Reader noise reduction using spin hall effects

1. A read head, comprising:

(a) a bottom shield (S 1 ) having a front side at an air bearing surface (ABS), and a top surface;

(b) a top shield (S 2 ) having a front side at the ABS, and a bottom surface;

(c) a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor formed on S 1 at the ABS, comprising:

(1) a free layer (FL) with a magnetization in a first cross-track (longitudinal) direction, a front side at the ABS, and a back side at a first stripe height (SH 1 ) from the ABS;

(2) an AP1 reference layer with a magnetization that is orthogonal to the ABS in a first transverse direction, and wherein the AP1 reference layer is antiferromagnetically (AF) coupled to an AP2 reference layer through an AF coupling layer; and

(3) a non-magnetic layer between the FL and AP1 reference layer; and

(d) a Spin Hall Effect (SHE) layer comprised of a positive Spin Hall Angle (SHA) material and formed on the FL and with a second stripe height (SH 2 ) between a front side and backside thereof, and wherein a top surface of the SHE layer is separated from the S 2 bottom surface by an insulation layer, and wherein the SHE layer is configured to spin polarize a current and generate a first spin torque on the FL that opposes a second spin torque generated by the AP1 reference layer on the FL when the current flows from a first side of the SHE layer to a second side of the SHE layer in the first cross-track direction when a portion of the current flows through the MR sensor from the SHE layer to the S 1 , or the current flows from the second side of the SHE layer to the first side of the SHE layer in a direction opposite to the first cross-track direction when the portion of current through the MR sensor flows from the S 1 to the SHE layer thereby reducing spin torque induced magnetic noise in the FL.

2. The read head of claim 1 wherein the SHE layer has a down-track thickness less than 12 nm.

3. The read head of claim 1 wherein the SHE layer has an absolute value for SHA that is >0.05.

4. The read head of claim 1 wherein the SHE layer front side is at the ABS.

5. The read head of claim 4 wherein the SHE layer backside is formed between the ABS and a bottom portion of S 2 that has a front side at height h 2 from the ABS where h 2 >SH 2 .

6. The read head of claim 1 wherein the SHE layer front side is recessed behind a bottom portion of S 2 .

7. The read head of claim 1 wherein the non-magnetic layer is a tunnel barrier layer.

8. The read head of claim 1 wherein the MR sensor is further comprised of an antiferromagnetic (AFM) layer that is formed behind an upper portion of S 1 , and wherein the AFM layer pins a magnetization in the AP2 reference layer.

9. The read head of claim 1 wherein SH 2 is greater than SH 1 .

10. A head gimbal assembly (HGA), comprising:

(a) the read head of claim 1 ; and

(b) a suspension that elastically supports the read head, wherein the suspension has a flexure to which the read head is joined, a load beam with one end connected to the flexure, and a base plate connected to the other end of the load beam.

11. A magnetic recording apparatus, comprising:

(a) the HGA of claim 10 ;

(b) a magnetic recording medium positioned opposite to a slider on which the read head is formed;

(c) a spindle motor that rotates and drives the magnetic recording medium; and

(d) a device that supports the slider, and that positions the slider relative to the magnetic recording medium.