JP2001110021A - Magnetic head and recording and/or reproducing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the wear resistance of a magnetic head when the signals are read by a helical scan system and also to improve the reliability of a recording/reproducing device itself in a prescribed using environment range. SOLUTION: An MR head 1 includes an MR element 5 which is held between the 1st and 2nd substrates 2 and 8 via the upper and lower shielding thin films 3 and 7 and upper and lower gap films 4 and 6. The substrates 2 and 8 are made primarily of α-Fe2O3. A magnetic tape device 41 includes such heads 1 which are mounted on a rotary drum 44b constructing a drum 44 as the reproducing heads RH1 and RH2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a magnetic head of a magnetoresistive effect type for reproducing information recorded on a magnetic recording medium and a recording and / or reproducing apparatus provided with the magnetic head, and more particularly to a magnetic drum mounted on a rotating drum. The present invention relates to a magnetic head for reading out a signal recorded on a magnetic tape by a helical scan method, and a recording and / or reproducing apparatus provided with the magnetic head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a magnetic head of a magnetoresistive effect type (hereinafter referred to as an MR head) mounted on a hard disk drive is formed to have a substantially rectangular shape and a shield film is formed. A magnetoresistive element (hereinafter, referred to as an MR element) is sandwiched between the shield forming surfaces of the pair of substrates. This MR head is generally a substrate is molded to Al ₂ O ₃ -TiC as a material.

In a magnetic tape device using a magnetic tape as a recording medium, an MR head has recently been put to practical use as a reproducing magnetic head with the increase in magnetic recording density. The MR head mounted on the magnetic tape device is
Hard disk drive like the Al ₂ whose base is above
It is formed using polycrystalline ferrite such as O ₃ —TiC or Ni—Zn ferrite as a material.

In a recording and / or reproducing apparatus such as a hard disk drive or a magnetic tape apparatus described above (hereinafter simply referred to as a recording / reproducing apparatus), the life of a magnetic head mounted is, for example, 25 ° C. , 50% RH
In addition to the guarantee in a certain use environment, such as in a range of use environment generally having a range of −5 ° C. to 35 ° C. and 20% RH to 90% RH.

In general, in a hard disk drive, the above-described MR head is mounted on a flying type slider and operates while flying above a magnetic disk. For this reason, in a hard disk drive, the MR
The head is hardly worn out, and the life of the magnetic head within the above-mentioned use environment is also guaranteed.

In a magnetic tape device, in particular, a magnetic tape device in which an MR head is fixedly mounted as a reproducing head or a read head, although the MR head slides directly on the magnetic tape, the sliding speed is slow. In addition, the pressure applied from the magnetic tape to the sliding surface of the MR head during sliding is low. For this reason, in such a magnetic tape device, although the amount of wear of the head is large as compared with the case where the head is mounted on the above-described hard disk device, the life of the magnetic head within a predetermined use environment range cannot be guaranteed. There is no wear amount.

That is, the MR head mounted on a hard disk device or a magnetic tape device that uses a fixed head as described above does not need to consider friction with a magnetic disk or a magnetic tape, and the wear resistance of the head is reduced. Was hardly a problem.

[0008]

However, in a magnetic tape device which mounts an MR head on a rotating drum such as a digital data storage recorder or a digital video cassette recorder and reads signals recorded on a magnetic tape by a helical scan method. The MR mounted on the rotating drum rotates at high speed because the rotating drum rotates at high speed.
The head and the magnetic tape slide at high speed. In a helical scan type magnetic tape device, a relatively strong pressure is generally applied to the sliding surface of the MR head in order to slide the MR head and the magnetic tape at a high speed while always in contact with each other. Has been added by For this reason, the magnetic tape device of the helical scan type easily wears the head, and requires a base having high wear resistance within the above-mentioned use environment in terms of life. In particular, in a magnetic tape device, the rigidity of the magnetic tape is high in a low-temperature environment, and therefore, a substrate that can ensure abrasion resistance in such a low-temperature environment is required.

