JP2003203314A - Spin valve magneto resistive effect reproducing head and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a spin valve magneto resistive effect reproducing head provided with a lead overlay structure to exhibit good magnetic reproducing characteristics, and its manufacturing method. <P>SOLUTION: This head is provided with a longitudinal bias layer formed to be adjacently joined to the first end surface of a magneto resistive effect film, and a conductive lead overlay layer formed to cover the longitudinal bias layer and to be electrically joined to the second end surface of the magneto resistive effect film. Thus, a good current path is formed, and a clear effective reading width is defined. Especially, since the second end surface is formed by using ion-beam etching, damage to a ferromagnetic free layer is prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a reproducing head utilizing a magnetoresistive effect and a method of manufacturing the same, and in particular,
The present invention relates to a spin valve type magnetoresistive reproducing head having a giant magnetoresistive film having a spin valve structure and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a top spin valve type, a bottom spin valve type or a dual spin valve type is known as a structure of a spin valve type magnetic reproducing head. Furthermore, some of these modified magnetic read heads are also known. The main part of such a reproducing head is a spin valve structure composed of two ferromagnetic layers separated by a non-magnetic spacer layer (generally composed of copper (Cu)). A pinned layer (also referred to as a pinned layer), which is one of the two ferromagnetic layers, has a magnetic moment fixed in a specific direction within the stacking plane. The free layer, which is the other ferromagnetic layer, has a magnetic moment that is freely rotatable according to an external magnetic field generated by a magnetic recording medium or the like. The angle formed by the magnetization direction of the pinned layer and the magnetization direction of the free layer causes a resistance change in the spin valve structure. This is because the up-spin conduction electrons and the down-spin conduction electrons have different magnitudes of crystal lattice scattering received when traversing the spin valve structure in the stacking direction. In the magnetic reproducing head, such a magnetoresistive effect (Magneto-resistiveeff
ect) is used to read the information recorded on magnetic recording media, etc.

The direction of the magnetic moment in the pinned layer is fixed by a pinning layer (also called pinning layer). The pinning layer is usually made of an antiferromagnetic material and is formed so as to be in direct contact with the pinned layer. The bottom type spin valve structure has the pinned layer on the bottom (substrate side)
The pinning layer is located closest to the substrate. On the other hand, the top type spin valve structure is configured such that the pinned layer is located on the upper side (the side opposite to the substrate), and in this case, the pinning layer is located farthest from the substrate.

A longitudinal bias layer and a conductive lead layer are laminated on both sides of these spin valve structures.
The conductive lead layer is for supplying a sense current to the spin valve structure. By supplying the sense current, the resistance change due to the magnetoresistive effect can be detected. The longitudinal bias layer is for stabilizing the magnetic domain structure of the free layer and reducing so-called Barkhausen noise.

FIG. 5 shows a main structure of a magnetic reproducing head having a conventional spin valve structure. This conventional magnetic reproducing head has a sensor unit 104, a pair of vertical bias layers 102, and a conductive lead layer 106, and is a so-called lead overlay (LOL).
aid) structure. A pair of longitudinal bias layers 102
Sandwiches the sensor portion 104 along the track width direction and is formed so as to directly contact the steep slopes on both sides of the sensor portion 104. Pair of conductive lead layers 106
Is a part of the sensor unit 104 and the pair of vertical bias layers 102.
It is formed so as to cover and. The sensor unit 104 has a top spin valve structure or a bottom spin valve structure.

In recent years, a top type or bottom type spin valve structure having a synthetic antiferromagnetic pinned layer (hereinafter referred to as a SyAP layer) instead of a single pinned layer has been proposed.
This SyAP layer has a three-layer structure and includes ruthenium (R
u) and the like, and the two ferromagnetic layers formed so as to sandwich the nonmagnetic coupling layer. The two ferromagnetic layers are magnetized so as to be antiparallel to each other, and their magnetization directions are changed by antiferromagnetic exchange coupling with the antiferromagnetic layer provided adjacent to the SyAP layer via the nonmagnetic coupling layer. It is supposed to be retained. For convenience, one of the two ferromagnetic layers closer to the free layer will be referred to as an AP1 layer, and the other will be referred to as an AP2 layer. A
A copper layer is generally formed between the P1 layer and the free layer.

As prior art related to the present invention,
There are the following.

For example, Kakihara discloses a structure in which a conductive lead layer is provided below and on both sides of a sensor portion having a spin valve structure (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
reference. ). In addition, Sato et al. Used a platinum-manganese alloy (P) as an antiferromagnetic layer in order to realize a lower annealing temperature.
A sensor having a spin valve structure using a (tMn) layer is disclosed (for example, refer to Patent Document 2). The longitudinal bias layer and the conductive lead layer are basically constructed according to the lead overlay structure as shown in FIG. Yuan et al. Disclose a dual spin valve structure improved so that a bias is applied by pinned layers formed above and below the free layer (see, for example, Patent Document 3). In this case, the method for forming the vertical bias layer and the conductive lead layer follows the standard process for forming the adjacent junction structure, and the sensor section is etched using ion milling to form the inclined surface to be the junction surface with the vertical bias layer. To form. At that time, the ion milling is stopped by the antiferromagnetic layer formed below the sensor unit. Also, Grill et al. Propose a spin valve sensor asymmetrically arranged between the upper and lower shield layers (see, for example, Patent Document 4). This spin valve sensor can cancel a magnetic field having an unnecessary effect of fixing the direction of the magnetization moment of the free layer, which is caused by flowing a sense current. Therefore, the conductive lead layer has a characteristic structure in which one is below the spin valve structure and the other is above it.

[0009]

[Patent Document 1] US Pat. No. 6,201,669

[Patent Document 2] US Pat. No. 5,869,963

[Patent Document 3] US Pat. No. 5,705,973

[Patent Document 4] US Pat. No. 5,828,530

[0010]

By the way, in the LOL structure, the resistance of the sense current from the conductive lead layer is much smaller than that in the case without the LOL structure, but at least for the sensor section to function most effectively, 3 mentioned below
It is necessary to satisfy two conditions.

