JPH0817018A - Combined thin film magnetic head - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To heighten the recording sensitivity by arranging two magnetic body magnetic poles on a magneto-resistive element adjacently opposite to each other across an insulating layer. CONSTITUTION:On a nonmagnetic substrate 1, the magneto-resistive element 2 is formed. Then a magnetic body pole 4 is formed on an insulating layer 3 while extended onto the magneto-resistive element 1. On the magnetic pole 4, a conductive coil 6 is formed thereafter across the insulating layer 5. An insulating layer 7 is formed and a magnetic body pole 8 is further formed. For recording, a recording current is supplied to the coil 6 and a produced recording magnetic field is guided to a gap by the magnetic circuit composed of the magnetic poles 4 and 8 to perform recording on a medium. The magneto- resistance at the time of the recording becomes extremely small since the distance to the opposite adjacent magnetic pole 4 is small.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thin film magnetic head used in a magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus, and more particularly to a composite type thin film magnetic head in which a recording head and a reproducing head are integrated.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A thin-film magnetic head having a magnetoresistive effect as a reproducing principle has been widely used in a magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus in recent years because its output is large without depending on the relative speed with a recording medium. However, since the magnetoresistive thin film magnetic head has no recording ability, it has been necessary to use it in combination with a coil type inductive thin film magnetic head. As such a composite type thin film magnetic head, a combination of a wire wound type and a magnetoresistive effect type as shown in FIG. 2 is known (JP-A-61-48116).

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of a conventional composite type thin film magnetic head. In FIG. 2, a lower magnetic pole 4 is formed on a substrate 1 made of a non-magnetic material, a first insulating layer 5 is further formed, and a spiral conductive coil 6 is formed thereon.
Is formed. Further, the second insulating layer 7 is formed, and then the magnetoresistive effect element 2, the front yoke 10 and the back yoke 11 are formed on the second insulating layer 7.

At the time of recording, recording is performed on a recording medium (not shown) by a magnetic field leaking from the magnetic gap 9 when a recording current is passed through the conductive coil 6. During reproduction, the signal magnetic flux from the recording medium flows from the magnetic gap 9 into the magnetic circuit composed of the front yoke 10, the magnetoresistive effect element 2, the back yoke 11, and the lower magnetic pole 4 and the magnetoresistive effect element. Reading is performed by a resistance change of 2.

[0005]

However, the conventional composite type thin film magnetic head shown in FIG. 2 has a large magnetic resistance between the front yoke 10 and the back yoke 11 and poor recording sensitivity, so that the recording current must be increased. There was a problem that it had to be. The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a composite type thin film magnetic head having good recording sensitivity.

[0006]

A composite type thin film magnetic head according to claim 1 is formed on a non-magnetic substrate, a magnetoresistive effect element formed on the non-magnetic substrate, and on the magnetoresistive effect element. A first insulating layer, a first magnetic pole formed on the first insulating layer so that the end portion is located above a region of the magnetoresistive effect element, and the first magnetic layer. A second insulating layer formed on the body pole, a conductive coil formed on the second insulating layer, a third insulating layer formed on the conductive coil, and a third insulating layer formed on the conductive coil. A second magnetic pole formed on the insulating layer of the first magnetic pole and extending to another region of the magnetoresistive effect element, the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole being the first magnetic pole. The two magnetoresistive elements are adjacently opposed to each other via the second insulating layer.

