Patent ID: 7072155

Claim:
A magnetoresistive sensor including a substrate, a pair of magnetic shield layers consisting of a lower magnetic shield layer and an upper magnetic shield layer, a magnetoresistive sensor layer disposed between the pair of magnetic shields, an electrode terminal for flowing a signal current perpendicular to the plane of the magnetoresistive sensor layer, and magnetic domain control layers for controlling Barkhausen noise of said magnetoresistive sensor layer, wherein said magnetic domain control layers disposed on opposite ends of the magnetoresistive sensor layer in a region from the end surface of a media-opposed surface side of the magnetoresistive sensor layer to the depth position are made of a material having a specific resistance not less than 10 mΩcm, and are in contact with at least opposite end surfaces of said magnetoresistive sensor layer in said region; wherein each magnetic domain control layer of said magnetic domain control layers includes regions of hard magnetic material having high coercivity made of a metal magnetic material having a composition including at least one of the elements of Co (cobalt), Cr (chromium), Pt (platinum), Ta (tantalum), and Nb (niobium), and regions of insulating material made of at least one of Al2O3, SiO2, HfO2, TaO2, TiO2, Ta2O5, AlN, AlSiN, or ZrO2, said each magnetic domain control layer including at least two of the regions of hard magnetic material which are separated from one another; said magnetoresistive sensor comprises magnetic yoke layers disposed between the pair of magnetic shields, having a shape extended from the position exposed from the media-opposed surface in the depth direction, and guiding the magnetic field of the recording media to its interior; and said magnetoresistive sensor layer is disposed between the magnetic yoke layers in the position recessed from the media-opposed surface, said magnetic domain control layers are provided on opposite ends of the magnetoresistive sensor layer in a region from the end surface of the media-opposed surface side of the magnetoresistive sensor layer and the magnetic yoke layer to the depth position and are in contact with at least opposite end surfaces of said magnetoresistive sensor layer in said region, and the magnetic domain control layers are in contact with opposite end surfaces of said magnetic yoke layer in at least one portion of the region from the end surface of the media-opposed surface side of said magnetic yoke layer to the depth position.