The first condition is that due to the LOL structure, the conductive lead layer and the main part of the sensor portion (“free layer / copper layer / A
P1 layer ”) means that it forms a good electrical connection. As a result, a sufficient current flowing through the operating portion of the sensor unit and a large voltage change that can easily detect a resistance change are guaranteed. The second condition is LO
It is said that the overlapping portion (joint portion) between the sensor portion and the conductive lead layer in the L structure has a low MR ratio (= dR / R; the ratio between the resistance change dR and the resistance value R, also referred to as the resistance change rate). That is. It is desirable that the functional width of the sensor section (effective reading width corresponding to the narrow track width of the recording medium) be clearly defined by the region exhibiting the largest MR ratio. In this case, when the MR ratio of the overlapping portion in the LOL structure is small, the effective read width is more clearly defined. However, when the MR ratio of the overlapping portion in the LOL structure is high, there is a possibility that an unnecessary recording track that is not the access target may be reproduced. The third condition is that the free layer must not be damaged when forming the conductive lead layer. In other words, the free layer near the interface is not damaged when the pair of vertical bias layers is formed so as to be adjacently joined to both sides of the sensor section and when the conductive lead layer is formed so as to cover them. It means that it should not be given.

However, in the conventional spin valve structure including the above-mentioned prior art, there are three conditions, that is, that a good electrical junction is provided, that the MR ratio is low in the vicinity of the conductive lead layer, and that there is a sensor. It is difficult to satisfy that the conductive lead layer and the vertical bias layer can be formed without damaging the portion. Furthermore, none of the conventional spin valve structures has been found to be adaptable to a wide range of modern applications over a wide range and to have great advantages over other structures.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is a spin valve type having a lead overlay structure capable of satisfying the above-mentioned three conditions and exhibiting better magnetic reproducing characteristics. It is an object to provide a magnetoresistive effect reproducing head and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0014]

According to the method of manufacturing a spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head of the present invention, a first step of forming a shield layer on a substrate and a dielectric layer on the shield layer are formed. A second step, a third step of forming a seed layer on the dielectric layer, a fourth step of forming a ferromagnetic free layer on the seed layer, and a step of forming the ferromagnetic free layer. A fifth step of forming a non-magnetic spacer layer on the above, a sixth step of forming a fixed layer on the non-magnetic spacer layer, and an antiferromagnetic fixing action on the fixed layer. A seventh step of forming a layer, an eighth step of forming a laminated film by forming a protective layer on the antiferromagnetic pinning layer, and a dielectric layer By selectively etching until exposed,
A ninth step of forming an end face, a tenth step of forming a vertical bias layer in contact with the first end face, and a vertical bias functioning as a first ion beam etching mask on the vertical bias layer. Eleventh step of forming a protective layer, and twelfth step of forming a resist pattern having a width corresponding to an optical reading width on the laminated film and functioning as a second ion beam etching mask and a lift-off mask. And the thickness of the laminated film in the region other than the region protected by the vertical bias protective layer and the resist pattern, from the surface of the protective layer to a predetermined position between the surface of the nonmagnetic spacer layer and the surface opposite to the base body. A thirteenth step of forming a magnetoresistive film having a second end face by removing a portion by using ion beam etching;
A fourteenth step of forming a conductive lead overlay layer so as to cover the second end face and the vertical bias layer by using the resist pattern as a lift-off mask, and a spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head of the spin valve type magnetoresistive effect reproducing head by lifting off the resist pattern. And a fifteenth step of completing the production.

In the method of manufacturing the spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head of the present invention, the conductive lead overlay layer includes the second step in the magnetoresistive effect film without damaging the ferromagnetic free layer by including the above steps. A good electrical connection can be formed with the end face.

The spin-valve magnetoresistive reproducing head of the present invention is a spin-valve magnetoresistive reproducing head having a read overlay structure, and comprises a substrate, a shield layer formed on the substrate, and a shield layer formed on the substrate. A magnetoresistive layer formed by stacking a dielectric layer formed on the dielectric layer, a seed layer, a ferromagnetic free layer, a nonmagnetic spacer layer, a pinned layer, an antiferromagnetic pinning layer, and a protective layer in this order. The effect film, the longitudinal bias layer formed so as to be adjacently joined to the first end face of the magnetoresistive film, and the longitudinal bias layer so as to cover the longitudinal bias layer and electrically connect to the second end face of the magnetoresistive film. And a conductive lead overlay layer formed on.

In the spin-valve type magnetoresistive effect reproducing head of the present invention, the conductive lead overlay layer can form a good electrical connection with the second end face of the magnetoresistive effect film by the above structure.

In the spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head and the method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention, the first ferromagnetic layer, the coupling layer made of a non-magnetic metal material, and the second ferromagnetic layer are sequentially laminated. It is desirable to form a synthetic antiferromagnetic pinned layer by By doing so, the magnetization direction of the pinned layer becomes more stable.

In the spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head and the method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention, the lower shield layer is formed so as to prevent an unnecessary external magnetic field from reaching the magnetoresistive film. It is desirable to configure the dielectric layer so as to provide electrical insulation between the magnetoresistive film and the magnetoresistive film.

In the spin valve type magnetoresistive effect reproducing head and the method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention, a material that enhances the magnetoresistive effect, in particular, either nickel chromium alloy (NiCr) or nickel iron chromium alloy (NiFeCr) is used. Therefore, it is desirable to configure the seed layer to have a thickness of 3 nm or more and 10 nm or less.

In the spin valve type magnetoresistive effect reproducing head and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention, a nickel iron alloy (Ni
Fe) is used to form the first free layer so as to have a thickness of 1 nm or more and 8 nm or less, and a cobalt iron alloy (CoFe) is used to form 0.5 on the first free layer.
The second free layer may be configured to have a thickness of not less than 4 nm and not more than 4 nm. Further, the non-magnetic spacer layer may be formed of copper (Cu) so as to have a thickness of 1.5 nm or more and 3.0 nm or less.

In the spin valve type magnetoresistive effect reproducing head and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention, a cobalt iron alloy (Co
Fe), a cobalt iron boron alloy (CoFeB), and a nickel iron alloy (NiFe) are used to form a first and second magnetic layer having a thickness of 1 nm or more and 2.5 nm or less. You may make it comprise a 2nd ferromagnetic layer. Moreover, as a whole, 1 nm or more.2.
Cobalt iron alloy (Co
The first and second ferromagnetic layers may be formed by sequentially stacking a Fe) layer and a nickel iron alloy (NiFe) layer.

In the spin valve type magnetoresistive effect reproducing head and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention, ruthenium (Ru),
It is desirable that the coupling layer be made of a nonmagnetic metal material of any one of rhodium (Rh) and iridium (Ir) so as to have a thickness of 0.3 nm or more and 1 nm or less.

