JP2000293820A - Shield type magneto-resistance effect head and its production - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shield type magneto-resistance effect head and its production which easily and accurately realize a narrow track width corresponding to a high recording density and is free from a fear that the noise is picked up. SOLUTION: An upper shield layer 18 and a lower shield layer 13 which are used as electrode layers which cause a sense current to flow to a magneto- resistance effect element 16 are arranged approximately in parallel so that they may face each other. The magneto-resistance effect element 16 is completely entirely shielded by the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13, and track corresponding parts are so formed that they may be along slopes inclined at a prescribed angle θ1 to upper and lower shield layers 18 and 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a magnetoresistive head, and more particularly, to a shielded magnetoresistive head used as a reproducing head of a magnetic disk drive and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the improvement in recording density, a magnetic head using a magnetoresistance effect (MR) or a giant magnetoresistance effect (GMR) has attracted attention as a reproducing head in a high-density magnetic recording system. Above all, the development of a magnetic recording / reproducing head for a hard disk, for example, combining a shielded magnetoresistive effect reproducing head with a magnetic shield layer arranged vertically above and below an MR element or a GMR element, and an inductive recording head is underway. Have been.

A conventional shield type magnetoresistive head is:
As shown in FIG. 11, an insulating layer 102 made of Al ₂ O ₃ or the like is provided on a substrate 101 made of Al ₂ O ₃ .TiC or the like.
lower shield layer 103 made of e-Al-Si or the like;
_A first gap layer 104 made of ₂ O ₃ or the like;
And the like, a second gap layer 108 made of Al ₂ O ₃ or the like, and an upper shield layer 109 made of Ni—Fe or the like are sequentially stacked.

The magnetoresistive effect element 105 is patterned in a stripe shape, and a pair of magnetic domain control layers 106.1 made of Co-Pt or the like are in contact with both ends thereof.
06 and Ta / Cu / Ta, etc., for passing a sense current through the magnetoresistive element 105.
7. 107 are sequentially arranged on the first gap layer 104.

[0005] The magnetic domain control layer 106 and the electrode layer 107
It must be formed so as to be in contact with both ends of the patterned magnetoresistive element 105. Usually, the resist used when patterning the magnetoresistive element 105 is left until the magnetic domain control layer 106 and the electrode layer 107 are formed. The magnetic domain control layer 106 and the electrode layer 10 are lifted off by a lift-off method.
Process No. 7.

In the above-described shield type magnetoresistive head, the gap between the opposing surfaces of the lower shield layer 103 and the upper shield layer 109 sandwiching the magnetoresistive element 105 becomes the gap length, and the pair of magnetic domain control layers 106.
106 (that is, a pair of electrode layers 107)
Is the track width.

[0007] Higher density of a shield type magnetoresistive head used as a read-only head is achieved by narrowing the track and narrowing the gap. For example, 3 Gbps
i, the track recording density is about 1 μm,
A gap length of about 2 μm is required. The gap length is
Since the thickness is determined by the thickness of the first gap layer 104, the magnetoresistive element 105, and the second gap layer 108, a submicron gap length can be easily realized. However, in order to achieve the narrow track width as described above, the width of the magnetoresistive element 105, the distance between the magnetic domain control layers 106 provided at both ends of the magnetoresistive element 105, and the electrode layer 107 It is necessary to precisely control the interval of 107,
It is difficult to make it as narrow as the gap length.

A shield type magnetoresistive head disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-305931 has a first gap layer 20 on a lower shield layer 203 as shown in FIG.
4. Magnetic domain control layers 2 arranged at intervals wider than the track width
06, 206, magneto-resistance effect element 205, electrode layers 207.2 processed into a tapered shape and arranged at track width intervals
07, the second gap layer 208, the upper shield layer 209
Is a structure sequentially laminated on the substrate 201.

In the shielded magnetoresistive head having the above structure, the track width depends only on the distance between the electrode layers 207. Therefore, in the manufacturing process, a lift-off method is used as in the above-mentioned shielded magnetoresistive head. No need. Generally, the resolution of a resist used in the lift-off method is low, and therefore, the track width of the above-mentioned shield type magnetoresistive head using the lift-off method cannot be made very small. Therefore, in this structure that does not use the lift-off method, the track width can be reduced as compared with the above-described structure.

The shield type magnetoresistive head disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-189723 has a tapered lower shield layer 30 as shown in FIG.
2. An insulating layer 303 and a magnetoresistive element 30 on the slope
4. The structure in which the upper shield layer 305 is sequentially laminated on the substrate 301. In this structure, of the magnetoresistive elements 304 exposed on the medium facing surface, only the track width portion is set to a direction perpendicular to the medium movement direction, and portions other than the track width are arranged so as to be substantially parallel to the medium movement direction. Therefore, even if the track width is reduced, the influence of noise from an adjacent track can be reduced.

[0011]

As described above, in a shield type magnetoresistive head, a high recording density can be achieved by reducing the track width and the gap length.

However, even in the structure of the shielded magnetoresistive head disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-305931, the track width is still wider than the gap length because of limitations on the resolution of photoresist and the accuracy of etching. In order to achieve higher recording density, it is necessary to further reduce the track width.

In the structure of the shielded magnetoresistive head disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-189723, the track width is defined by the length of the slope of the lower shield layer 302, but the magnetoresistive element is It is difficult to align an electrode (not shown) for supplying a current to 304 with the slope. If the distance between the electrodes is wider than the length of the slope, the track width can be defined by the length of the slope,
The magnetoresistive element 30 protrudes in the front-back direction of the track.
4 (that is, a region of the magnetoresistive element 304 existing between the electrodes), which causes noise. In addition, when the electrode interval becomes narrow, it becomes difficult to align the electrode with the slope. That is, in the structure of the shield type magnetoresistive head, there is a problem that it is difficult to make the track width coincide with the width of the magneto-sensitive region of the magnetoresistive element 304.

Further, in the structure of the shield type magnetoresistive head, both ends of the magnetoresistive element 304 are not shielded on one side (that is, only one side of the magnetoresistive element 304 is in the upper shield layer 30).
5 or the lower shield layer 302). Therefore, for example, when the track width is reduced by making the lower shield layer 302 thinner, the ratio of the region where one surface is not shielded in the magnetoresistive effect element 304 increases, and the S / N decreases due to the noise received at that portion. Problems arise.

In addition to these problems, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open
In the structures described in Japanese Patent No. 305931 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-189723, the upper and lower shields (the upper shield layer 209 and the lower shield layer 203 in FIG.
The upper shield layer 305 and the lower shield layer 302 in FIG. 13 do not also serve as electrodes for passing a sense current to the magnetoresistive element, and provide insulation between the upper shield layer and the magnetoresistive element, and It is necessary to provide insulation from the magnetoresistive element. That is, it is difficult to further reduce the gap length (that is, the distance between the upper and lower shields) because it is necessary to provide two insulating layers between the upper and lower shields with the magnetoresistive element interposed therebetween.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to easily and accurately realize a narrow track width corresponding to a high recording density and to reduce noise. An object of the present invention is to provide a shield type magnetoresistive head which does not have a possibility of being picked up and a method of manufacturing the same. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a shield type magnetoresistive head capable of easily realizing a narrow gap length and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0017]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shielded magnetoresistive head comprising: a first shield layer and a second shield layer which are insulated from each other; Is provided on a substrate, and includes a magnetoresistive element disposed between the two shield layers, and utilizes a phenomenon in which the resistance of the element changes when a magnetic bias is applied to the magnetoresistive element. The shielded magnetoresistive head further includes a base layer having an inclined surface inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the first shield layer and the second shield layer, between the two shield layers, and along the inclined surface. Further, a track corresponding portion of the magnetoresistive element is formed.

According to the above configuration, the track corresponding portion of the magnetoresistive element is provided along the shape of the inclined surface inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the first shield layer and the second shield layer. Therefore, only by controlling the thickness of the inclined surface and the magnitude of the taper angle, it is possible to easily and accurately control the length of the track-corresponding portion of the magnetoresistive element, and furthermore, control the track width. Therefore, the track width can be easily and accurately reduced.