As described above, the hard disk drive or the magnetic tape drive to which the MR head is fixed is different from the helical scan type magnetic tape drive in the abrasion resistance required for the head base. Alternatively, when the MR head of the magnetic tape device to which the MR head is fixed is diverted to a helical scan type magnetic tape device, there is a problem that the wear amount of the substrate becomes very large and the life of the MR head is shortened. . For example, in an MR head using a base formed using Al ₂ O ₃ —TiC or Ni—Zn ferrite as a material,
Friction with the magnetic tape increases the wear amount of the MR head, and greatly shortens the life of the head.

In view of the above, the present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described conventional circumstances, and has a magnetic head excellent in wear resistance when reading a signal recorded on a magnetic tape by a helical scan method. It is another object of the present invention to provide a recording and / or reproducing apparatus equipped with the magnetic head and having improved reliability in a predetermined use environment range.

[0011]

A magnetic head according to the present invention that achieves the above-mentioned object is a magneto-resistive magnetic head that uses a magnetic tape as a recording medium and reads signals by a helical scan method. A magnetoresistive effect element is sandwiched between a pair of bases via a shield thin film made of a soft magnetic thin film and a nonmagnetic insulating film, and the pair of bases is composed mainly of α-Fe ₂ O _3. Features.

Further, a recording and / or reproducing apparatus according to the present invention uses a magnetic tape as a recording medium, records and / or reproduces a magnetic signal by a helical scan method, and a drum on which the magnetic tape slides; And a magnetic head for recording mounted on the drum, and a magnetic head for reproduction is provided between a pair of substrates and a shield thin film made of a soft magnetic thin film. The magnetoresistive element is sandwiched between the magnetic insulating films, and the pair of bases is a magnetoresistive magnetic head mainly composed of α-Fe ₂ O ₃ .

Α-Fe ₂ O ₃ has excellent abrasion resistance, and its performance is maintained even in a low temperature environment, for example. Therefore, the base of the magnetoresistance effect type magnetic head is α-Fe ₂ O ₃
In the helical scan system in which the magnetic head and the magnetic tape slide at a high speed, the wear in the normal use environment range is greatly suppressed, and the reliability is greatly improved.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific examples of a magnetic head according to the present invention and a recording and / or reproducing apparatus using the magnetic head will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The magnetic head according to the present invention is a read-only MR head that detects a signal recorded on a recording medium by utilizing a magnetoresistance effect. Generally, MR heads are more suitable for high-density recording because they have higher sensitivity and higher reproduction output than inductive magnetic heads that perform recording and reproduction using electromagnetic induction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the MR head 1 includes a first base 2, a lower shield thin film 3 and a first non-magnetic non-conductive film (hereinafter, referred to as a first base 2). A magnetoresistive element (hereinafter, referred to as an MR element) 5 formed via the lower gap film 4)
And a second substrate 8 bonded to the MR element 5 via a second non-magnetic non-conductive film (hereinafter referred to as an upper gap film) 6 and an upper shield thin film 7. It is provided with.

The MR head 1 has a tape sliding surface 1a as shown in FIG.
It is machined into an arcuate curved surface along the running direction of the magnetic tape shown in the direction of the middle arrow A. The MR head 1 is formed such that the MR element 5 or a portion in the vicinity thereof protrudes the most on the tape sliding surface 1a as compared with other portions. M
The R head 1 is formed such that the MR element 5 or a portion in the vicinity thereof protrudes the most so that the MR element 5
Of the magnetic tape can be improved.

The first substrate 2 has a mirror-finished surface on which the above-mentioned lower shield thin film 3 is to be formed, and is formed into a substantially rectangular shape mainly using α-Fe ₂ O ₃ as a material.
—Fe ₂ O ₃ -based substrate. This α-Fe ₂ O ₃ based substrate is
Ideally, it is composed of 100% α-Fe ₂ O ₃ , but usually it may contain orthorhombic ZrO ₂ or the like as an impurity or an additive. At this time, it is preferable that α-Fe ₂ O _{3 as} a main component is contained in an amount of 95 mol% or more. α-
The content of α-Fe ₂ O ₃ in the Fe ₂ O ₃ based substrate is 95 mo
If it is less than 1%, the amount of wear increases sharply.