In the spin valve type magnetoresistive effect reproducing head and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention, the manganese platinum alloy (M
nPt), manganese palladium platinum alloy (MnPdP
t), nickel-manganese alloy (NiMn), iridium-manganese alloy (IrMn), nickel oxide (NiO) and iron-manganese alloy (FeMn). 20n
It is desirable to configure the antiferromagnetic pinning layer so as to have a thickness of m or less.

In the spin-valve type magnetoresistive effect reproducing head and the method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention, any one of the group consisting of tantalum, nickel-chromium alloy and nickel-iron-chromium is used to obtain a thickness of 2 nm or more and 4 nm or less. It is desirable to configure the protective layer so that Further, it is desirable to use tantalum (Ta) to configure the longitudinal bias protective layer so as to have a thickness of 10 nm or more and 20 nm or less.

In the method of manufacturing the spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to the present invention, it is desirable to form the first end face by ion beam etching.

In the spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head and the method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention, a non-magnetic metal material is used to form a longitudinal bias seed layer so as to have a thickness of 8 nm or more and 12 nm or less. Using a hard magnetic material having a high coercive force on the layer,
It is desirable to configure the hard magnetic layer to have a thickness of m or more and 50 nm or less.

In the spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head and the method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention, the hard magnetic layer is composed of cobalt chromium platinum alloy (CoCrPt), cobalt chromium platinum tantalum alloy (CoCrPtTa), cobalt chromium tantalum alloy (CoCrTa), Cobalt nickel platinum alloy (CoNiPt) and cobalt platinum alloy (CoP
t) made of any one kind of hard magnetic material, and the longitudinal bias seed layer is made of tantalum (T
It may be configured by laminating a) and a titanium chromium alloy (TiCr).

In the method of manufacturing the spin-valve type magnetoresistive effect reproducing head of the present invention, in the twelfth step, polymethylglutarimide (PMG) is formed on the magnetoresistive effect film.
I) layer is formed, and this polymethylglutarimide (PM
After forming a photoresist layer on the (GI) layer so that the width in the track width direction is 0.1 μm or more and 0.2 μm or less, an undercut is formed on the polymethylglutarimide (PMGI) layer. Good.

In the method of manufacturing the spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head of the present invention, in the thirteenth step, it is desirable to perform ion beam etching until the coupling layer in the synthetic antiferromagnetic pinned layer is exposed.

In the spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head and the method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention, the lower conductive lead layer is formed using tantalum (Ta) so as to have a thickness of 2 nm or more and 6 nm or less. On the layer, gold (Au) is used to form an intermediate conductive lead layer with a thickness of 10 nm to 50 nm, and tantalum (Ta) is used on the intermediate conductive lead layer to have a thickness of 2 nm or more. The conductive lead overlay layer may be formed by forming the upper conductive lead layer so as to have a thickness of 6 nm or less. In this case, gold (Au), silver (A
g), tantalum (Ta), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), and ruthenium (Ru). Good.

In the spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head of the present invention, the first end surface is the surface of the dielectric layer opposite to the substrate from a predetermined position between the surface of the coupling layer and the surface of the nonmagnetic spacer layer. It is desirable that the second end face extends from the surface of the protective layer to a depth position corresponding to the upper surface of the vertical bias layer. The upper surface refers to the surface of the vertical bias layer opposite to the base.

[0033]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.

First, the structure of a top spin valve type magnetoresistive effect reproducing head (hereinafter referred to as an SVMR head) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 shows the surface of the SVMR head according to the present embodiment which faces the magnetic recording medium (air bearing surface or
Also called ABS. ) Represents a cross-sectional configuration along the line.

This SVMR head has a so-called lead overlay structure, and has a substrate 1, a shield layer 2 formed on the substrate 1, a dielectric layer 3 formed on the shield layer 2, and this dielectric layer. 3 and a pair of top spin valve type MR films 18 (hereinafter, simply referred to as top type MR film 18) formed on the top surface 3 of the magnetic recording medium 3 and the top type MR film 18 sandwiched therebetween. It includes a conductive lead overlay layer 10 and a longitudinal bias layer 20. Here, the top MR film 18 is one specific example corresponding to the “magnetoresistive film” of the present invention.

The substrate 10 is made of, for example, AlTiC (Al
₂ O ₃ · TiC) or other insulating material. Shield layer 2
Serves to shield the top MR film 18 from unwanted magnetic fields. The dielectric layer 3 is made of alumina (A
It is made of an insulating material such as 1 ₂ O ₃ ) or silicon oxide and functions to electrically insulate the shield layer 2 and the top MR film 18.

The top MR film 18 has a structure in which a lower laminated body 4 and an upper laminated body 6 are laminated in this order from the side of the dielectric layer 3. The top MR film 18 has a first end face 7 formed by ion beam etching (IBE). The first end surface 7 extends from the surface of the coupling layer 46 described later to the surface (upper surface) of the dielectric layer 3 opposite to the base body 1. The top MR film 18 is joined to the vertical bias layer 20 via the first end face 7. The upper stack 6 is further ion beam etched (IBE).
It has the 2nd end surface 9 formed by. The second end surface 9 extends from the surface of the MR film protective layer 47 described later to a depth position corresponding to the upper surface of the vertical bias layer 20. The top MR film 18 is joined to the conductive lead overlay layer 10 via the second end surface 9. Each of the lower and upper laminated bodies 4 and 6 has a structure in which a plurality of metal layers are laminated, and the detailed structure thereof will be described later together with the manufacturing method.

The vertical bias layer 20 contacts the upper surface of the dielectric layer 3.
And is formed so as to be in contact with the first end surface 7.
The longitudinal bias layer 20 has a magnetization direction of the free layer 34 described later.
To reduce the occurrence of so-called Barkhausen noise.
Functioning like a pair of longitudinal bias seed layers
21 and a pair of hard magnetic layers 22 are sequentially stacked
Is doing. The vertical bias seed layer 21 is, for example, non-magnetic.
Tantalum (Ta) and Titanium Chrome Alloy
(TiCr) is a laminated film in which
And has a thickness of 8 nm or more and 12 nm or less. Hard
The magnetic layer is formed of, for example, cobalt chrome platinum alloy (CoCrP
t), cobalt chrome platinum tantalum alloy (CoCrPt
Ta), cobalt chrome tantalum alloy (CoCrT
a), cobalt nickel platinum alloy (CoNiPt) and
And cobalt platinum alloy (CoPt)
It is composed of one kind of hard magnetic material or more than 10 nm
The thickness is 50 nm or less. Hard magnetic material above
The fee is (500 / 4π) × 10 ³~ (4000 / 4π)
× 10³It has a high coercive force.

