Patent ID: 7894168

Claim:
A thin-film magnetic head comprising: a magneto-resistive effect device of a CPP (current perpendicular to plane) structure including a multilayer film in which a fixed magnetization layer, a nonmagnetic layer and a free layer are stacked together in order, with a sense current passing in a thickness direction of said multilayer film, wherein said free layer is configured such that the direction of magnetization changes depending on an external magnetic field; said fixed magnetization layer has a direction of magnetization fixed by an antiferromagnetic layer exerting pinning action; a bias magnetic field-applying layer is formed at each end of said multilayer film in a width direction; said fixed magnetization layer, said nonmagnetic layer and said free layer extend away from an air bearing surface that is a plane in opposition to a medium, and the length of said fixed magnetization layer in a depth direction normal to said air bearing surface is greater than the length of said free layer in said depth direction; and a shunt layer for shunting the sense current is located at a farther distance in said depth direction than the free layer, and said shunt layer is separated from said free layer by a constant gap in the depth direction.