Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080218913 | TUNNELING MAGNETORESISTIVE ELEMENT WHICH INCLUDES Mg-O BARRIER LAYER AND IN WHICH NONMAGNETIC METAL SUBLAYER IS DISPOSED IN ONE OF MAGNETIC LAYERS - In a tunneling magnetoresistive element, an insulating barrier layer is made of Mg—O, and a first pinned magnetic layer has a laminated structure in which a nonmagnetic metal sublayer made of Ta is interposed between a lower ferromagnetic sublayer and an upper ferromagnetic sublayer. The nonmagnetic metal sublayer has an average thickness of about 1 Å or more and about 5 Å or less. | 09-11-2008 |
20080225443 | TUNNELING MAGNETIC SENSING ELEMENT AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME - A free magnetic layer has a laminated structure in which a first magnetic sublayer composed of Co—Fe or Fe and a second magnetic sublayer composed of Co—Fe—B or Fe—B are formed, in that order, on an insulating barrier layer composed of Mg—O. This effectively improves the rate of change in resistance (ΔR/R) compared with the related art. | 09-18-2008 |
20080253038 | Tunneling magnetic sensor including free magnetic layer and magnesium protective layer disposed thereon and method for manufacturing tunneling magnetoresistive sensor - A tunneling magnetic sensor includes a pinned magnetic layer of which the magnetization is pinned in one direction, an insulating barrier layer, and a free magnetic layer of which the magnetization is varied by an external magnetic field, these layers being arranged in that order from the bottom. A first protective layer made of magnesium (Mg) is disposed on the free magnetic layer. The tunneling magnetic sensor has a larger change in reluctance as compared to conventional magnetic sensors including no first protective layers or including first protective layers made of Al, Ti, Cu, or an Ir—Mn alloy. The free magnetic layer has lower magnetostriction as compared to free magnetic layers included in the conventional magnetic sensors. | 10-16-2008 |
20080261082 | TUNNELING MAGNETORESISTIVE ELEMENT INCLUDING MULTILAYER FREE MAGNETIC LAYER HAVING INSERTED NONMAGNETIC METAL SUBLAYER - A tunnel magnetoresistive element includes a laminate including a pinned magnetic layer, an insulating barrier layer, and a free magnetic layer. The insulating barrier layer is composed of Ti—Mg—O or Ti—O. The free magnetic layer includes an enhancement sublayer, a first soft magnetic sublayer, a nonmagnetic metal sublayer, and a second soft magnetic sublayer. For example, the enhancement sublayer is composed of Co—Fe, the first soft magnetic sublayer and the second soft magnetic sublayer are composed of Ni—Fe, and the nonmagnetic metal sublayer is composed of Ta. The total thickness of the average thickness of the enhancement sublayer and the average thickness of the first soft magnetic sublayer is in the range of 25 to 80 angstroms. Accordingly, the tunneling magnetoresistive element can consistently have a higher rate of resistance change than before. | 10-23-2008 |
20080286612 | Tunneling magnetic sensing element including Pt sublayer disposed between free magnetic sublayer and enhancing sublayer and method for producing tunneling magnetic sensing element - There is provided a tunneling magnetic sensing element having an insulating barrier layer composed of Ti—O, a high rate of resistance change (ΔR/R) compared with the known art, and an interlayer coupling magnetic field Hin lower than that in the known art while low RA is maintained and the coercivity of a free magnetic layer is maintained at a low level comparable to the known art; and a method for producing the tunneling magnetic sensing element. An insulating barrier layer is composed of Ti—O. A free magnetic layer is formed on the insulating barrier layer and has a laminated structure of an enhancing sublayer composed of a CoFe alloy, a Pt sublayer, and a soft magnetic sublayer composed of a NiFe alloy, stacked in that order from the bottom. | 11-20-2008 |
20080291586 | Tunneling magnetic sensor including platinum layer and method for producing the same - A tunneling magnetic sensor includes a platinum layer between a pinned magnetic layer and an insulating barrier layer. The platinum layer can probably vary the barrier height (potential height) and barrier width (potential width) of the insulating barrier layer to reduce the absolute value of VCR, thus providing higher operating stability than known tunneling magnetic sensors. In addition, the insulating barrier layer can achieve increased flatness at its bottom interface (where the insulating barrier layer starts to be formed). The tunneling magnetic sensor can therefore provide a higher rate of resistance change (ΔR/R) at low RA than known tunneling magnetic sensors. | 11-27-2008 |
20100055452 | TUNNELING MAGNETIC SENSING ELEMENT INCLUDING MGO FILM AS INSULATING BARRIER LAYER - A tunneling magnetic sensing element includes a laminate in which an underlayer, a seed layer, an antiferromagnetic layer, a pinned magnetic layer, an insulating barrier layer, and a free magnetic layer are laminated in order from below. The insulating barrier layer is made of Mg—O. The underlayer is made of Ti, and the seed layer is made of one selected from a group consisting of Ni—Fe—Cr and Ru. | 03-04-2010 |
20110129690 | TUNNELING MAGNETORESISTIVE ELEMENT INCLUDING MULTILAYER FREE MAGNETIC LAYER HAVING INSERTED NONMAGNETIC METAL SUBLAYER - A tunnel magnetoresistive element includes a laminate including a pinned magnetic layer, an insulating barrier layer, and a free magnetic layer. The insulating barrier layer is composed of Ti—Mg—O or Ti—O. The free magnetic layer includes an enhancement sublayer, a first soft magnetic sublayer, a nonmagnetic metal sublayer, and a second soft magnetic sublayer. For example, the enhancement sublayer is composed of Co—Fe, the first soft magnetic sublayer and the second soft magnetic sublayer are composed of Ni—Fe, and the nonmagnetic metal sublayer is composed of Ta. The total thickness of the average thickness of the enhancement sublayer and the average thickness of the first soft magnetic sublayer is in the range of 25 to 80 angstroms. Accordingly, the tunneling magnetoresistive element can consistently have a higher rate of resistance change than before. | 06-02-2011 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080278863 | TUNNELING MAGNETIC SENSING ELEMENT AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A tunneling magnetic sensing element includes: a pinned magnetic layer whose direction of magnetization is pinned in one direction; an insulating barrier layer; and a free magnetic layer whose direction of magnetization changes in response to an external magnetic field. The pinned magnetic layer, the insulating barrier layer and the free magnetic layer are deposited in the named order. A first protective layer composed of a platinum-group element is disposed on the free magnetic layer, and a second protective layer composed of Ti is disposed on the first protective layer. | 11-13-2008 |
