Patent ID: 7817381

Claim:
A thin film magnetic head having a media-opposed surface, comprising: a lower magnetic shield layer and an upper magnetic shield layer, mutually opposed in a layering direction; a magnetoresistance effect element, positioned between said lower magnetic shield layer and said upper magnetic shield layer and positioned on the side of said media-opposed surface, and having a free layer whose magnetization direction changes according to an external magnetic field; and a bias-applying layer which is positioned between said lower magnetic shield layer and said upper magnetic shield layer, and which applies a bias magnetic field to said magnetoresistance effect element, wherein said bias-applying layer has a first portion and a second portion arranged at a distance in a track width direction so as to enclose said magnetoresistance effect element, and a third portion which is placed at least either between said magnetoresistance effect element and said lower magnetic shield layer or between said magnetoresistance effect element and said upper magnetic shield layer, as viewed from said media-opposed surface, and which connects said first portion and said second portion.