Further, the above-mentioned magnetoresistive element is completely shielded entirely by the first shield layer and the second shield layer. , S / N
There is no possibility that the problem of lowering will occur.

That is, it is possible to provide a shield type magnetoresistive head which can easily and accurately realize a narrow track width corresponding to a high recording density and does not have a possibility of picking up noise.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shielded magnetoresistive head according to the first aspect, wherein the inclined surface, the first shield layer and the second shield layer are provided. The angle of the angle with the shield layer is 10 °
It is characterized by being at least 70 ° or less.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to easily control the length of the track-corresponding portion of the magnetoresistive element, and furthermore, control the track width. Therefore, a shield type magnetoresistive head having a constant track width can be easily provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shield type magnetoresistive head according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the base layer is provided on the magnetoresistive element. The electrode layers are sandwiched between upper and lower electrode layers for passing a current, and each of the electrode layers is electrically connected to a magnetoresistive element formed on the inclined surface of the base layer, at both ends of the inclined surface. It is characterized by having.

According to the above configuration, the distance across the tapered surface between the upper and lower electrode layers corresponds to the length of the track corresponding portion of the magnetoresistive element. Therefore, the length of the track corresponding portion can be accurately and easily controlled by controlling the magnitude of the taper angle of the inclined surface and the thickness of the base layer. That is, the positioning of the electrode layer is not required as compared with the conventional case where the electrode layer is formed in parallel to the magnetoresistive element, and the desired length of the track corresponding portion (and, consequently, the track width) can be easily and accurately determined. Can be realized.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shield type magnetoresistive head according to the third aspect, wherein the first shield layer and the second shield layer have the following features. It is characterized in that it also serves as the electrode layer.

According to the above configuration, the first shield layer and the second shield layer also serve as electrode layers for passing a sense current to the magnetoresistive element, so that the shield type magnetoresistive head can be used more. The structure can be simple.

Also, since there is no need to insulate the first shield layer and the magnetoresistive element and the second shield layer and the magnetoresistive element, the gap length (the first shield layer and the second (Interval with the shield layer) can be shortened.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shielded magnetoresistive head according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein the first shield layer and the magnetoresistive element are disposed between the first shield layer and the magnetoresistive element. Further, a non-magnetic conductive layer is provided between each of the second shield layer and the magnetoresistive element.

According to the above configuration, the electrical connection between the first shield layer and the second shield layer also serving as electrodes for flowing a sense current to the magnetoresistive element and the magnetoresistive element is ensured. Things.

Further, the conductive layer serves as a spacer for magnetically separating the magnetoresistive element from the first shield layer and the second shield layer. And the second shield layer can be prevented from being magnetically coupled. Therefore, the sensitivity of the magnetoresistive effect element to the external magnetic field is further improved, and at the same time, the magnetosensitive region can be prevented from being narrowed.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shielded magneto-resistance effect head according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the magneto-resistance effect element has the structure described above. It is characterized by being a spin valve film containing Ni—Fe.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a shielded magnetoresistive head having a structure excellent in magnetic sensitivity and hard to pick up noise.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shielded magnetoresistive head according to any one of the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. The magnetic domain control layer comprises at least an antiferromagnetic material.

According to the above configuration, when the track corresponding portion of the magnetoresistive element is inclined (specifically, for example, not perpendicular) to the direction of movement of the medium, and
Even when at least a part of the magnetoresistive element is adjacent to the first shield layer and the second shield layer, a sufficient magnetic domain control effect can be obtained.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a shielded magnetoresistive head, comprising the steps of: forming a first shield layer on a base; Forming a base layer on the layer, forming an etching mask for processing the base layer into a tapered shape, etching the base layer into a tapered shape using the etching mask, and performing the etching Without removing the mask, at least a step of forming a magnetoresistive element on the tapered surface of the base layer, a step of removing the etching mask, and a step of forming a second shield layer, characterized by comprising I have.

According to the above method, it is possible to easily and accurately provide a shielded magnetoresistive head having a narrow track width and a narrow gap length corresponding to a high recording density. Can improve the production yield.

