Patent ID: 7072152

Claim:
A magnetic head comprising: a pair of yokes arranged so as to face each other via a magnetic gap; a magnetoresistance effect element provided on the pair of yokes and magnetically coupled to the pair of yokes; the pair of yokes having magnetization arranged in a predetermined direction; the magnetoresistance effect element comprising, a stacked film including a magnetization fixed layer in which the direction of magnetization is substantially fixed to one direction, and a magnetization free layer in which the direction of magnetization varies in response to an external magnetic field, a top electrode connected to a part of an upper principal plane of the stacked film, and a bottom electrode connected to a lower principal plane of the stacked film; the magnetoresistance effect element having a resistance varying in response to a relative angle between the direction of magnetization in the magnetization fixed layer and the direction of magnetization in the magnetization free layer; a sense current detecting the variation of the resistance being applied to the film planes of the magnetization fixed layer and the magnetization free layer via the electrode in a direction substantially perpendicular to the magnetization fixed layer and the magnetization free layer; the top electrode having a pillar electrode portion substantially perpendicularly extending from the principal plane of the stacked film, and a feed portion extending substantially in parallel to the principal plane of the stacked film; the bottom electrode extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of magnetization of the yokes; and the feed portion of the top electrode being provided so that the sense current flowing through the feed portion is anti-parallel to a sense current flowing through the bottom electrode.