ENHANCED SPIN-VALVE/GMR MAGNETIC SENSOR WITH AN INSULATINGBOUNDARY LAYER

A spin valve sensor is constructed with an electrically conductive antiferromagnetic pinning layer. A first ferromagnetic layer is placed proximate the pinning layer. A second ferromagnetic layer is included with a non-ferromagnetic electrically conductive layer placed between the first and second ferromagnetic layers. A boundary layer of electrically insulating material is placed proximate to the second layer of ferromagnetic material opposite the non-ferromagnetic electrically conductive layer. Preferred embodiments exhibit an enhanced giant magnetoresistive (GMR) effect presumably due to scattering that is more specular at the interface with the electrically insulating material.