Patent ID: 7149061

Claim:
A thin-film magnetic head on a substrate having a slider surface comprising: a first magneto-resistive effect element configured to detect a magnetic signal from a magnetic recording medium; and a second magneto-resistive effect element disposed adjacent to the first magneto-resistive effect element and configured to measure an amount of lapping of the first magneto-resistive effect element along the slider surface, the first magneto-resistive effect element comprising: a first magneto-resistive effect film; an upper shield film disposed above the first magneto-resistive effect film; and a lower shield film disposed below the first magneto-resistive effect film, the second magneto-resistive effect element comprising a second magneto-resistive effect film disposed between a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein the first magneto-resistive effect film and the second magneto-resistive effect film have substantially similar shapes, wherein the second magneto-resistive effect element does not include shield films disposed on each surface of the second magneto-resistive film.