Patent ID: 8514526

Claim:
A magnetoresistive magnetic head, comprising: a medium facing surface; an upper magnetic shield; a lower magnetic shield; a magnetoresistive element formed between the upper magnetic shield and the lower magnetic shield, the magnetoresistive element having a magnetization-free layer formed therein; an upper magnetic shield restricting part formed on a medium facing surface side of the magnetoresistive element and the upper magnetic shield; a lower magnetic shield restricting part formed on the medium facing surface side of the magnetoresistive element and the lower magnetic shield; and a non-magnetic part formed between the upper and lower magnetic shield restricting parts on the medium facing surface side of the magnetoresistive element such that the magnetoresistive element is not exposed at the medium facing surface, wherein the non-magnetic part is positioned such that a distance between the upper and lower magnetic shield restricting parts in a direction perpendicular to a plane of deposition is smaller than a distance between the upper and lower magnetic shields in the direction perpendicular to the plane of deposition near the medium facing surface, wherein the non-magnetic part has side ends opposite one another and each extending from the upper magnetic shield restricting part to the lower magnetic shield restricting part, and wherein the non-magnetic part extends along the medium facing surface as a continuous layer from the upper magnetic shield restricting part to the lower magnetic shield restricting part at all positions therealong between the side ends of the non-magnetic part.