MAGNETIC REPRODUCING HEAD AND ITS MANUFACTURING METHOD

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a magnetic reproducing head having high bias point controllability, a high magnetic reluctance change rate, good soft magnetic characteristics, good thermal stability, and high output performance, and coping with superhigh density recording, and its manufacturing method. SOLUTION: A seed layer, a buffer layer made of a material for increasing magneto-resistive effects, a free layer, a first nonmagnetic spacer layer, a fixed layer having a multilayer structure, a fixing operation layer, and a protective layer are formed in this order on a substrate. Annealing is performed in an entire first magnetic field to fix the magnetization direction of the fixed layer, then annealing is performed in an entire second magnetic field lower than the first magnetic field to return the magnetization direction of the free layer to an initial state. Thus, the magnetic reproducing head having high bias point controllability, a high GMR ratio, good soft magnetic characteristics, thermal stability, high output performance, and coping with the superhigh density recording can be obtained. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO