Nonmagnetic semiconductors as read-head sensors for ultra-high-density magnetic recording

A mesoscopic nonmagnetic magnetoresistive read-head sensor based on the recently reported extraordinary magnetoresistance (EMR) effect has been fabricated from a narrow-gap Si-doped InSb quantum well. The sensor has a conservatively estimated areal-density of 116 Gb/in.(2) with a 300 K EMR of 6% and a current sensitivity of 147 Omega/T at a relevant field of 0.05 T and a bias of 0.27 T. Because this sensor is not subject to magnetic noise, which limits conventional sensors to areal densities of order 100 Gb/in.(2), it opens a pathway to ultra-high-density recording at areal densities of order 1 Tb/in.(2). (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.