Patent · US Expired

Magnetoresistive device and method of manufacturing same, thin-film magnetic head and method of manufacturing same, head gimbal assembly and hard disk drive

US6657826B2 · kind B2 · utility

24Cited by
4References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 3, 2001
Grant dateDec 2, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 17, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10T29/49052
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A magnetoresisive device comprises: an MR element having two surfaces that face toward opposite directions and two side portions that face toward opposite directions; two bias field applying layers that are located adjacent to the side portions of the MR element and apply a longitudinal bias magnetic field to the MR element; and two electrode layers that are located adjacent to one of the surfaces of each of the bias field applying layers and feed a sense current to the MR element. The electrode layers overlap the one of the surfaces of the MR element. The magnetoresistive device further comprises two nonconductive layers that are located between the one of the surfaces of the MR element and the two electrode layers and located in two regions that include ends of the MR element near the side portions thereof, the two regions being parts of the region in which the electrode layers face toward the one of the surfaces of the MR element.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.