[0037]

[Embodiment 1] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
It is as follows. Note that the present invention is not limited by this. FIG. 1 shows a shield type magnetoresistive head (shield type thin film magnetic head) according to the present embodiment.
As shown in the lower shield layer made of Al ₂ O ₃ · substrate made of TiC (substrate) made of Al ₂ O ₃ layer thickness of 11,10μm the thickness of the insulating layer 12,2μm Fe-Al-Si (First shield layer) 13, a first insulating layer (base layer) 14, made of Al ₂ O ₃ having a thickness of 1400 °,
Conductive layer 15 made of Ta having a thickness of 100 °, magnetoresistive element 16 having a thickness of 500 °, Al having a thickness of 1500 °
Second insulating layer 17 made of ₂ O _{3, 3} μm thick Ni
-Fe upper shield layer (second shield layer) 1
It consists of eight.

The conductive layer 15 is formed of the magnetoresistive element 1
This is to ensure electrical connection between the upper shield layer 18 and the upper shield layer 18, and may be omitted in some cases. As will be described later, the magnetoresistance effect element 16
150mm thick N as L (Soft Adjusting Layer)
i-Fe layer, Ta layer having a thickness of 30 ° as an intermediate layer, Ni-Fe layer having a thickness of 200 ° as an anisotropic magnetoresistive layer
Layer and a 120 ° thick Mn- layer as a magnetic domain control layer.
It is composed of a Ru layer. In FIG. 1, the direction of movement of the medium is a direction perpendicular to the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13, but is not particularly limited. For example, in some cases, a direction perpendicular to a linear portion of the magnetoresistive element 16 formed on a tapered surface (inclined surface) described below may be set as the direction of movement of the medium.

Next, a method of manufacturing the shield type magnetoresistive head according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 2, an Al ₂ O ₃ .TiC substrate 11 on which an Al ₂ O ₃ insulator layer 12 having a layer thickness of 10 μm has been sputtered in advance is prepared. Fe-Al-Si with a layer thickness of
Is formed by a DC (Direct current) magnetron sputtering method. Substrate 1 during film formation
The temperature of 1 is about 300 ° C. After forming the lower shield layer 13, a mask made of a photoresist film is provided on the lower shield layer 13, and then the lower shield layer 13 is processed into a predetermined pattern by ion milling.

Thereafter, 1400 is formed on the lower shield layer 13.
The first insulating layer 14 made of Al ₂ O _{3 having} a thickness of
(Radio Frequency) A film is formed using a magnetron sputtering method. Next, a heat treatment is performed at 500 ° C. for 6 hours in a vacuum in order to improve the soft magnetic characteristics of the lower shield layer 13.
Subsequently, Ta having a thickness of 100 ° is formed as a conductive layer 15 on the insulating layer 14 by a DC magnetron sputtering method.

Thereafter, the first insulating layer 1 is formed on the conductive layer 15.
4 and an etching mask 1 made of photoresist for processing a part of each of the conductive layers 15 into a tapered shape.
9 is formed. The shape of the etching mask 19 is not particularly limited.
Since it is also used in the lift-off step of the sixth and second insulating layers 17, the cross-sectional shape may have an inverted tapered shape or an undercut. In the present embodiment, the etching mask 19 is formed of two different photoresists, and has an undercut cross-sectional shape by controlling the respective application conditions, exposure conditions, and development conditions.

Subsequently, the first insulating layer 14 and the conductive layer 15 are etched into a tapered shape using an ion milling device. In the present embodiment, the incident angle of the ion beam at the time of etching is adjusted so that the taper angle θ ₁ (see FIG. 3) of the first insulating layer 14 becomes approximately 30 °. In this embodiment, the first insulating layer 14 and the conductive layer 15 are processed by the ion milling method. However, the present invention is not limited to this method. For example, a reactive ion etching (RIE) method or the like may be used. The same processing can be performed by using a focused ion beam etching (FIB) method or the like.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3, the magnetoresistive element 16 is formed without removing the etching mask 19. That is, a 150-.degree.-thick Ni--Fe layer as a non-illustrated SAL and a 30.degree.-thick Ta layer as an intermediate layer (not shown) are formed by using an electron beam evaporation method. 200 N layer thickness
The i-Fe layers are sequentially stacked using a magnetic field evaporation method. Subsequently, an Mn—Ru layer having a thickness of 120 ° is formed by a DC magnetron sputtering method as a magnetic domain control layer (not shown) without breaking the vacuum. When the magnetoresistive element 16 is formed, it is preferable to fix the substrate 11 so that each vapor-deposited particle is perpendicularly incident on the tapered surface (inclined surface) formed on the first insulating layer 14. When forming the anisotropic magnetoresistive layer and the magnetic domain control layer, they are formed while applying a magnetic field of about 8 kA / m (100 Oe) in a direction parallel to the tapered surface. The above-mentioned tapered surface corresponds to the upper shield layer 1.
What is necessary is just to be formed so as to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the lower insulating layer 8 and the lower shield layer 13, and it is not particularly necessary to form it on the first insulating layer 14.