20080285180 | MAGNETIC SENSING ELEMENT AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - An underlying layer is composed of Co—Fe—B that is an amorphous magnetic material. Thus, the upper surface of the underlying layer can be taken as a lower shield layer-side reference position for obtaining a gap length (GL) between upper and lower shields, resulting in a narrower gap than before. In addition, since the underlying layer has an amorphous structure, the underlying layer does not adversely affect the crystalline orientation of individual layers to be formed thereon, and the surface of the underlying layer has good planarizability. Accordingly, PW50 (half-amplitude pulse width) and SN ratio can be improved more than before without causing a decrease in rate of change in resistance (Δ R/R) or the like, thereby achieving a structure suitable for increasing recording density. | 11-20-2008 |
20100055501 | TUNNELING MAGNETIC SENSING ELEMENT - A tunneling magnetic sensing element includes a laminate in which a pinned magnetic layer having a magnetization direction pinned, an insulating barrier layer, and a free magnetic layer having a magnetization direction variable with an external magnetic field are laminated in order from below. The insulating barrier layer is made of Mg—O. The free magnetic layer has a soft magnetic layer and an enhanced layer disposed between the soft magnetic layer and the insulating barrier layer to have a spin polarization ratio higher than the soft magnetic layer. An insertion magnetic layer made of one selected from Co—Fe—B, Co—B, Fe—B, and Co—Fe is inserted into the soft magnetic layer in a direction parallel to the interface of each layer constituting the laminate, and the soft magnetic layer is divided into multiple layers in a thickness direction through the insertion magnetic layer. | 03-04-2010 |
20120288963 | MANUFACTURING METHOD OF MAGNETO-RESISTIVE ELEMENT - The present invention provides a manufacturing method of a magneto-resistive element capable of obtaining a higher MR ratio, in a method of forming a metal oxide layer (e.g., MgO layer) by oxidation treatment of a metal layer (e.g., Mg layer). An embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of; providing a substrate having a first ferromagnetic layer; fabricating a tunnel barrier layer on the first ferromagnetic layer; and forming a second ferromagnetic layer on the tunnel barrier layer. The step of fabricating the tunnel barrier layer includes; the steps of; depositing a first metal layer on the first ferromagnetic layer; | 11-15-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090321246 | METHOD OF FABRICATING AND APPARATUS OF FABRICATING TUNNEL MAGNETIC RESISTIVE ELEMENT - A method and an apparatus of fabricating a tunnel magnetic resistive element which do not show much dispersion in RA and capable of obtaining a high MR ratio in a low RA are provided. The method of fabricating a tunnel magnetic resistive element includes a first ferromagnetic layer, a tunnel barrier layer made of metal oxide and a second ferromagnetic layer, wherein a step of making the tunnel barrier layer includes carrying out film formation of a first metal layer while doping oxygen on the first ferromagnetic layer, subsequently an oxidation process on the oxygen-doped first metal layer to make an oxide layer and film formation of a second metal layer on the oxide layer. | 12-31-2009 |
20130134032 | METHOD OF FABRICATING AND APPARATUS OF FABRICATING TUNNEL MAGNETIC RESISTIVE ELEMENT - One embodiment of the present invention is a method of fabricating a tunnel magnetic resistive element including a first ferromagnetic layer, a tunnel barrier layer and a second ferromagnetic layer, comprising a step of making the tunnel barrier layer, comprising the step of making the tunnel barrier layer includes the steps of: forming a first layer on the first ferromagnetic layer by applying DC power to a metal target and introducing sputtering gas without introducing oxygen gas in a sputtering chamber; and forming a second layer on the first layer by applying DC power to the metal target and introducing the sputtering gas and oxygen gas with the DC power to be applied to the metal target from the step of forming the first layer in the sputtering chamber, wherein the second layer is oxygen-doped. | 05-30-2013 |
20140353149 | TUNNEL MAGNETO-RESISTANCE ELEMENT MANUFACTURING APPARATUS - The present invention provides a TMR element manufacturing apparatus capable of reducing contamination of impurities in magnetic films. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a tunnel magneto-resistance element manufacturing apparatus includes: a load lock device to load and unload a substrate from and to an outside; a first substrate transfer device that is connected to the load lock device, at least one substrate process device being connected to the first substrate transfer device; a first evacuation unit provided in the first substrate transfer device; a second substrate transfer device that is connected to the first substrate transfer device, multiple substrate process devices being connected to the second substrate transfer device; and a second evacuation unit provided in the second substrate transfer device. At least one of the multiple substrate process devices connected to the second substrate transfer device is an oxidation device. | 12-04-2014 |