Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Tutomu Yasuda

Hideki Mashima

Nobuo Yoshida

Masashige Sato

Masashi Hattori

Masahiko Hatatani

A magnetic sensor having improved pinned layer robustness for improved reliability and having improved side shielding for improved track resolution at very high data densities. The sensor has a pinned layer structure with laterally extending wing portions that become thicker with increasing distance from the air bearing surface and has a side shield structure has a thickness that decreases with increasing distance from the air bearing surface.

Magnetic read sensor with novel pinned layer and side shield design for improved data track resolution and magnetic pinning robustness

In one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a lower shield layer positioned at a media-facing surface of the magnetic head, at least two magnetoresistive (MR) elements positioned above the lower shield layer, each MR element extending in an element height direction away from the media-facing surface of the magnetic head, back wiring layers positioned above at least one lower layer of each of the MR elements at a position away from the media-facing surface of the magnetic head in the element height direction, wherein the back wiring layers are configured to electrically communicate with the MR elements and configured to separately extract signals from each MR element during a read operation, and an upper shield layer positioned above the MR elements that is configured to electrically communicate with the MR elements.

Growing community of inventors

Odawara, Japan

Tutomu Yasuda