[0044] Furthermore, without removing the etching mask 19, as the second insulating layer 17 is deposited on the magnetoresistive element 16 using Al ₂ O ₃ layer thickness of 1500Å an RF magnetron sputtering method. At this time, the substrate 1 is set so that the incident direction of the deposition particles is perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 11.
Although 1 is fixed, it is preferable to form the second insulating layer 17 while adjusting the incident angle so that the step between the second insulating layer 17 and the magnetoresistive element 16 is reduced.

Subsequently, an etching mask 19 is formed on the conductive layer 1.
5, the magneto-resistance effect element 20 and the second insulating layer 21 deposited on the etching mask 19 are lifted off.

Next, the magnetoresistive element 16 is processed in the stripe width direction. FIG. 4 is a view of the shield type magnetoresistive head shown in FIG. 3 as viewed from the second insulating layer 17 side. As shown in FIG.
Are continuous in the direction of retreating from the ABS (Air Bearing Surface). Therefore, the magnetoresistive effect element 16 is changed from ABS.
An etching mask 22 made of a photoresist is formed up to the portion receded by the stripe width. The etching mask 22 also has a reverse tapered shape or a cross-sectional shape with an undercut similarly to the etching mask 19 described above. Thereafter, etching is performed simultaneously with the first insulating layer 14 and the second insulating layer 17 so as to remove the portion of the magnetoresistive element 16 not covered with the etching mask 22 by the ion milling method. In this case, since it is not necessary to make a taper angle, the ion beam may be incident almost vertically.

After the stripe width processing of the magnetoresistive effect element 16, in order to fill in the steps formed by the processing, the Al layer having a thickness of 2000 ° is removed without removing the etching mask 22.
_An insulating layer (not shown) made of ₂ O ₃ is formed by an RF magnetron sputtering method. After the formation of the insulating film, the etching mask 22 is peeled off, and the insulating layer deposited on the etching mask 22 is lifted off.

After the stripe width processing of the magnetoresistive element 16 is completed, as shown in FIG.
The upper shield layer 18 made of Ni-Fe having a thickness of m
Created by C magnetron sputtering. At the time of forming the upper shield layer 18, about 8 kA / m
(100 Oe) magnetic field is applied. Subsequently, a mask (not shown) made of a photoresist film is provided on the upper shield layer 18, and the upper shield layer 18 is processed into a predetermined pattern by an ion milling method.

Lastly, a protection layer (not shown) is connected to the outside with a part of each of the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13 serving as an electrode for flowing a sense current to the magnetoresistive element 16 exposed. It is formed on the medium facing surface, divided into rows (in one direction), and the medium facing surface is polished so that the stripe width of the magnetoresistive element 16 becomes a predetermined width. After that, slider processing is performed, and after dividing into chips, crown polishing processing is performed.

In the shield type magnetoresistive head manufactured as described above, the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13 are provided substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the medium, and are arranged to face each other. . The magnetoresistive element 16 is disposed between the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13, and is entirely shielded by the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13.
Therefore, for example, there is no possibility that the noise received by the unshielded region in the magnetoresistive effect element 16 causes a problem that the S / N is reduced.