The lower shield thin film 3 is a soft magnetic film formed on one main surface of the first base 2 as described above,
As a material, for example, Sendust is preferable from the viewpoint of soft magnetic characteristics and the like. In addition, the lower shield thin film 3 may be made of a material such as permalloy or amorphous CoTaZr. The lower shield thin film 3 functions as a shield material for magnetically shielding the lower layer of the MR element 5.

The lower gap layer 4 is a non-magnetic insulating film formed on the lower shield film 3 as described above, from the viewpoint of insulating properties and wear resistance as a material, for example Al ₂
O ₃ and SiO ₂ are preferred.

The MR element 5 reads out a signal recorded on a magnetic tape by a magnetoresistance effect.
That is, the resistance value of the MR element 5 changes due to a change in the angle of deviation between the direction of the current flowing therethrough and the direction magnetized by the magnetic field from the recording medium. MR head 1
Detects a change in the resistance value of the MR element 5 to read a signal recorded on a recording medium.

The MR element 5 is a SAL (Soft Adjacent La
yer) a three-layer structure in which a film 5a, an insulating film 5b, and an MR film 5c are stacked in this order from the lower gap film 4 side. The SAL film 5a is for applying a bias magnetic field to the MR film 5c by a so-called SAL bias method, and is made of a magnetic material having a low coercive force and a high magnetic permeability such as permalloy. The insulator film 5b insulates the MR film 5c and the SAL film 5a from each other and prevents electrical shunt loss, and is made of an insulating material such as Ta. MR element 5
c is formed such that the side portions of the three-layered film described above have a tapered shape. The MR film 5c has an anisotropic magnetoresistance effect (A
(MR), and is made of a soft magnetic material such as Ni-Fe whose resistance value changes according to the magnitude of an external magnetic field.

In the MR element 5, a permanent magnet film 9 made of a hard magnetic material having a high coercive force is in contact with the tapered portions on both side surfaces. The permanent magnet film 9 is for applying a bias magnetic field to the MR element 5 in order to stabilize the operation of the MR element 5, and is formed, for example, by sequentially forming Cr / CoCrPt in this order by sputtering or the like. Preferably, the thickness of the permanent magnet film 9 is substantially equal to the thickness of the MR element 5. On the other hand, on the permanent magnet film 9, a conductive thin film 10 made of a conductive material having a low electric resistance for flowing a sense current to the MR element 5 is formed. The conductive thin film 10 serves as an electrode when a sense current is supplied to the MR element 5, and is formed, for example, by sequentially forming TiW / Ta in this order by sputtering or the like. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the conductive thin film 10 is formed so as to be exposed on one side surface of the second base 8 and the exposed end face 10
a and 10a function as external terminals.

Here, the MR element 5 and the permanent magnet film 9 are
As described above, since the contact is made via the tapered portion, the contact area is larger than when the side surface of the MR element 5 is vertically cut. As described above, by increasing the contact area between the MR element 5 and the permanent magnet film 9, the magnetic coupling state between the MR element 5 and the permanent magnet film 9 is improved. As a result, the permanent magnet film 9
, The effect of stabilizing the operation of the MR element 5 is further enhanced, and the operation of the MR element 5 can be made more stable.

The upper gap film 6 is a non-magnetic insulating film formed on the conductive thin film 10 and the MR element 5. Like the lower gap film 4, the upper gap film 6 is made of a material from the viewpoint of insulation characteristics, wear resistance and the like. For example, Al ₂ O ₃ or SiO ₂ is preferable.

The upper shield thin film 7 includes an upper gap film 6
It is a soft magnetic film formed thereon, and is preferably made of, for example, sendust from the viewpoint of soft magnetic characteristics and the like, like the lower shield thin film 3. The upper shield thin film 7 is made of MR
It has a function as a shielding material for magnetically shielding the upper layer of the element 5.

The second base member 8 is integrally formed on the above-mentioned upper shield thin film 7 by means of, for example, an epoxy resin adhesive 11. The second substrate 8 is an α-Fe ₂ O ₃ -based substrate which is formed in a substantially rectangular shape mainly using α-Fe ₂ O ₃ as a material similarly to the first substrate _2.
The O ₃ -based substrate is ideally made of 100% α-Fe ₂ O ₃ , but usually contains orthorhombic ZrO ₂ or the like as an impurity or an additive. At this time, the main component α
-Fe ₂ O ₃ is preferably be contained in an amount more than 95 mol%. When the content of α-Fe ₂ O ₃ in the α-Fe ₂ O ₃ -based substrate is less than 95 mol%, the amount of wear increases sharply.

