The dual spin valve head for high density recording

Abstract A dual spin valve head with synthetic antiferromagnetic pinned layers, DSSV, consists of a reader and a writer. The key fundamental concept of the magnetic materials for the reader and the writer of the DSSV will be discussed in this paper. The reader consists of a sensor stripe, a pair of hard magnetic bias films for the purpose of stabilization, and a pair of current leads. The reader has a high sensor sensitivity because it allows a longer coherent spin dependent electron mean free path that enhances the giant magnetoresistance change. The sensor is a symmetrical multilayer film structure that was optimized to have a high GMR ratio. The writer is a conventional inductive head with high magnetic moment poles consisting a thin layer of laminated high moment FeRhN film material The multilayer film sturcture of the DSSV sensor, its magnetic properties, and the head performance will be discussed in detail. The possible future development will also be discussed.