The above-described magnetoresistive element 16 has a predetermined angle in the range of more than 0 ° and less than 90 ° with respect to the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13 (in the present embodiment, the taper angle θ ₁ At least a part of the linear portion (the region of the magnetoresistive element 16 located on the tapered surface) inclined at a size of, that is, 30 ° has a track corresponding portion. Note that the track corresponding portion indicates an area that actually corresponds to a track of the medium, and in the present embodiment,
The straight portion is a region sandwiched between an end portion of the conductive layer 15 (connection portion to the magnetoresistive element 16) and a connection portion to the lower shield layer 13. Further, the real track width (indicated by Tw ₁ in FIG. 1), the track counterpart,
This corresponds to the length of the orthogonal projection onto the upper shield layer 18 or the lower shield layer 13.

In the above shield type magnetoresistive head, the gap length (ie, the distance between the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13) is 0.2 μm, the track width is 0.22 μm, and the gap length and the track width are set. Can be approximately the same length. The track width depends on the magnitude of the taper angle θ ₁ and the thickness of the first insulating layer 14, so that the thickness of the first insulating layer 14 is reduced and the magnitude of the taper angle θ ₁ is increased. Thus, a narrower track width can be realized.

More specifically, the track width (or the length of the track corresponding portion) of the magnetoresistive element 16 is substantially determined by the position of the end of the conductive layer 15 in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the end portion of the conductive layer 15 is formed by stacking the conductive layer 15 on the first insulating layer 14 and then etching the conductive layer 15 into a tapered shape. That is, the position of the end portion of the conductive layer 15 (the connection portion of the magnetoresistive element 16 with the linear portion) depends on the magnitude of the taper angle θ ₁ and the thickness of the first insulating layer 14. Therefore, the track width can be easily and accurately controlled by controlling the magnitude of the taper angle θ ₁ and the thickness of the first insulating layer 14.

As described above, in the present embodiment,
The conductive layer 15 is formed along the upper surface of the first insulating layer 14 as a base layer, and the lower shield layer 13 is formed along the lower surface (extended surface of the lower surface) of the first insulating layer 14. . The distance between the two layers (the lower shield layer 13 and the conductive layer 15) functioning as the electrode layers with the tapered surface therebetween is equivalent to the length of the track corresponding portion. Therefore, the length of the track corresponding portion can be accurately and easily controlled by controlling the magnitude of the taper angle θ ₁ and the thickness of the first insulating layer 14. Therefore, it is not necessary to position the two electrode layers in comparison with the case where the electrode layers are formed in parallel with the magnetoresistive element as in the related art, and the desired length of the track corresponding portion (and thus the track width) can be easily reduced. -It can be realized accurately. The upper surface and the lower surface of the base layer are desirably parallel to each other, but are not particularly limited.

The size of the taper angle θ ₁ (90 ° exceeding 0 °)
) Is not particularly limited, but is generally 1
It is preferable that it is 0 ° or more and 70 ° or more. This is because if the taper angle θ ₁ exceeds 70 °, disconnection is likely to occur at the bent portion of the magnetoresistive element 16, and if the taper angle θ ₁ is less than 10 °, the taper angle θ ₁ the track width with a slight variation in the theta ₁ of magnitude fluctuates greatly, because thereby deteriorating the production yield. The magnitude of the taper angle θ ₁ is determined according to the type of the constituent material of the magnetoresistive element 16.
It may be changed as appropriate.

The thickness of the first insulating layer 14 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the first insulating layer 14 is formed of Al ₂ O _3, but not particularly limited thereto as long as an insulating material which can be formed into a tapered shape, for example, SiO ₂ The same effect can be obtained by using such a method.

In the shield type magnetoresistive head of this embodiment, the upper and lower shield layers (ie, the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13) also serve as electrodes for flowing a sense current to the magnetoresistive element 16. ing. Therefore, the first insulating layer 14 and the second insulating layer 1 for insulating the upper and lower shield layers are used as insulating layers.
7 may be provided. That is, in the region of the magnetoresistive element 16 perpendicular to the direction of movement of the medium, an insulating layer for insulating the magnetoresistive element 16 from the upper shield layer 18, and the magnetoresistive element 16 and the lower shield layer 13 It is not necessary to provide an insulating layer for insulating the element so as to sandwich the magnetoresistive element 16, so that the gap can be easily reduced.

