barrier layer breaking a crystal structure coupling between the shield and the crystalline magnetic layer.
16. A method for fabricating a magnetic transducer comprising:
providing a first shield;
providing an amorphous magnetic layer sharing a first interface with and being magnetically coupled with the first shield, the amorphous magnetic layer being a magnetic structural barrier layer and being amorphous as-deposited but at least partially crystalline after fabrication of the completed magnetic transducer;
providing a crystalline magnetic layer on the amorphous magnetic layer, the magnetic structural barrier layer breaking a crystal structure coupling between the shield and the crystalline magnetic layer;
providing a nonmagnetic layer on the crystalline magnetic layer;
providing a pinning layer on the nonmagnetic layer;
providing a pinned layer on the pinning layer;
providing a nonmagnetic spacer layer; and
providing a free layer, the nonmagnetic spacer layer between the pinned layer and the free layer.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the amorphous magnetic layer includes at least one of Co, Ni, and Fe and B.
18. The method of claim 16 wherein the amorphous magnetic layer includes at least one of CoFeB, CoFeBTa, CoFeZr, and NiFeB.
19. The method of claim 16 wherein the amorphous magnetic layer includes at least one spin glass.
20. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of providing the crystalline magnetic layer further includes:
sputtering the crystalline magnetic layer on the amorphous magnetic layer.
21. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of providing the first shield further includes:
plating the first shield, the amorphous magnetic layer residing between the first shield and the crystalline magnetic layer.
22. The method of claim 16 further comprising:
annealing the magnetic transducer in a magnetic field having at least one desired orientation.
23. The method of claim 16 wherein the magnetic structural barrier layer has a thickness of fifty Angstroms.