| US 7,599,155 B2 | ||
| Self-pinned CPP giant magnetoresistive head with antiferromagnetic film absent from current path | ||
| Masamichi Saito, Niigata-ken (Japan); Yoshihiro Nishiyama, Niigata-ken (Japan); Yosuke Ide, Niigata-ken (Japan); Eiji Umetsu, Niigata-ken (Japan); Naoya Hasegawa, Niigata-ken (Japan); and Yasuo Hayakawa, Niigata-ken (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to TDK Corporation, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Apr. 13, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/823,474. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2003-114189 (JP), filed on Apr. 18, 2003; application No. 2003-195159 (JP), filed on Jul. 10, 2003; and application No. 2004-047757 (JP), filed on Feb. 24, 2004. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2004/0207960 A1, Oct. 21, 2004 | ||
| This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer. | ||
| Int. Cl. G11B 5/39 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 360—324.11 [360/322] | 8 Claims |
| 1. A CPP giant magnetoresistive head comprising:
lower and upper shield layers with a predetermined shield distance therebetween;
a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) element disposed between the upper and lower shield layers, the GMR element having a group
of adjacent parallel layers, the group consisting of a pinned magnetic layer, a free magnetic layer and a nonmagnetic layer
disposed between the pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer, wherein the pinned magnetic layer includes a laminated
ferrimagnetic structure consisting of a first pinned magnetic sublayer and a second pinned magnetic sublayer which are laminated
with a nonmagnetic intermediate layer disposed therebetween; and
large-area nonmagnetic metal films abutting against the GMR element and the lower shield layer and between the GMR element
and the upper shield layer, respectively, so that the large-area nonmagnetic metal films are in direct contact with the pinned
magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer and have larger areas than those of the pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic
layer, respectively.
|