In the linear portion of the magnetoresistive element 16, the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13 are formed so as to sandwich the magnetoresistive element 16,
This configuration does not affect the gap length. In the present embodiment, the gap length is determined by the layer thickness of the second insulating layer 17 and the layer thickness of the magnetoresistive element 16.

Although the above shield type magnetoresistive head is not integrated with the recording head, it is integrated with the recording head by a conventional method in which the upper shield layer 18 is shared with one core of the recording head. It is possible to
In this case, since the track width of the reproducing head is sufficiently smaller than the track width of the recording head, both can be easily aligned.

Further, in the above shield type magnetoresistive head, the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 1
3 can be made sufficiently narrower than the gap length of a recording head (not shown), so that the magnetoresistive element 16 is inclined with respect to the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13. Output drop and noise generation can be ignored.

In this embodiment, an anisotropic magnetoresistive element is used as the magnetoresistive element 16, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a spin-valve magnetoresistive element, Similar effects can be obtained when a superlattice GMR element, a granular GMR element, or the like is used. As the spin valve type magnetoresistive effect element, one having a spin valve film formed by laminating Ni—Fe is preferable because it has excellent magnetic sensitivity and hardly picks up noise.

Further, in the present embodiment, an antiferromagnetic layer made of Mn-Ru is used as the magnetic domain control layer of the magnetoresistive element 16, but the present invention is not limited to this. Mn-Pt, Fe-Mn, Ir-M
n, NiO, CoO, Pd- Mn, Rh-Mn, Fe 2
Similar effects can be obtained when an antiferromagnetic material such as O ₃ is used. In some cases, magnetic domain control is possible even when a ferromagnetic layer having a high coercive force is used as the magnetic domain control layer.

When a ferromagnetic layer having a high coercive force is used as the magnetic domain control layer, the magnetoresistive element 16 is inclined, and both ends of the magnetoresistive element 16 are connected to the upper shield layer 18 and the lower part. In consideration of the influence of being adjacent to the shield layer 13, it is necessary to prevent the effect of the magnetic domain control from becoming insufficient and the effect of the shield from becoming insufficient.

In this embodiment, the magneto-resistance effect element 16
Has a region perpendicular to the direction of movement of the medium, in addition to the linear portion formed on the tapered surface, but this region may be omitted in some cases. This is because the lower shield layer 13 and the upper shield layer 18 and the magnetoresistive element 1
6 is substantially connected to the linear portion of the magnetoresistive element 16 (specifically, the connecting portion between the magnetoresistive element 16 and the conductive layer 15, and the end and lower portions of the linear portion). This is because it is performed at the connection portion with the shield layer 13).

[Embodiment 2] Another embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as the members described in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0066] shielded magnetoresistive head according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the insulator layer 12 of Al ₂ O ₃ layer thickness of the substrate 11,10μm consisting · TiC Al ₂ O ₃ A lower shield layer 13 made of Fe-Al-Si having a thickness of 2 μm; a conductive layer 31 made of Ta having a thickness of 200 °; and a conductive layer 35, a conductive layer 15 made of Ta having a thickness of 100 ° and a layer thickness of 1100 °. layer of the second consisting of Al ₂ O ₃ first insulating layer Al layer thicknesses (base layer) the magnetoresistive element of the layer thickness of 32,400Å 33,1200Å ₂ O ₃ consisting of the insulating layer 34,3μm The upper shield layer 18 is made of thick Ni-Fe.

The conductive layer 15 is for ensuring the electrical connection between the magnetoresistive element 33 and the conductive layer 35, and may be omitted in some cases. As will be described later, the magnetoresistive element 33 includes a NiO layer having a thickness of 50 ° as a magnetic domain control layer, a Ni—Fe layer having a thickness of 150 ° as a free magnetization layer of a spin valve film, and a Co layer having a thickness of 10 °. Cu of 30 ° thickness as a non-magnetic spacer layer
Layer, a 30 ° thick Ni—Fe layer as a fixed magnetization layer and a 10 ° thick Co layer, a thickness 120 as a fixed magnetization layer
ＭｎMn-Ru layer. Incidentally, the respective layers constituting the magnetoresistive element 33 are not shown. In FIG. 6, the direction of movement of the medium is a direction perpendicular to the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13.
There is no particular limitation. For example, in some cases, a direction perpendicular to the magnetoresistive element 33 formed on a tapered surface (inclined surface) described below may be used as the direction of movement of the medium.

