Effect of seedlayer and junction geometry on permanent magnet stabilization of magnetoresistive heads

The dependence of CoPt stabilization properties on surface topography and seedlayer thickness has been investigated. The coercivity degrades drastically without a Cr seed, showing a dependence upon surface angle. Using the resulting data wafer level sensor structures are micromagnetic simulated. Poor seedlayer coverage on the junction edge yields open transfer curve loops and degraded sensor response.