SPIN VALVE TYPE MAGNETIC HEAD AND ITS MANUFACTURING METHOD

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a spin valve type magnetic head wherein no characteristic changes occur in an operation temperature range. SOLUTION: An antiferromagnetic layer of a fixed layer of a spin valve is made of an alloy which contains Cr, Mn, Pt, a magnetic field enough to magnetically saturate the fixed layer in a magnetic gap depth direction at a temperature lower than the blocking temperature (Tb) of the antiferromagnetic layer is kept to be applied, and after the fixed layer is cooled in the magnetic field, at a temperature lower than Tb, a minimum magnetic field enough to saturate the magnetization of the free layer of the spin valve in a track width direction is kept to be applied in the same direction. A coupling magnetic field He of one-direction anisotropy of the fixed layer is set to He(Tmax)≥60+100/ hMR[Oe] where an antiferromagnetic layer composition is (Cr100-xMnx)100-yPty, 2≤y, 40≤x≤70, columnar crystal powders are formed, an average crystal particle size of the antiferromagnetic layer is set to 2.7×10-18cm3, (110) of bct is set parallel to a film surface, a long axis is set within the film surface, and magnetization is fixed in a desired direction up to the fixed layer component having Tb higher than Tmax. COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO