Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The read-head of the present embodiment is characterized by base layers, which are used for forming the hard magnetic layers 14 and which are formed on the insulating layers 12. Namely, no base layers are formed on first parts 12a of the insulating layers 12, which respectively coat side faces of the read-element 10; base layers 16 are respectively formed on only second parts 12b of the insulating layers 12, which outwardly extend from the first parts 12a and coat a surface of a lower shielding layer 18.
Since the side faces of the read-element 10 are slope faces, the first parts 12a of the insulating layers 12 are inclined. The base layers 16 are outwardly horizontally extended from lower ends of the first parts 12a.
In the present embodiment, the first parts 12a of the insulating layers 12, which coat the side faces of the read-element 10, are not coated with the base layers 16, so the hard magnetic layers 14 are directly formed on the surfaces of the insulating layers 12. Therefore, the hard magnetic layers 14 can be located closer to the side faces of the read-element 10 due to no base layers 16.
In comparison with the conventional magnetic head, in which the first parts 12a of the insulating layers 12 are coated with the base layers 16 (see
Thicknesses of the first parts 12a of the insulating layers 12, which respectively coat the side faces of the read-element 10, are 3-4 nm; thicknesses of the base layers 16 are about 5 nm. Since the thicknesses of the base layers 16 are nearly equal to the thicknesses of the first parts 12a of the insulating layers 12, distances between the read-element 10 and the hard magnetic layers 14 can be reduced by the thicknesses of the base layers 16. Therefore, intensities of the bias magnetic fields of the hard magnetic layers 14 can be increased. Since the intensities of the bias magnetic fields are varied by the distances to the read-element 10, said structure is effective. Namely, the magnetic head of the present embodiment is capable of effectively improving detection performance of the read-element 10.
A method of producing the read-head of the magnetic head of the first embodiment will be explained with reference to
In
The magnetoresistance effect film 10a includes a pinned layer, whose magnetizing direction is fixed, and a free layer, whose magnetizing direction is varied by a magnetic field from a magnetic recording medium. The magnetoresistance effect film 10a further includes ferromagnetic layers, which constitute the pinned layer and the free layer, an antiferromagnetic layer for fixing the magnetizing direction of the pinned layer, and nonmagnetic layers. The layered structures are designed on the basis of products. Note that, the present invention is not limited to the magnetoresistance effect film 10a having said structure.
In
In
In
In
In
To remove the parts of the base layers 16 from the first parts 12a of the insulating layers 12, ion milling is performed in the directions parallel to the surface of the work piece. Actually, the ion milling is performed at an angle with respect to the surface of the work piece. By this step, the parts of the base layers 16, which have been stuck on the first parts 12a of the insulating layers 12, are removed, so that the first parts 12a are exposed.
In
The first parts 12a of the insulating layers 12 upwardly extended from the second parts 12b thereof, and the mask pattern 30 is formed on a top part of the read-element 10. With this structure, if the sputtering is vertically performed with respect to the surface of the work piece, the hard magnetic layers 14 are not formed on side base parts of the side faces of the read-element 10 and gaps are formed between the side faces of the read-element 10 and the hard magnetic layers 14. Preferably, the sputtering is diagonally performed with respect to the surface of the work piece so as to securely form the hard magnetic films 14 on the side base parts of the side faces of the read-element 10.
In
By the above described steps, the read-head shown in
In the present embodiment, the side faces of the read-element 10 are inclined. Ideally, the side faces of the read-element 10 are vertically formed with respect to the surface of the substrate. In case of forming the side faces of the read-element 10 near-vertical with respect to the surface of the substrate, the hard magnetic layers 14 are formed on the base layers 16, which coat the second parts 12b of the insulating layers 12 formed on the lower shielding layer 18. Therefore, orientation characteristics of the hard magnetic layers 14 are controlled by the base layers 16 formed above the lower shielding layer 18. Even if the first parts 12a of the insulating layers 12 are not coated with the base layers 16, the control of the orientation directions of the hard magnetic layers 14 can be performed without difficulty.
The first parts 12a of the insulating layers 12 have prescribed thicknesses so as to ensure electric insulation. Therefore, a problem of electric short can be prevented.
A magnetic disk drive unit having the magnetic head of the present invention is shown in
When the magnetic disks 53 are rotated by the spindle motor 52, each of the head sliders 60 is floated from the surface of the disk 53 by air stream generated by the rotation of the disk 53, and then a seek action is performed by an actuator 56 so that data are written in and read from the disk 53 by the magnetic head 63.
The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2006-263699 | Sep 2006 | JP | national |