Next, the MR head 1 having the above-described configuration will be described.
A method of manufacturing the device will be described. In the drawings used in the following description, characteristic portions are enlarged for easy understanding of the characteristics, and the dimensional ratios of the respective portions are not necessarily the same as those in the drawings. In the following, a process of forming one MR element 5 on a wafer substrate 21 described later will be described.
The R element 5 is formed on the wafer substrate 21.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, one main surface 21a
3-4 inch wafer substrate 21 mirror-finished
Prepare Since the wafer substrate 21 constitutes the first base member 2 acting as a guard material on the leading side, a hard material, specifically, a material containing α-Fe ₂ O ₃ as a main component is preferable, and 100% α-Fe ₂ O ₃ is preferable. Ideally, it is made of Fe ₂ O ₃ , but it may contain orthorhombic ZrO ₂ or the like as an impurity or an additive. At this time, the main component α-Fe ₂
It is preferable that O _{3 be} contained in an amount of 95 mol% or more.

Next, as shown in FIG.
1, a soft magnetic thin film 22 constituting the lower shield thin film 3 and a non-magnetic insulating film 23 constituting the lower gap film 4 are formed on a mirror-finished main surface 21 a by a method such as sputtering. Is done. Subsequently, as shown in FIG.
On the wafer substrate 21, a thin film constituting the SAL bias type MR element 5 on the non-magnetic insulating film 23, specifically, S
The AL film 24, the insulating film 25, and the MR film 26 are sequentially formed in this order.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, using the resist pattern 27 patterned into a predetermined shape by photolithography as a mask,
4. The insulating film 25 and the MR film 26 are etched to form the MR element 5. At this time, since the lower end of the resist pattern 27, that is, the vicinity of the MR film 26 is patterned so as to exhibit an inverted tapered shape, the SAL film 2 etched using the resist pattern 27 as a mask is used.
4, the side surfaces of the insulating film 25 and the MR film 26 are tapered as shown in FIG. 7, and the side surfaces of the MR element 5 composed of the three thin films are also tapered.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, a magnetic film 28 constituting the permanent magnet thin film 9 is provided on both sides of the MR element 5 to stabilize the operation of the MR element 5 formed as described above. Conductive film 2 constituting conductive thin film 10 for supplying a sense current to MR element 5 so as to be in contact with the surface portion
9 is formed on the magnetic film 28. After that, the resist pattern 27 and the excess magnetic film 28 and conductor film 29 formed on the resist pattern 27 are removed.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9, on the MR film 26 and the conductor film 29 constituting the MR element 5, a non-magnetic non-conductive thin film 30 to be the upper gap film 6 and an upper shield thin film 7 are formed. A metal soft magnetic thin film 31 is formed.

Each thin film is formed through the above-described thin film forming process, and the wafer substrate 21 on which a large number of MR elements 5 are formed is converted into several strip-shaped bars in which a plurality of MR elements 5 are arranged. As shown in FIG. 10, a hard substrate similarly processed into strips is used, and a wafer substrate 32 serving as a second base 8 acting as a guard material on the trading side is used by using an adhesive 11 as shown in FIG. Joined by pressing in the direction of the arrow to integrate. Note that, as the wafer substrate 32, a substrate containing α-Fe ₂ O ₃ as a main component is used as in the case of the wafer substrate 21.

After bonding and integration of the wafer substrate 32, a predetermined R shape is formed by cylindrical grinding, and the width of each MR element 5 is processed and the chip is cut to form a head chip.

After the head chip is adhered to the head base by piece bonding and electrically connected to the head base terminal, the lapping tape is used to expose one end surface of the MR element 5 to the tape sliding surface. Finish by polishing.

Next, a description will be given of a magnetic tape device 41 provided with the above-described MR head 1 as a reproducing head.

As shown in FIG. 11, the magnetic tape device 41 includes a supply reel 42 for unwinding a magnetic tape M as a recording medium in a direction indicated by an arrow B in the figure, and a magnetic tape M unwound from the supply reel 42. A plurality of guide rollers 43 (43a to 43g) for guiding the traveling direction and applying a predetermined tension to the magnetic tape M; a drum 44 having the MR head 1 as a reproducing head;
And a take-up reel 45 that winds the magnetic tape M sent out through the reel 4. Magnetic tape device 41
Is a recording / reproducing apparatus for reading out a signal recorded on a magnetic tape by a helical scan method.

As shown in FIG. 12, the drum 44 includes a fixed drum 44a, a rotating drum 44b, and a motor 46 for driving the rotating drum 44b. The rotating drum 42 rotates in the direction of arrow R in FIG.

The fixed drum 44a is held without rotating. A lead guide 47 is formed on the side surface of the fixed drum 44a along the running direction of the magnetic tape M. As described later, at the time of recording and reproduction, the magnetic tape M
The vehicle travels along the lead guide 47.

The rotating drum 44b is arranged so that the center axis thereof coincides with that of the fixed drum 44a, and is driven to rotate at a predetermined rotation speed by a motor 46 during recording / reproducing on the magnetic tape M. The rotating drum 44b is a fixed drum 4
It is formed in a cylindrical shape having substantially the same diameter as 4a.

The rotating head 44a has a reproducing head RH.
1 and RH2, and a pair of, for example, magnetic induction type magnetic heads as the recording heads WH1 and WH2. Each reproducing head RH1, R
H2 and each of the recording heads WH1 and WH2 have a phase difference of 180 °.

Each of the recording heads WH1 and WH2 is a recording magnetic head in which a pair of magnetic cores are joined through a magnetic gap and a coil is wound around the magnetic core. Used when recording. The recording heads WH1 and WH2 have an angle of 180 with respect to the center of the rotating drum 44b.
°, and their magnetic gaps are
b is mounted on the rotating drum 44b so as to protrude from the outer periphery of the rotating drum 44b.

On the other hand, the reproducing heads RH1 and RH2 are used when reproducing signals from the magnetic tape M. And
These reproducing heads RH1 and RH2 are
The angle formed with respect to the center of b is 180 °, and the magnetic gap portion is mounted on the rotating drum 44b so as to protrude from the outer periphery of the rotating drum 44b.

The magnetic tape device 41 slides the magnetic tape M on the drum 44 to record a signal on the magnetic tape M and reproduce a signal from the magnetic tape M.

That is, during recording and reproduction, the magnetic tape M
From the supply reel 42 to the guide rollers 43a, 43b, 43
c, and is wound around the drum 44 along the lead guide portion 47 of the fixed drum 44b.
At step 4, recording and reproduction are performed. The magnetic tape M recorded and reproduced by the drum 44 is guided by the guide rollers 43d and 4d.
3e, 43f, capstan 48, guide roller 43g
And is sent to the take-up roll 45. That is,
The magnetic tape M is fed at a predetermined tension and speed by a capstan 48 which is driven to rotate by a capstan motor 49, and is taken up by a take-up roll 45 via a guide roller 42g.

At this time, the rotary drum 44b is driven to rotate by the motor 46 as shown by the arrow R in FIG. On the other hand, the magnetic tape M is sent along the lead guide portion 47 of the fixed drum 44a so as to slide obliquely with respect to the fixed drum 44a and the rotating drum 44b. That is, the magnetic tape M is moved along the tape running direction from the tape entrance side to the fixed drum 44 as shown by an arrow C in FIG.
a and runs obliquely along the lead guide portion 47 so as to be in sliding contact with the rotating drum 44b.
The recording heads RH1 and RH2 mounted on the recording head b and the recording heads WH1 and WH2 are slid in contact with each other to perform recording and / or reproduction.

