The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 24, 2003
Filed:
Mar. 31, 2000
Hiromi Sakata, Kawasaki, JP;
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Kawasaki, JP;
Abstract
A magnetoresistive (MR) head device is used as the read head of a disk drive. The magnetoresistive head device is provided with a magnetoresistive layer and conductors. The magnetoresistive layer changes in magnetization direction in response to a recording magnetic field on a disk. The conductors serve as electrodes and used for supplying a sense current to the magnetoresistive layer. The conductors have joint portions that are in contact with the magnetoresistive layer. The joint portions have substantially the same height (thickness) as the magnetoresistive layer, if it is measured from the disk surface. With this structure, a sense current supplied from one of the conductors flows through the magnetoresistive layer in a uniform direction. Hence, the magnetization direction is constant throughout the magnetoresistive layer.