Patent ID: 7206175

Claim:
A magnetoresistive head comprising: an antiferromagnetic layer; a pinned layer formed on the antiferromagnetic layer with a magnetizing direction of the pinned layer being fixed; a nonmagnetic layer formed on the pinned layer; a free layer formed on the nonmagnetic layer; a magnetic domain control film for magnetic domain control of the free layer; and a pair of electrode films for supplying electric current to a stack of the antiferromagnetic layer, the pinned layer, the nonmagnetic layer, and the free layer; wherein, when a width of the free layer as viewed from an air bearing surface is defined as a geometrical track width Twr_geo(nm) and expressed as x, a magnetization film thickness product Br·t(G·μm) of the magnetic domain control film and x satisfy the following: −2.94·10 −4 x 3 +8.54·10 −2 x 2 −5.73 x+ 116 ≦Br·t< 3.75·10 −1 x+ 130 and 40 ≦x <160.