Patent ID: 7221546

Claim:
A thin film magnetic head, comprising: a magneto-resistive effect element having a magneto-resistive effect film, said magneto-resistive effect film is a multilayer film including, a nonmagnetic layer, a ferromagnetic layer formed on one surface of said nonmagnetic layer, a soft magnetic layer formed on the other surface of said nonmagnetic layer, a pinning layer, formed in contact with a surface of said ferromagnetic layer opposite to the other surface thereof contacting said nonmagnetic layer, configured to pin a magnetization direction of said ferromagnetic layer, and a longitudinal bias magnetic field control layer, formed in contact with a surface of said soft magnetic layer opposite to the other surface thereof contacting said nonmagnetic layer, the longitudinal bias magnetic field control layer configured to apply to said soft magnetic layer a counter bias magnetic field that is antiparallel to a longitudinal bias magnetic field; and a pair of bias magnetic field applying layers, disposed at both ends of at least said soft magnetic layer of said magneto-resistive effect film, configured to apply the longitudinal bias magnetic field to said soft magnetic layer, wherein a magnitude of said counter bias magnetic field applied to said soft magnetic layer by said longitudinal bias magnetic field control layer is set smaller than that of said longitudinal bias magnetic field at a track center portion of said soft magnetic layer applied by said pair of bias magnetic field applying layers.