As described above, the MR head 1 is mounted on the rotating drum 44b of the magnetic tape device 41, and detects signals recorded on the magnetic tape M by the helical scan method while sliding on the magnetic tape M. MR head 1
Is worn due to friction with the magnetic tape M. FIG. 13 shows the amount of wear of the MR head 1 at this time and the amount of wear of the conventional magnetic head under various environments. The MR head 1 is an MR head using a substrate material mainly composed of α-Fe ₂ O ₃ as a base as described above, and a conventional magnetic head uses Al ₂ O ₃ -Tic or Ni
-Zn An MR head using ferrite polycrystal. The head shape measured for the wear amount is 1.5 mm (width) × 2 mm × for both the MR head 1 and the conventional magnetic head.
0.2 mm (thickness), the contact width of the sliding surface is 80 μm, and the curvature in the contact width direction is R = 6 mm. In addition, a running test was conducted on the data storage tape drive deck SDX-3.
00C (manufactured by Sony Corporation) and a thin film vapor deposition tape SDX-T3N (manufactured by Sony Corporation) based on Co alloy were used.
1000% under the environment of 50% RH and 25 ° C / 50% RH
Run for hours. The amount of wear was calculated from the amount of change in electrical resistance before and after the running test. The initial setting of the amount of protrusion of the dummy head from the drum surface was 30 μm.

As a result of the above-mentioned running test, as shown in FIG. 13, the amount of wear of the MR head 1 is extremely small at about 100 nm regardless of the environment. In contrast, Ni-Z
Conventional magnetic heads based on n-ferrite polycrystals
In an environment of 25 ° C./50% RH, the wear amount is as small as about 100 nm as in the case of the MR head 1, but Al ₂ O ₃ —Ti
The wear amount of the conventional magnetic head using c as a base is about 200 n.
and wears about twice as fast as the MR head 1. Also,
In a conventional magnetic head, the wear amount increases as the temperature decreases to 5 ° C./50% RH and −5 ° C.
-Zn ferrite polycrystal and Al ₂ 0 ₃ conventional magnetic head and the substrate to -Tic were approximately 1800 nm, wear several tens of times greater than the magnetic head about 3200nm and the present invention.

As described above, the wear resistance of the MR head 1 can be remarkably improved within the range of use environment by using Fe ₂ O ₃ as the main component of the substrate material when forming the base. . In addition, by using such an MR head 1 for the magnetic tape device 41, the reliability of the magnetic tape device 41 itself can be significantly improved.

Next, in the MR head 1 using an α-Fe ₂ O ₃ -based substrate prepared by adding ZrO ₂ to α-Fe ₂ O ₃ at an arbitrary ratio, the content of α-Fe ₂ O ₃ FIG. 14 shows the relationship with the wear amount of the head. In addition, M
The head shape of the R head 1 is 1.5 mm (width) x 2 mm
× 0.2mm (thickness), width 80μm per slide surface,
The curvature in the contact width direction is R = 6 mm. In addition, the running test was conducted on the data storage drive deck SDX-300C.
(Manufactured by Sony Corporation) and Co alloy thin film evaporation tape SDX
-T3N (manufactured by Sony Corporation) in an environment of -5 ° C.
It ran for 00 hours. The amount of wear was calculated from the amount of change in electrical resistance before and after the running test. The initial setting of the amount of protrusion of the dummy head from the drum surface was 30 μm.

As shown in FIG. 14, when the content of α-Fe ₂ O ₃ is less than 95 mol%, the wear amount exceeds 500 nm. In the case of the MR head, if the wear amount is large, specifically, if it exceeds 500 nm, the bias point shifts and the head characteristics are greatly deteriorated. Therefore, the wear amount of the MR head is desirably less than 500 nm, and the content of α-Fe ₂ O ₃ contained in the substrate material at the time of molding the base is 95 m.
ol% or more is preferable.

As described above, the wear resistance of the head of the MR head 1 can be remarkably improved by adding α-Fe ₂ O ₃ to the substrate material in an amount of 95 mol% or more. Further, such an MR head 1 is connected to a magnetic tape device 4.
1 can significantly improve the reliability of the magnetic tape device 41 itself.

