Patent ID: 8462467

Claim:
A thin film magnetic head, comprising: a magneto resistance effect film (MR film) of which electrical resistance varies corresponding to an external magnetic field; a pair of shields provided on both sides in a manner of sandwiching the MR film in a direction that is orthogonal to a film surface of the MR film; an anisotropy providing layer that provides exchange anisotropy to a first shield of the pair of shields in order to magnetize the first shield in a desired direction, and that is disposed on the opposite side from the MR film with respect to the first shield; and side shields that are disposed on both sides of the MR film in a track width direction and that include soft magnetic layers magnetized by magnetic connection with the first shield, wherein the MR film includes a free layer of which a magnetization direction varies corresponding to the external magnetic field, and magnetizations of the soft magnetic layers generate a bias magnetic field which orients a magnetization of the free layer toward a predetermined direction without the external magnetic field.