Appeal No. 97-1627 Page 3
Application No. 08/202,991
sensor comprising a three-dimensional microstructure of
alternating magnetic layers and nonmagnetic, spacer layers.
The sensor achieves a strong magnetoresistive response, high
sensitivity, and high spatial resolution. It is useful in
magnetic read/write heads for storing and retrieving high
density data.
Claim 1, which is representative for our purposes,
follows:
1. A giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor,
comprising:
a sensor element formed of a plurality of
alternating layers of a magnetic material and a
nonmagnetic conducting material patterned in a
three-dimensional microarchitecture with a length L
and a width W and a total thickness B, wherein L $ W
> B and W is between about 0.1 microns and about 5
microns, and wherein each magnetic layer is a single
magnetic domain and the layers of nonmagnetic
material have a thickness such that exchange
coupling between adjacent magnetic layers is less
than magnetostatic coupling;
means for flowing a current through the sensor
element and for detecting resistance changes.
(Spec. at 15.)
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Last modified: November 3, 2007