公开(公告)号：MY110737A

公开(公告)日：1999-02-27

申请号：MYPI19932036

申请日：1993-10-07

Applicant: IBM

Inventor： VIRGIL SIMON SPERIOSU ,  ROBERT EDWARD FONTANA JR ,  BERNARD DIENY ,  WILLIAM CHARLES CAIN

IPC: G01R33/09 ,  G11B5/02 ,  G11B5/39 ,  H01L43/08

Abstract: A MAGNETORESISTIVE READ SENSOR BASED ON THE SPIN VALVE EFFECT IN WHICH A COMPONENT OF THE READ ELEMENT RESISTANCE VARIES AS THE COSINE OF THE ANGLE BETWEEN THE MAGNETIZATION DIRECTIONS IN TWO ADJACENT MAGNETIC LAYERS IS DESCRIBED. THE SENSOR READ ELEMENT INCLUDES TWO ADJACENT FERROMAGNETIC LAYERS SEPARATED BY A NON-MAGNETIC METALLIC LAYER, THE MAGNETIC EASY AXIS OF EACH OF THE FERROMAGNETIC LAYERS BEING ALIGNED ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE FERROMAGNETIC LAYERS AND PERPENDICULAR TO THE TRACKWIDTH OF AN ADJACENT MAGNETIC STORAGE MEDIUM. THE SENSE CURRENT FLOWING IN THE SENSOR ELEMENT GENERATES A BIAS FIELD WHICH SETS THE DIRECTION OF MAGNETIZATION IN EACH FERROMAGNETIC LAYER AT AN EQUAL, BUT OPPOSITE, ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO THE MAGNETIC EASY AXIS THUS PROVIDING AN ANGULAR SEPARATION OF 2 IN THE ABSENCE OF AN APPLIED MAGNETIC SIGNAL.THE MAGNETIZATIONS OF BOTH FERROMAGNETIC LAYERS ARE RESPONSIVE TO AN APPLIED MAGNETIC FIELD TO CHANGE THEIR ANGULAR SEPARATION BY AN AMOUNT 2.(FIG 3)

公开(公告)号：MY107672A

公开(公告)日：1996-05-30

申请号：MYPI19912080

申请日：1991-11-11

Applicant: IBM

Inventor： DENNIS RICHARD WILHOIT ,  STEVEN EUGENE LAMBERT ,  STUART STEPHEN PAPWORTH PARKIN ,  BRUCE ALVIN GURNEY ,  DANIELE MAURI ,  VIRGIL SIMON SPERIOSU ,  BERNARD DIENY

IPC: G01R33/06 ,  G01R33/09 ,  G11B5/00 ,  G11B5/39

Abstract: A MAGNETORESISTIVE (MR) SENSOR COMPRISING A FIRST AND A SECOND THIN FILM LAYER OF A MAGNETIC MATERIAL (12,16) SEPARATED BY A THIN FILM LAYER OF A NON-MAGNETIC METALLIC MATERIAL (14). THE FIRST FERROMAGNETIC LAYER (12) IS MAGNETICALLY SOFT. THE MAGNETIZATION DIRECTION OF THE FIRST LAYER OF MAGNETIC MATERIAL (12) IS SET SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE MAGNETIZATION OF THE SECOND LAYER OF MAGNETIC MATERIAL (16) AT ZERO APPLIED FIELD, AND THE MAGNETIZATION DIRECTION OF THE SEOCND LAYER OF MAGNETIC MATERIAL (16) IS FIXED. A CURRENT FLOW IS PRODUCED THROUGH THE MR SENSOR, AND THE VARIATIONS IN VOLTAGE ACROSS THE MR SENSOR ARE SENSED DUE TO CHANGES IN RESISTANCE OF THE MR SENSOR PRODUCED BY ROTATION OF THE MAGNETIZATION IN THE FIRST LAYER OF MAGNETIC MATERIAL (12) AS A FUNCTION OF THE MAGNETIC FIELD BEING SENSED. THE VARIATION OF THE RESISTANCE WITH THE ANGLE BETWEEN THE MAGNETIZATION OF THE FIRST AND SECOND LAYERS OF MAGNETIC MATERIAL HAS BEEN DEFINED AS THE SPIN VALVE (SV) EFFECT. IT IS ALSO SHOWN THAT, BY A SUITABLE DIRECTION OF THE CURRENT WITH RESPECT TO THE FIXED MAGNETIZATION, THE (SV) MAGNETORESISTANCE CAN BE ADDED CONSTRUCTIVELY TO THE USUAL ANISOTROPIC MAGNETORESISTANCE. (FIG.5)