Patent ID: 6717778
Filing Date: 2004-04-06
Classification: B82Y,G11B,Y10T

Abstract:
A spin-valve giant magnetoresistive head comprising:multiple thin films of GMR sensor including at least a lower shield layer, a lower insulated gap layer, an antiferromagnetic layer, a pinned magnetic layer formed on the border of the antiferromagnetic layer so that its magnetic orientation is aligned in a fixed direction, a free magnetic layer, and a nonmagnetic conductive spacer which achieves magnetic insulation between the pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer; at both ends of said multiple thin films of GMR sensor, magnetic-domain control layers operative to make the magnetic orientation of the free magnetic layer uniform, and conductive layers operative to supply current to said multiple thin films of GMR sensor; and above said multiple thin films of GMR sensor, an upper insulated gap layer and an upper magnetic shield layer, wherein: the antiferromagnetic layer that is part of said multiple thin films of GMR sensor is one layer, a read gap length indicative of a distance from the top of the lower shield layer and the bottom of the upper shield layer between which said multiple thin films of GMR sensor are sandwiched is 0.10 &mgr;m or less, the angle which a tangent line of each side end face of said multiple thin films of GMR sensor to a middle line of the free magnetic layer in its thickness direction forms with respect to the middle line of the free magnetic layer is 45 degrees or more, and the thickness of the lower insulated gap layer directly under said multiple thin films of GMR sensor is 10 nm or less thicker than that of both end portions of the lower insulated gap layer sandwiched between the magnetic-domain control layers or the conductive layers and the lower shield layer.