In the above description, each member other than the first and second substrates 2 and 8 constituting the MR head 1, the material, the size, the film thickness, and the like have been described with specific examples. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an appropriate one may be used according to the requirements of the system. For example, in the above description, a shield type SAL bias type MR head having a structure similar to that of an MR head practically used in a hard disk device or the like is cited, but the bias method is not limited to this. Further, as the MR element, for example, an element that reads a signal recorded on a magnetic tape by a giant magnetoresistance effect, such as a superlattice GMR (Giant MR) film, a granular GMR film, a spin valve film, or the like, may be used. .

[0054]

As described above in detail, according to the magnetic head of the present invention and the recording and / or reproducing apparatus using this magnetic head, α-Fe ₂ O ₃ having excellent wear resistance is composed mainly of α-Fe ₂ O ₃ . In the helical scan method in which the magnetic head and the magnetic tape slide at high speed, the wear of the head in a certain use environment range can be largely suppressed, and the reliability is greatly improved. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an MR head.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of the MR head.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a manufacturing process of the MR head, and is a longitudinal sectional view of a wafer substrate.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a manufacturing process of the MR head, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a soft magnetic thin film and a non-magnetic insulating film are formed on a wafer substrate.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a manufacturing process of the MR head, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a SAL film, an insulating film and an MR film are formed on a non-magnetic insulating film.

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining a manufacturing process of the MR head, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where a resist pattern is formed on the MR film.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining the manufacturing process of the MR head, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where the SAL film, the insulating film and the MR film are etched.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a manufacturing process of the MR head, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where a magnetic film and a conductor film are formed.

FIG. 9 is a view for explaining a manufacturing process of the MR head, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where a non-magnetic insulating film and a soft magnetic film are further formed;

FIG. 10 is a view for explaining the manufacturing process of the MR head, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where the guard material is pressure-bonded.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a schematic configuration of a magnetic tape device.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a main part for describing a configuration of a drum.

FIG. 13 is a characteristic diagram showing a wear amount of the MR head according to the present invention and a conventional magnetic head under various use environments.

FIG. 14 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the content of Fe ₂ O ₃ contained in the base of the MR head according to the present invention and the amount of wear.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 magnetoresistive magnetic head (MR head), 2 first base, 3 lower shield thin film, 4 lower gap film, 5 MR element, 5 a SAL film, 5 b insulating film, 5
c MR film, 6 upper gap film, 7 upper shield thin film, 8 second substrate, 9 permanent magnet film, 10 conductive thin film, 41 magnetic tape device, 44 drum, 44a fixed drum, 44b rotating drum, RH1, RH2 reproduction head

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Seiji Onoe 6-7-35 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Inside Sony Corporation (72) Inventor Yoichi Inumaki 6-35, Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo No. Sony Corporation F term (reference) 5D034 AA02 BA02 BA18 BB08 CA01 5D093 AA01 AB03 AD03 BB02 BB14 BB18 JA12 5D111 AA12 AA23 BB02 BB48 DD06 FF16

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A magnetoresistive magnetic head which uses a magnetic tape as a recording medium and reads signals by a helical scan method, wherein a shield thin film made of a soft magnetic film and a nonmagnetic insulating film are provided between a pair of substrates. A magnetic head characterized by comprising a magnetoresistive effect element sandwiched therebetween, and wherein the base contains α-Fe ₂ O ₃ as a main component. 2. The substrate comprises 95 mol of α-Fe ₂ O ₃ .
2. The magnetic head according to claim 1, wherein the content of the magnetic head is at least 0.1%. 3. A recording and / or reproducing apparatus for recording and / or reproducing magnetic signals by a helical scan method using a magnetic tape as a recording medium, wherein: a drum on which the magnetic tape slides; A reproducing magnetic head, and a recording magnetic head mounted on the drum. The reproducing magnetic head includes a shield thin film made of a soft magnetic thin film and a non-magnetic The magneto-resistance effect element is sandwiched between the insulating film and the substrate, and the substrate is formed of α-Fe ₂ O ₃
A recording and / or reproducing apparatus characterized in that the recording and / or reproducing apparatus is a magnetoresistive effect type magnetic head mainly comprising 4. The reproducing magnetic head according to claim 1, wherein the base comprises an α-
Recording and / or reproducing apparatus according to Fe ₂ O ₃ to claim 3, characterized in that it contains more than 95 mol%.