Patent ID: 7715155

Claim:
A thin-film magnetic head, comprising: a lower magnetic shield layer; a magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure formed on said lower magnetic shield layer so that current flows in a direction perpendicular to surfaces of laminated layers; an insulation layer formed to surround said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure; an additional metal layer laminated on at least said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure; an upper electrode layer made of a soft magnetic material laminated on said additional metal layer and said insulation layer; and an upper magnetic shield layer laminated on said upper electrode layer, said additional metal layer having a multi-layered structure including a nonmagnetic metal layer and a soft magnetic layer laminated on said nonmagnetic metal layer, and having a length along a track-width direction of said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure larger than a width of a magnetization-free layer in said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure.