Predicted Effects of Pinhole and Surface Roughness in Magnetoresistive Read Head

Magnetoresistive read heads based on giant magnetoresistance spin-valves or magnetic tunnel junctions have been widely used in magnetic recording. In the fabrication of these nano structures, the surface roughness is crucial to the performance of the devices, both electrically and magnetically. In this work, we theoretically study the effect of roughness and pinholes in magnetic tunnel junctions and nanowire systems. Results are compared to experiment.