The conductive lead overlay layer 10 is formed so as to cover the longitudinal bias layer 20 and contact the second end face 9, and in particular, the free layer 34, the nonmagnetic spacer layer 39 and the first ferromagnetic layer which will be described later. It forms a good electrical connection with 44. The detailed structure of the conductive lead overlay layer 10 will be described later together with the manufacturing method.

The SVMR head having the above-mentioned configuration reads recorded information on the magnetic recording medium or the like by utilizing the fact that the electric resistance of the top MR film 18 changes according to a signal magnetic field from the outside of the magnetic recording medium or the like. It is like this. That is, a vertical bias is supplied by the vertical bias layer 20, and the top MR film 1 is provided through the conductive lead overlay layer 10.
When a sense current flows through the magnetoresistive film 8, a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) effect occurs in the top MR film 18. By utilizing this GMR effect, the top-type MR film 18 can detect the electric resistance of a magnetic recording medium or the like that changes according to a signal magnetic field from the outside, and the recorded information on the magnetic recording medium or the like can be read.

Next, a method of manufacturing the SVMR head according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 are cross-sectional views showing respective steps in the method of manufacturing the SVMR head shown in FIG. 1, showing a cross-sectional structure of a main part along an air bearing surface (a surface facing a magnetic recording medium). is there. In addition, in FIG. 2 to FIG.
Only the right half of the SVMR head is shown,
Actually, the left side also has a line-symmetrical sectional configuration.

Method of manufacturing SVMR head of this embodiment
Then, first, in the first step, shield on the substrate 1
Form layer 2. Here, for example, Altic (Al
₂O ₃-Preparing a base body 1 made of TiC), and the base body 1
On top of the nickel iron alloy (NiF
The shield layer 2 made of a magnetic material such as e) is formed.

Next, in the second step, the dielectric layer 3 is formed on the shield layer 2. Here, an aluminum film is formed by, for example, a sputtering method, and an oxidation treatment is performed to form the dielectric layer 3 made of alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ).

Further, in the third step, a seed is formed on the dielectric layer 3 by using, for example, a sputtering method, using a material such as nickel chromium alloy (NiCr) or nickel iron chromium alloy (NiFeCr) which enhances the magnetoresistive effect. Form layer 30. In this case, the seed layer 30 is 3n
It is formed to have a thickness of m or more and 10 nm or less. Further, a non-magnetic layer 32, for example, a ruthenium (Ru) layer and a copper (Cu) layer are sequentially stacked on the seed layer 30 so that the total thickness is 0.3 nm or more and 1.5 nm or less. Form.

In the subsequent fourth step, the non-magnetic layer 3
A ferromagnetic free layer 34 is formed on top of No. 2. in this case,
1 nm or more and 8 nm using nickel iron alloy (NiFe)
After the first free layer 36 is formed to have the following thickness, a cobalt iron alloy (C
It is desirable that the second free layer 38 is formed by using oFe) so as to have a thickness of 0.5 nm or more and 4 nm or less.

In the subsequent fifth step, the nonmagnetic spacer layer 3 is formed on the ferromagnetic free layer 34 by using copper (Cu) so as to have a thickness of 1.5 nm or more and 3.0 nm or less.
9 is formed. In this case, it is particularly desirable that the thickness be 1.9 nm. Through the above steps, the lower laminated body 4 composed of "seed layer 30, nonmagnetic layer 32, ferromagnetic free layer 34, nonmagnetic spacer layer 39" is formed.
Formation is completed.

Next, the upper laminated body 6 is placed on the lower laminated body 4.
Are formed as follows. First, in the sixth step,
On the nonmagnetic spacer layer 39, a first ferromagnetic layer 44, a coupling layer 46 made of a nonmagnetic metal material, and a second ferromagnetic layer 45.
The SyAP layer 40 is formed by sequentially stacking and. The first and second ferromagnetic layers 44 and 45 are both made of cobalt iron alloy (CoFe) and cobalt iron boron alloy (C
1 nm using any one ferromagnetic material from the group consisting of oFeB) and nickel iron alloy (NiFe)
It is desirable to form it so as to have a thickness of not less than 2.5 nm. Here, when CoFe is used, it is preferable that the thickness be 1.5 nm. Furthermore, the first
The second ferromagnetic layers 44 and 45 have a cobalt iron alloy (CoFe) layer and a nickel iron alloy (NiF) so as to have a total thickness of 1 nm or more and 2.5 nm or less.
It may be formed by sequentially stacking the e) layer. The coupling layer 46 is made of any one of ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), and iridium (Ir).
It is desirable to use a kind of non-magnetic metal material so as to have a thickness of 0.3 nm or more and 1 nm or less. here,
When ruthenium alone is used, it is 0.6 nm or more.
It is desirable that the thickness be 9 nm or less, and particularly 0.75 nm. When using rhodium alone, 0.4 nm or more and 0.6 n
It is desirable to form so as to have a thickness of m or less. The first and second ferromagnetic layers 44 and 45 are magnetized so as to be antiparallel to each other, and via the coupling layer 46, the SyAP layer 40.
The magnetization direction is maintained by the antiferromagnetic exchange coupling with the antiferromagnetic layer 49 provided adjacent to.

Then, in the seventh step, on the SyAP layer 40, a manganese platinum alloy (MnPt), a manganese palladium platinum alloy (MnPdPt), a nickel manganese alloy (NiMn), an iridium manganese alloy (IrM) are formed.
n), nickel oxide (NiO), and an iron-manganese alloy (FeMn) are used, and the antiferromagnetic pinning layer is made to have a thickness of 5 nm or more and 20 nm or less using any one type of antiferromagnetic material. 49 (hereinafter, simply referred to as fixing action layer 49) is formed. Here, when MnPt is used, it is preferable to form it to have a thickness of 12 nm. Further, in the eighth step, tantalum (Ta), nickel chromium alloy (NiCr), and nickel iron chromium (NiFeCr) are formed on the fixing action layer 49.
The MR film protective layer 47 is formed to have a thickness of 2 nm or more and 4 nm or less using any one of the group consisting of Through the above steps, the “first ferromagnetic layer 4
4 / coupling layer 46 / second ferromagnetic layer 45 / fixing layer 49 /
The formation of the upper laminated body 6 composed of the MR film protective layer 47 ″ is temporarily completed. Here, the MR film protective layer 47 is a specific example corresponding to the “protective layer” in the present invention.

