Dependence of electromigration-induced failure lifetimes on NiFe thin-film thickness in giant magnetoresistive spin-valve read heads

The physical mechanisms responsible for the dependence of electromigration-induced failure lifetimes on NiFe thin film thickness in giant magnetoresistive spin-valve read heads have been studied to determine the maximum allowable current density. Based on measured median-times-to-failure, a maximum current density of about $1–2×108 A/cm2$ was found to be safely used in 3–5 nm thick NiFe films. Grain size analyses using a transmission electron microscopy suggests that the longer lifetimes of thinner films are mainly due to the smaller number of grain boundaries and fewer triple points which result in less atomic flux divergence.