Analysis of thermal magnetic noise in spin-valve GMR heads by using micromagnetic simulation

The size of the sensor in spin-valve GMR heads has been reduced to increase the areal magnetic recording density. Thermal magnetic noise, which arises from thermal fluctuation, becomes the main source of head noise and a limitation on recording density. Insufficient abutted permanent magnetic biasing yields an asymmetrical waveform both for signal output and thermal magnetic noise. This is due to the same mechanism as that of Barkhausen noise. In contrast, it has been found that small which is the exchange coupling strength between the bottom pinned layer (Pin1) and the antiferromagnetic biasing layer, emphasizes thermal magnetic noise without affecting signal output. In a head with small H-ex, the magnetization near the air bearing surface and the top of the Pin2 layer tilts in the direction of the track width and randomly flips in the opposite direction. In synthetic ferrimagnetic heads, thermal magnetic noise chiefly depends on H-ex rather than unidirectional anisotropy, H-ua. The value of H-ua does not directly affect thermal magnetic noise. The results indicate that H-ex must be considered for reducing thermal magnetic noise. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.