As described above, the laminated film 18A that will eventually become the top MR film 18 is formed by the third to eighth steps.
Formation is complete.

In the subsequent ninth step, the laminated film 18A is formed.
Is selectively etched until the dielectric layer 3 is exposed to form a pair of first end faces 7 on both sides of the laminated film 18A. In this case, after forming a protective mask (not shown) so as to selectively cover the laminated film 18A, etching is performed by, for example, ion beam etching (IBE) or the like.

Then, in a tenth step, a pair of vertical bias layers 20 are formed so as to contact the pair of first end faces 7. Here, the protective mask used as the etching mask in the ninth step is used as it is as the deposition mask. Specifically, in the tenth step,
A pair of longitudinal bias seed layers 21 are formed using a non-magnetic metal material so as to have a thickness of 8 nm or more and 12 nm or less, and then a hard magnetic material having a high coercive force is formed on the pair of longitudinal bias seed layers 21. By using a pair of hard magnetic layers 22 with a thickness of 10 nm or more and 50 nm or less.
To form a pair of vertical bias layers 20. The hard magnetic layer 22 is made of cobalt chrome platinum alloy (C
oCrPt), cobalt chromium platinum tantalum alloy (Co
CrPtTa), cobalt chrome tantalum alloy (CoC
rTa), cobalt nickel platinum alloy (CoNiPt)
Alternatively, any one kind of hard magnetic material selected from the group consisting of and cobalt platinum alloy (CoPt) may be used. Further, the vertical bias seed layer 21 may be formed by stacking tantalum (Ta) and titanium chromium alloy (TiCr).

In the following eleventh step, a pair of vertical bias protection layers 23 functioning as a first ion beam etching mask are formed on the pair of vertical bias layers. In this case, using tantalum (Ta), the longitudinal bias protective layer 2 is formed to have a thickness of 10 nm or more and 20 nm or less.
3 is preferably formed.

Further, in the twelfth step, the laminated film 1
8A, has a width corresponding to the optical reading width,
Forming a resist pattern 50 functioning as an ion beam etching mask and a lift-off mask. Specifically, a polymethylglutarimide (PMGI) layer 52 and a photoresist layer 51 are sequentially formed on the laminated film 18A, and then polymethylglutarimide (PMGI) is formed.
A resist pattern 50 is formed by forming an undercut on the layer 52. In this case, it is desirable to form the photoresist layer 51 so that the width in the track width direction is 0.1 μm or more and 0.3 μm or less, and particularly 0.1 μm or more and 0.2 μm or less.

In the following thirteenth step, of the laminated film 18A in the region which is not protected by the longitudinal bias protective layer 23 and the resist pattern 50, from the surface of the MR film protective layer 47 to the upper surface of the second ferromagnetic layer 45. (Base 1
The pair of second end faces 9 is formed by removing the portion corresponding to the thickness reaching a predetermined position between the upper surface of the nonmagnetic spacer layer 39 and the upper surface of the nonmagnetic spacer layer 39 by IBE. The depth to be removed by etching is particularly determined by the SyAP layer 40.
Most preferably, the bonding layer 46 is removed until it is exposed. In this step, the vertical bias protective layer 23
Are removed by a thickness of approximately 8 nm.

Through the above steps, the formation of the top type MR film 18 having the pair of first end face 7 and second end face 9 is completed for the time being.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, in the fourteenth step, the resist pattern 50 is used as a lift-off mask so as to cover the second end surface 9 of the top MR film 18 and the vertical bias protection layer 23. A pair of conductive lead overlay layers 10 are formed. Specifically, tantalum (T
a) is used to form a pair of lower conductive lead layers 62 so as to have a thickness of 2 nm or more and 6 nm or less, and then gold (Au) is used to form 10 nm or more on the pair of lower conductive lead layers 62. A pair of intermediate conductive lead layers 61 are formed to have a thickness of 50 nm or less. Further, by forming a pair of upper conductive lead layers 63 using tantalum (Ta) on the pair of intermediate conductive lead layers 61 so as to have a thickness of 2 nm or more and 6 nm or less, a pair of conductive lead overlays is formed. The formation of layer 10 is complete. Here, the pair of intermediate conductive lead layers 61 is at least one selected from the group consisting of gold (Au), silver (Ag), tantalum (Ta), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), and ruthenium (Ru). You may make it form by laminating | stacking the film containing a several. By doing so, the conductive lead overlay layer 10 can form a good electrical junction in the portion between the second ferromagnetic layer 45 and the nonmagnetic spacer layer 39 in the second end face 9. Furthermore, the formation of such a junction structure not only improves the electrical junction but also causes a considerable reduction in the MR ratio at the junction. As a result, a clear reading width can be defined. Region A shown in FIG. 4 is a portion having a particularly high conductivity. In other words, it is a region in which a sense current can flow without causing electromigration during reading.

Finally, in the fifteenth step, the resist pattern 50 is lifted off to complete the manufacture of the spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head.

Here, the characteristic operation of the SVMR head of this embodiment will be described in comparison with the conventional example.

The SVMR head having the conventional overlay structure shown in FIG.
6 is configured to be bonded to the upper surface of the MR film 104 which is the sensor portion. Therefore, during the read operation, the sense current from the conductive lead overlay layer 106 is M
It flows so as to pass through the protective layer and the antiferromagnetic layer in the R film 104. The protective layer and antiferromagnetic layer are
Since it has a relatively high electric resistance, the loss of the sense current becomes large and the performance as the reproducing head deteriorates. Further, since the overlapping portion of the upper surface of the MR film 104 and the conductive lead overlay layer 106 has a spread in the track width direction, a clear effective read width cannot be obtained and the width becomes wider than the optical read width.

