Patent ID: 6757144
Filing Date: 2004-06-29
Classification: B82Y,G01R,G11B,Y10T

Abstract:
A magnetic head assembly having an air bearing surface (ABS) comprising:a tunnel junction sensor recessed from the ABS and including: a ferromagnetic pinned layer having a magnetic moment; an antiferromagnetic pinning layer exchange coupled to the pinned layer for pinning the magnetic moment of the pinned layer; a free layer with a magnetic moment that is free to rotate in response to field signals from a rotating magnetic disk; a nonmagnetic spacer layer located between the free layer and the pinned layer; and a bias stack including: a ferromagnetic biasing layer; a metallic coupling layer located between and interfacing said free layer and the biasing layer so that a magnetic moment of the free layer is antiparallel to a magnetic moment of the biasing layer and is thereby longitudinally biased by edge magnetostatic force and/or antiparallel coupling from the biasing layer; and a flux guide including an extension of the bias stack and the free layer extending from the tunnel junction sensor to said ABS.