Abstract:
A trailing shield is provided on a trailing side of a magnetic pole with a non-magnetic gap layer in between, and an intermediate layer having negative uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy is provided between the non-magnetic gap layer and the trailing shield. The intermediate layer has a magnetic property in which an easy axis of magnetization is provided in an in-plane direction and thus magnetization is likely to occur in that direction, whereas a difficult axis of magnetization is provided in a direction intersecting the in-plane direction and thus magnetization is less likely to occur in that direction. Accordingly, magnetic flux becomes difficult to excessively flow from the magnetic pole into the trailing shield.
Abstract:
A thin film magnetic head includes a spin valve film that includes a magnetization free layer, a magnetization pinned layer and a non-magnetic spacer layer that is disposed between the magnetization free and pinned layers, and a pair of side layers that are disposed at both sides of the spin valve film in a track width direction and at least in the vicinity of the magnetization free layer and the magnetization pinned layer. Each of the side layers has a bias magnetic field application layer that includes a soft magnetic layer and applies a bias magnetic field in the track width direction to the magnetization free layer, and a gap layer that is positioned between the spin valve film and the bias magnetic field application layer, and the side layers have compression stresses at least in the vicinity of the magnetization pinned layer.