In contrast to such a conventional example, in the present embodiment, in the top MR film 18, it extends from the MR film protective layer 47 to the upper surface of the second ferromagnetic layer 45 and the lower surface of the nonmagnetic spacer layer 39. The second end surface 9 was formed by removing it to the depth by IBE, and the conductive lead overlay layer 10 was formed so as to be bonded to the second end surface 9.
Therefore, since the region A having higher conductivity is formed and the distance between the pair of conductive lead overlay layers 10 is shortened, a low resistance current path can be ensured and the MR ratio at the junction portion can be ensured. Can be reduced and a clear effective reading width can be obtained.

As described above, S of the present embodiment is
According to the VMR head, the vertical bias layer 20 formed so as to be adjacently joined to the first end surface 7 of the top MR film 18, the vertical bias layer 20 is covered, and the second end surface 9 of the top MR film 18 is formed. Since the conductive lead overlay layer 10 formed so as to be electrically connected to the conductive lead overlay layer 10 is configured to be included, the read lead overlay layer 10 is electrically connected to the conductive lead overlay layer 10 via the MR film protective layer 47. It becomes possible to form a better current path without causing electromigration, and a clear effective reading width can be formed.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the vertical bias protection layer 23 is formed on the vertical bias layer 20 and the second end surface 9 is formed by IBE, the controllability in the etching process is improved. However, high-precision processing is possible, and good magnetic reproduction characteristics can be easily obtained without damaging the ferromagnetic free layer 34. further,
By performing etching by IBE, the conductive lead overlay layer 10 and the top type MR as the sensor portion are formed.
Since impurities can be removed at the interface with the film 18 sensor portion, a better electrical connection can be formed.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made. That is, the details of the configuration and the manufacturing method of the spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head described in the above embodiment are not necessarily limited to this, and the end face formed in the magnetoresistive effect film has a conductive lead overlay layer and It can be freely deformed as long as it is possible to form a good electrical connection and to form a clear effective reading width.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the pinned layer is a synthetic antiferromagnetic pinned layer (S) having a three-layer structure.
The yAP layer) has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a pinned layer composed of a single ferromagnetic layer may be used. However, the magnetization direction is more stable in the SyAP layer than in the single fixed layer. Therefore, the present invention is particularly preferable because it provides more stable magnetic reproducing head characteristics when applied to a spin valve type magnetoresistive reproducing head having a SyAP layer.

[0066]

As described above, according to the method of manufacturing the spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to any one of claims 1 to 22, the laminated film is exposed with the dielectric layer. By selectively etching until the laminated film is formed, a step of forming a first end face on the laminated film, a step of forming a vertical bias layer in contact with the first end face, and a step of forming a first bias layer on the vertical bias layer. Forming a longitudinal bias protective layer that functions as an ion beam etching mask;
A step of forming a resist pattern having a width corresponding to an optical reading width on the laminated film and functioning as a second ion beam etching mask and a lift-off mask, and a region protected by the vertical bias protective layer and the resist pattern. By removing the portion of the laminated film in the region other than the predetermined position between the surface of the protective layer and the surface of the non-magnetic spacer layer opposite to the surface of the non-magnetic spacer layer by using ion beam etching. Since the method includes the step of forming the magnetoresistive film having two end faces and the step of forming the conductive lead overlay layer so as to cover the second end face and the vertical bias layer by using the resist pattern as a lift-off mask. , It becomes possible to form a lower resistance current path without damaging the ferromagnetic free layer, It can be defined as a light of effective reading width. As a result, better magnetic reproduction characteristics can be exhibited.

According to the spin-valve type magnetoresistive effect reproducing head of any one of claims 23 to 40, a longitudinal direction formed so as to be adjacently joined to the first end face of the magnetoresistive effect film. Since the bias layer and the conductive lead overlay layer formed so as to cover the longitudinal bias layer and electrically connect to the second end face of the magnetoresistive effect film are included, a current path having a lower resistance is formed. In addition to being able to be formed, it is possible to define a clear effective reading width. As a result, better magnetic reproduction characteristics can be exhibited.

In particular, according to the method of manufacturing the spin valve type magnetoresistive effect reproducing head of claim 2 or the spin valve type magnetoresistive effect reproducing head of claim 24,
Since the magnetoresistive effect film including the synthetic antiferromagnetic pinned layer is formed, more stable magnetic reproduction characteristics can be exhibited.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a sectional configuration of a spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a step in a method of manufacturing the spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing one process following on from FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing one process following on from FIG.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a sectional configuration of a conventional spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Base | substrate, 2 ... Shield layer, 3 ... Dielectric layer, 4 ... Lower laminated body, 6 ... Upper laminated body, 7 ... 1st end surface, 9 ... 2nd end surface, 1
0 ... Conductive lead overlay layer, 18 ... Top spin valve type MR film, 18A ... Laminated film, 20 ... Longitudinal bias layer,
23 ... Longitudinal bias protective layer, 47 ... MR film protective layer.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H01L 43/10 H01L 43/12 43/12 G01R 33/06 R (72) Inventor Hiroshi Narumune United States California 95120 San Jose Calcaterra Drive 7174 (72) Inventor People Lee United States California 94538 Fremont Leslie Street 277 39639 (72) Inventor Katsu ▲ Strong ▼ Zhu United States California 94539 Fremont Woodside Terrass 3535 F Term (reference) 2G017 AA10 AD54 5D034 BA04 BA05 BA12 BB08 CA08 DA07 5E049 AA01 AA04 AA07 AC05 BA12

Claims (40)