[0007]

In the composite type thin film magnetic head of the present invention, the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole are adjacently opposed to each other with the second insulating layer interposed above the magnetoresistive effect element. Therefore, this facing distance can be reduced,
Further, the facing area can be increased, and the magnetic resistance in this portion can be reduced. As a result, the recording magnetic field generated by the conductive coil is efficiently transmitted to the magnetic gap, and the recording efficiency is dramatically improved.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A composite thin film magnetic head of the present invention will be described below.
FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of the main part of the embodiment. This composite type thin film magnet
The air head is formed on the substrate 1 made of a non-magnetic material by Ni-
The magnetoresistive effect element 2 made of Fe, Ni-Co, etc. is formed.
Is made. Next, SiO ₂ , Al₂ O₃ The first such as
Ni-Fe, Co-based amorphous material, etc. on the insulating layer 3
The first magnetic pole 4 made of a soft magnetic material is used as the magnetoresistive effect element 1.
Is formed by being extended to above. After that, the first magnetic body
Al, Cu, Au on the magnetic pole 4 via the second insulating layer 5
A spiral-shaped conductive coil 6 made of, for example, is formed. So
Then, after the third insulating layer 7 is formed,
2 magnetic poles 8 are formed.

Next, the operation of this composite type thin film magnetic head will be described. First, at the time of recording, a recording current is applied to the conductor coil 6, and the recording magnetic field generated thereby is guided to the gap 9 by the magnetic circuit composed of the first magnetic pole 4 and the second magnetic pole 8 (see FIG. (Not shown) is recorded. At this time, the magnetization of the magnetoresistive effect element 2 is in a saturated state. The magnetic resistance at the time of recording has a small facing distance at which the first magnetic pole 4 and the second magnetic pole 8 are adjacent to and face each other via the second insulating layer 5 above the magnetoresistive effect element 2. Therefore, it is extremely small. Further, the magnetic resistance is further reduced by increasing the facing area of this portion. Therefore, the composite thin-film magnetic head of this embodiment can improve the recording efficiency by several times as compared with the conventional composite magnetic head.

At the time of reproduction, the signal magnetic flux from the recording medium (not shown) is guided to the first magnetic pole 4 and flows into the magnetoresistive effect element 2. At this time, on the upper part of the magnetoresistive effect element 2. It is also divided into the second magnetic pole 8 via the second insulating layer 5. In this case, since the facing distance at which the first magnetic pole 4 and the second magnetic pole 8 are adjacent to and face each other in the upper portion of the magnetoresistive effect element 2 is small, the magnetic flux divided and flowing into the magnetoresistive effect element 2 is small. Appears to be smaller than in the conventional example, but by increasing the facing area, the magnetic resistance of the entire magnetic head decreases and the signal magnetic flux flowing from the recording medium to the magnetic head dramatically increases. The amount of magnetic flux flowing into the element 2 is almost the same as that of the conventional magnetic head. Therefore, the composite type thin film magnetic head of this embodiment has the same reproducing sensitivity as the conventional one.

[0011]

According to the composite thin film magnetic head of the present invention, the recording distance is reduced by reducing the facing distance between the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole adjacent to each other on the magnetoresistive effect element. It is possible to dramatically improve efficiency.
Therefore, heat generation due to power consumption in the magnetic head is reduced and the magnetic medium is not affected. Further, by reducing the recording current, the wiring structure of the magnetic head, the head drive circuit, and the overall structure of the magnetic recording / reproducing system are simplified, which is a great effect.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of a composite type thin film magnetic head of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional composite type thin film magnetic head.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate 2 Magnetoresistive element 3 First insulating layer 4 First magnetic pole 5 Second insulating layer 6 Conductive coil 7 Third insulating layer 8 Second magnetic pole 9 Gap 10 Front yoke 11 Back yoke

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A nonmagnetic substrate, a magnetoresistive effect element formed on this nonmagnetic substrate, a first insulating layer formed on this magnetoresistive effect element, and this first insulating layer. A first magnetic pole formed so that an end portion is located above a region of the magnetoresistive effect element above the first magnetic pole;
A second insulating layer formed on the magnetic pole of, a conductive coil formed on the second insulating layer, a third insulating layer formed on the conductive coil, A second magnetic pole formed on the third insulating layer and extending to another region of the magnetoresistive effect element, wherein the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole are provided. A composite thin-film magnetic head in which a body magnetic pole is adjacent and opposed on the magnetoresistive effect element via the second insulating layer.