MAGNETO-RESISTANCE EFFECT HEAD

PURPOSE: To reduce Barkhausen noise and to improve reproduction characteristics by employing single-domain constitution for not only an MR element, but also a soft magnetic film for lateral biasing. CONSTITUTION: An MR head is composed of a center active area and passive areas which are formed adjacently on both its sides, and in the center active area, at least three layers which are a lateral bias film, an intermediate layer metal film, and an MR element film formed of soft magnetic films are successively formed. At this time, the MR element film 6 and intermediate layer metal film 5 are formed only in the center active area and the lateral bias film 4 is formed in both the center active area and passive areas; and an antiferromagnetic film 8, a soft magnetic film 9, an electrode base film 10, and an electrode film 11 are formed in order on the lateral bias film 4 in the passive areas, and the antiferromagnetic film 8 makes a switched connection with the soft magnetic film 9 and lateral bias film 4 in the passive areas. Consequently, both the MR element 6 and lateral bias film 4 are longitudinally biased.