[Claims] 1. A first step of forming a shield layer on a substrate, a second step of forming a dielectric layer on the shield layer, and a third step of forming a seed layer on the dielectric layer. Step, a fourth step of forming a ferromagnetic free layer on the seed layer, a fifth step of forming a nonmagnetic spacer layer on the ferromagnetic free layer, and a nonmagnetic spacer Sixth for forming a fixed layer on the layer
And the seventh step of forming an antiferromagnetic pinning layer on the pinned layer, and forming a protective layer on the antiferromagnetic pinning layer to form a laminated film. And an eighth step of forming a first end face on the laminated film by selectively etching the laminated film until the dielectric layer is exposed, and the first end face. A tenth step of forming a vertical bias layer in contact with each other; an eleventh step of forming a vertical bias protective layer functioning as a first ion beam etching mask on the vertical bias layer; A twelfth step of forming a resist pattern having a width corresponding to the optical reading width and functioning as a second ion beam etching mask and a lift-off mask, and the vertical bias protection layer and the resist pattern. Of the laminated film in a region other than the region protected by the heater,
A magnetoresistive device having a second end surface by removing a thickness portion from the surface of the protective layer to a predetermined position between the surface of the non-magnetic spacer layer and the surface on the side opposite to the base body by using ion beam etching. A thirteenth step of forming an effect film, a fourteenth step of forming a conductive lead overlay layer so as to cover the second end face and the vertical bias layer by using the resist pattern as a lift-off mask, and the resist pattern And a fifteenth step of completing the manufacture of the spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head by lifting off the spin valve. 2. The synthetic antiferromagnetic pinned layer by stacking a first ferromagnetic layer, a coupling layer made of a nonmagnetic metal material, and a second ferromagnetic layer in this order in the sixth step. The method of manufacturing a spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 1, wherein 3. In the first step, the lower shield layer is formed so as to suppress an unnecessary magnetic field from the outside from reaching the magnetoresistive film, and in the second step, the lower shield layer is formed. 3. The method of manufacturing a spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer is formed so as to electrically insulate the layer from the magnetoresistive effect film. 4. The spin valve type magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 1, wherein in the third step, the seed layer is formed by using a material that enhances the magnetoresistive effect. Manufacturing method. 5. In the third step, 3n is formed by using one of a nickel chromium alloy (NiCr) and a nickel iron chromium alloy (NiFeCr).
The method of manufacturing a spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 4, wherein the seed layer is formed to have a thickness of m or more and 10 nm or less. 6. The fourth step uses a nickel-iron alloy (NiFe) for 1 nm or more and 8 nm or more.
Forming the first free layer so as to have the following thickness, and forming a cobalt iron alloy (CoF) on the first free layer.
e) is used to form the second free layer so as to have a thickness of 0.5 nm or more and 4 nm or less, the spin-valve magnetoresistive effect according to claim 1 or 2. Reproduction head manufacturing method. 7. The non-magnetic spacer layer is formed in the fifth step by using copper (Cu) so as to have a thickness of 1.5 nm or more and 3.0 nm or less. The method of manufacturing the spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 2. 8. In the sixth step, from a cobalt iron alloy (CoFe), a cobalt iron boron alloy (CoFeB), a nickel iron alloy (NiFe) and a cobalt iron alloy (CoFe) layer and a nickel iron alloy (NiFe) layer. The first ferromagnetic layer is formed to have a thickness of 1 nm or more and 2.5 nm or less using any one of ferromagnetic materials of Manufacturing method of spin-valve magnetoresistive reproducing head. 9. In the sixth step, from a cobalt iron alloy (CoFe), a cobalt iron boron alloy (CoFeB), a nickel iron alloy (NiFe) and a cobalt iron alloy (CoFe) layer and a nickel iron alloy (NiFe) layer. The second ferromagnetic layer is formed by using any one of the ferromagnetic materials of the above-mentioned laminated body so as to have a thickness of 1 nm or more and 2.5 nm or less. Manufacturing method of spin-valve magnetoresistive reproducing head. 10. In the sixth step, a nonmagnetic metal material selected from the group consisting of ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh) and iridium (Ir) is used, and a thickness of 0.3 nm or more and 1 nm or less is obtained. 3. The method for manufacturing a spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 2, wherein the coupling layer is formed so as to have the above-mentioned structure. 11. In the seventh step, manganese platinum alloy (MnPt), manganese palladium platinum alloy (MnPdPt), nickel manganese alloy (Ni
Mn), iridium-manganese alloy (IrMn), nickel oxide (NiO), and iron-manganese alloy (FeMn) are used to obtain a thickness of 5 nm or more and 20 nm or less using an antiferromagnetic material. 2. The antiferromagnetic pinning layer is formed.
Alternatively, the method of manufacturing the spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 2. 12. In the eighth step, using any one of the group consisting of tantalum (Ta), nickel chromium alloy (NiCr) and nickel iron chromium (NiFeCr), the thickness of 2 nm or more and 4 nm or less. The method of manufacturing a spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer is formed so that 13. The longitudinal bias protective layer is formed in the eleventh step by using tantalum (Ta) so as to have a thickness of 10 nm or more and 20 nm or less. 5. A method of manufacturing a spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to. 14. The method of manufacturing a spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 1, wherein in the ninth step, the first end face is formed by ion beam etching. . 15. The tenth step is a step of forming a vertical bias seed layer using a non-magnetic metal material so as to have a thickness of 8 nm or more and 12 nm or less, and forming a vertical bias seed layer on the vertical bias seed layer. 3. A spin-valve type magnet according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step of forming a hard magnetic layer with a thickness of 10 nm or more and 50 nm or less using a hard magnetic material having a coercive force. A method of manufacturing a resistance effect reproducing head. 16. In the tenth step, cobalt chromium platinum alloy (CoCrPt), cobalt chromium platinum tantalum alloy (CoCrPtTa), cobalt chromium tantalum alloy (CoCrTa), cobalt nickel platinum alloy (CoNiPt) and cobalt platinum alloy (CoPt). 16. The method for manufacturing a spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 15, wherein the hard magnetic layer is formed by using one kind of hard magnetic material selected from the group consisting of 17. The spin according to claim 15, wherein in the tenth step, the vertical bias seed layer is formed by stacking tantalum (Ta) and a titanium chromium alloy (TiCr). Manufacturing method of valve type magnetoresistive reproducing head. 18. The twelfth step comprises: forming a polymethylglutarimide (PMGI) layer on the magnetoresistive film; and forming a polymethylglutarimide (PMGI) layer on the magnetoresistive film.
The method according to claim 1, further comprising: forming a photoresist layer; and forming an undercut on the polymethylglutarimide (PMGI) layer after forming the photoresist layer. A method of manufacturing the spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head described. 19. In the twelfth step, on the polymethylglutarimide (PMGI) layer,
