Abstract: A magnetoresistive (MR) sensor comprising a layered structure having at least one trilayer comprising a first and a second thin film ferromagnetic layers separated by and in interfacial contact with a third thin film non-metallic magnetic layer. A fourth thin film layer of material is within the first ferromagnetic layer, and the fourth layer has a thickness between a fraction of a monolayer and several monolayers and is located at predetermined distance from the interface between the first and third layers. A current flow is produced through the MR sensor and variations in resistivity of the MR sensor produced by rotation of the magnetization in one or both of the ferromagnetic layers is sensed as a function of the magnetic field being sensed.

Abstract: A magnetic recording system uses an improved spin valve magnetoresistive (SVMR) sensor. The SVMR sensor has a self-pinned laminated layer as the pinned ferromagnetic layer in place of the conventional single-layer pinned layer. Because this laminated layer is "self-pinned", a hard bias or exchange bias layer is not needed. The self-pinned laminated layer has at least two ferromagnetic films antiferromagnetically coupled to one another across a thin antiferromagnetically (AF) coupling film. Since the two ferromagnetic films in this laminated layer have their magnetic moments aligned antiparallel, their two magnetic moments can be made to essentially cancel by making the two ferromagnetic films of substantially the same thickness. The magnetic field energy generated by the signal field acting on this laminated layer will be significantly less than the effective anisotropy energy of the laminated layer.

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 nonmagnetic metallic layer. A layer of antiferromagnetic material is formed over one of the ferromagnetic layers to provide an exchange bias field which fixes or "pins" the magnetization direction in the one ferromagnetic layer. An interlayer of magnetically soft material is deposited between the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic layers separating the ferromagnetic layer from the antiferromagnetic layer and enhancing the exchange coupling, particularly in the instance where the ferromagnetic material is iron or an iron alloy.

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 nonmagnetic metallic layer. A layer of nonmagnetic electrically conductive material is deposited adjacent to and in contact with one of the ferromagnetic layers, referred to as a filter layers to form a back or conduction layer which provides a low resistance path for conduction electrons transmitted through the adjacent filter layer. The thickness of the filter layer is selected such that it effectively blocks conduction electrons having spins antiparallel to the direction of magnetization in the filter layer while allowing conduction electrons with parallel spins to be transmitted through the layer into the adjacent back layer.

Abstract: A magnetic recording data storage system of high recording density is made possible by an improved magnetoresistive sensor. The sensor has a ferromagnetic sensing layer that is a laminated layer of two ferromagnetic films antiferromagnetically coupled to one another and separated by an antiferromagnetically coupling film. By appropriate selection of the thickness of the nonmagnetic antiferromagnetically coupling film, the ferromagnetic films become antiferromagnetically coupled and their magnetizations rotate as a single rigid unit in the presence of the external magnetic field to be sensed. The ferromagnetic sensing layer can be used in conventional magnetoresistive sensors of the anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) type and in spin valve magnetoresistive (SVMR) sensors. In the spin valve sensor, the laminated ferromagnetic sensing layer serves as the free layer and is preferably formed of two films of nickel-iron (Ni-Fe) separated by a ruthenium (Ru) antiferromagnetically coupling film.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive (MR) sensor comprising a layered structure having at least one trilayer comprising a first and a second thin film ferromagnetic layers separated by and in interfacial contact with a third thin film non-metallic layer. A fourth thin film layer of material is within the first ferromagnetic layer, and the fourth layer has a thickness between a fraction of a monolayer and several monolayer and is located at predetermined distance from the interface between the first and third layers. A current flow is produced through the MR sensor and variations in resistivity of the MR sensor produced by rotation of the magnetization in one or both of the ferromagnetic layers is sensed as a function of the magnetic field being sensed.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive read sensor based on the spin valve effect and having a multilayered, dual spin valve structure is described. The sensor read element includes first, second and third layers of ferromagnetic material separated from each other by layers of non-magnetic metallic material. The first and third layers of ferromagnetic material, i.e., the outer layers of the structure, have their magnetization orientation fixed, while the second, intermediate ferromagnetic layer is magnetically soft and has its magnetization oriented perpendicular to that of both the outer ferromagnetic layers in the absence of an applied magnetic field. In one preferred embodiment, the two outer ferromagnetic layers have their magnetizations fixed parallel to each other by exchange coupling with adjacent antiferromagnetic layers.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive (MR) sensor comprising a first and a second thin film layer of a magnetic material separated by a thin film layer of a non-magnetic metallic material. The first ferromagnetic layer is magnetically soft. The magnetization direction of the first layer of magnetic material is set substantially perpendicular to the magnetization of the second layer of magnetic material at zero applied field, and the magnetization direction of the second layer of magnetic material 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 as a function of the magnetic field being sensed. The variation of the resistance with the angle between the magnetizations of the first and second layers of magnetic material has been defined as the spin valve (SV) effect.