19. The method of manufacturing a spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 18, wherein the photoresist layer is formed so that the width in the track width direction is 0.1 μm or more and 0.2 μm or less. 20. The method of manufacturing a spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 2, wherein in the thirteenth step, ion beam etching is performed until the coupling layer is exposed. 21. The fourteenth step is a step of forming a lower conductive lead layer by using tantalum (Ta) so as to have a thickness of 2 nm or more and 6 nm or less, and gold on the lower conductive lead layer. Using (Au), 1
A step of forming an intermediate conductive lead layer so as to have a thickness of 0 nm or more and 50 nm or less; and an upper conductive lead using tantalum (Ta) on the intermediate conductive lead layer so as to have a thickness of 2 nm or more and 6 nm or less. 3. The method of manufacturing a spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 1, further comprising the step of forming a layer. 22. In the fourteenth step, gold (Au), silver (Ag), tantalum (Ta), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir) and ruthenium (R).
22. The method of manufacturing a spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 21, wherein the intermediate conductive lead layer is formed by stacking a plurality of films of any one of the group consisting of u). . 23. A spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head having a lead overlay structure, comprising: a substrate; a shield layer formed on the substrate; and a dielectric layer formed on the shield layer. On the dielectric layer, a seed layer, a ferromagnetic free layer, a nonmagnetic spacer layer, a pinned layer, an antiferromagnetic pinning layer, and a magnetoresistive film formed by sequentially stacking a protective layer, A longitudinal bias layer formed so as to be adjacently joined to the first end face of the magnetoresistive effect film, and formed so as to cover the longitudinal bias layer and electrically connect to the second end face of the magnetoresistive effect film. A spin valve type magnetoresistive effect reproducing head including a conductive lead overlay layer. 24. The fixed layer includes a first ferromagnetic layer,
24. The spin valve type magnetoresistive device according to claim 23, which is a synthetic antiferromagnetic pinned layer having a structure in which a coupling layer made of a non-magnetic metal material and a second ferromagnetic layer are sequentially stacked. Effect playhead. 25. The shield layer is made of a magnetic material that functions to prevent an unnecessary magnetic field from the outside from reaching the magnetoresistive effect film, and the dielectric layer includes the shield layer and the magnetoresistive effect. 25. The spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 23 or 24, which is made of an insulating material that functions to electrically insulate the film. 26. The spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 23, wherein the seed layer is made of a material that enhances the magnetoresistive effect. 27. The seed layer comprises a nickel chromium alloy (NiCr) or a nickel iron chromium alloy (NiFeC).
27. The spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 26, wherein the spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head is made of any one of r) and has a thickness of 3 nm or more and 10 nm or less. 28. The ferromagnetic free layer is made of a nickel iron alloy (NiFe) and has a thickness of 1 nm or more and 8 n.
a first free layer having a thickness of m or less, and a second free layer formed on the first free layer and made of a cobalt iron alloy (CoFe) and having a thickness of 0.5 nm or more and 4 nm or less. 25. The spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 23 or 24, further comprising a free layer. 29. The non-magnetic spacer layer is made of copper (Cu).
25. The spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 23 or 24, which has a thickness of 1.5 nm or more and 3.0 nm or less. 30. The first ferromagnetic layer comprises a cobalt iron alloy (CoFe) and a cobalt iron boron alloy (CoFe).
B), a nickel iron alloy (NiFe), and a ferromagnetic material selected from the group consisting of a laminate of a cobalt iron alloy (CoFe) layer and a nickel iron alloy (NiFe) layer, and having a thickness of 1 nm or more 2 25. The spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 24, which has a thickness of 0.5 nm or less. 31. The second ferromagnetic layer comprises a cobalt iron alloy (CoFe) and a cobalt iron boron alloy (CoFe).
B), a nickel iron alloy (NiFe), and a ferromagnetic material selected from the group consisting of a laminate of a cobalt iron alloy (CoFe) layer and a nickel iron alloy (NiFe) layer, and having a thickness of 1 nm or more 2 25. The spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 24, which has a thickness of 0.5 nm or less. 32. The bonding layer comprises ruthenium (Ru),
It is made of a nonmagnetic metal material of any one of rhodium (Rh) and iridium (Ir),
The spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 24, which has a thickness of not less than m and not more than 1 nm. 33. The manganese platinum alloy (MnPt), manganese palladium platinum alloy (MnPdPt), nickel manganese alloy (NiM).
n), an iridium-manganese alloy (IrMn), nickel oxide (NiO), and an iron-manganese alloy (FeMn), each of which is made of an antiferromagnetic material and has a thickness of 5 nm or more and 20 nm or less. 25. The spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 23 or 24, wherein: 34. The protective layer is made of any one of the group consisting of tantalum (Ta), nickel chromium alloy (NiCr), and nickel iron chromium (NiFeCr), and has a thickness of 2 nm or more and 4 nm or less. 25. The spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 23 or claim 24. 35. The vertical bias layer is made of a non-magnetic metal material, and has a thickness of 8 nm or more and 12 nm or less; and a hard magnetic layer having a high coercive force on the vertical bias seed layer. The spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 23 or 24, comprising a hard magnetic layer made of a magnetic material and having a thickness of 10 nm or more and 50 nm or less. 36. The hard magnetic layer comprises a cobalt chromium platinum alloy (CoCrPt), a cobalt chromium platinum tantalum alloy (CoCrPtTa), a cobalt chromium tantalum alloy (CoCrTa), and a cobalt nickel platinum alloy (Co).
NiPt) and a cobalt-platinum alloy (CoPt), which are hard magnetic materials selected from the group consisting of tantalum (Ta) and titanium-chromium alloy (TiCr). 3. It has a different structure.
5. The spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head described in 5. 37. The first end face is located at a predetermined position between the surface of the coupling layer and the surface of the non-magnetic spacer layer,
25. The spin valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 23 or 24, wherein the spin valve type magnetoresistive effect reproducing head extends until it reaches a surface of the dielectric layer opposite to the substrate. 38. The conductive lead overlay layer is made of tantalum (Ta) and has a lower conductive lead layer having a thickness of 2 nm or more and 6 nm or less; and gold (Au) on the lower conductive lead layer. An intermediate conductive lead layer having a thickness of 10 nm to 50 nm, and an upper conductive lead layer made of tantalum (Ta) and having a thickness of 2 nm to 6 nm on the intermediate conductive lead layer. 25. The spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head according to claim 23 or 24, which has a three-layer structure consisting of 39. The intermediate conductive lead layer is made of gold (A
u), silver (Ag), tantalum (Ta), rhodium (R
39. The spin-valve magnetoresistive reproducing head according to claim 38, further comprising a plurality of laminated films using any one of the group consisting of h), iridium (Ir), and ruthenium (Ru). . 40. The second end surface extends from the surface of the protective layer to a depth position corresponding to the upper surface of the vertical bias layer.
The spin-valve magnetoresistive effect reproducing head described in.