The shield type magneto-resistance effect head according to the second embodiment uses the magneto-resistance effect element 33 instead of the magneto-resistance effect element 16 in the shield type magneto-resistance effect head according to the first embodiment. Further, the conductive layer 3 is provided between the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13.
1 and the conductive layer 35 are substantially added.
In addition, the first insulating layer 32 and the first insulating layer 14
There is no difference between the second insulating layer 34 and the second insulating layer 17 except for the layer thickness, and both have substantially the same function.

Next, a method of manufacturing the shield type magnetoresistive head according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
It will be described based on the following. First, as shown in FIG. 7, an Al ₂ O ₃ .TiC substrate 1 is formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.
An Al ₂ O ₃ insulator layer 12 is previously formed on the substrate 1, a lower shield layer 13 is laminated on the insulator layer 12, and then the lower shield layer 13 is patterned.

Next, a conductive layer 31 made of Ta having a thickness of 200 ° is formed on the lower shield layer 13 by a DC magnetron sputtering method, followed by a first insulating layer 32 made of Al ₂ O _{3 having} a thickness of 1100 °. Are sequentially formed by an RF magnetron sputtering method. Then, in the same manner as in Embodiment 1,
A heat treatment for improving the soft magnetic characteristics of the lower shield layer 13 is performed, and the conductive layer 15 is formed on the first insulating layer 32.

Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the first insulating layer 32 and the conductive layer 15 are tapered using the etching mask 19, as in the first embodiment.
The method used for the taper processing is not particularly limited, but in order to prevent the conductive layer 31 from being etched,
It is preferable to use a selective RIE method. In the present embodiment, the magnitude of the taper angle θ ₂ of the first insulating layer 32 is set to be 30 °.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8, the magnetoresistive element 33 is formed without removing the etching mask 19. That is, an NiO layer having a thickness of 50 ° is formed as a magnetic domain control layer (not shown) on the tapered surface and the conductive layer 31 by using a DC magnetron sputtering method. A Ni—Fe layer and a Co layer having a thickness of 10 ° are sequentially formed by RF conventional sputtering. Subsequently, a Cu layer having a thickness of 30 ° is formed as a nonmagnetic spacer layer (not shown) by a DC magnetron sputtering method, and a Co layer having a thickness of 10 ° is formed as a fixed magnetic layer (not shown).
A layer and a Ni-Fe layer having a thickness of 30 ° are sequentially formed by using an RF conventional sputtering method. Finally, an Mn-Ru layer having a thickness of 120 ° is formed on the fixed magnetization layer as a magnetization fixed layer (not shown).

When forming the magnetoresistance effect element 33, it is preferable to fix the substrate 11 so that each incident particle is perpendicularly incident on the tapered surface (inclined surface) formed on the first insulating layer 32. Further, all the layers constituting the magnetoresistive element 33 are formed in the same vacuum, but when forming the free magnetic layer,
In the direction parallel to the tapered surface of the first insulating layer 32, about 8 kA /
The film is formed while applying a magnetic field of m (100 Oe),
At the time of forming the fixed magnetization layer and the magnetization fixed layer, about 8 kA / m (100O) in a direction perpendicular to the magnetic field applied at the time of forming the free magnetization layer (that is, a direction perpendicular to the tapered surface).
The film formation is performed while applying the magnetic field of e).

In order to align the bias direction of the magnetic domain control layer in a direction parallel to the tapered surface of the first insulating layer 32, after forming a Ni—Fe layer which is a part of the free magnetization layer of the spin valve film, the same vacuum is applied. Heat treatment is performed at 200 ° C. for 1 hour while applying a magnetic field of about 8 kA / m (100 Oe) in a direction parallel to the tapered surface of the first insulating layer 32.

Incidentally, the above-mentioned tapered surface corresponds to the upper shield layer 1.
What is necessary is just to be formed so that it may be inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the lower insulating layer 8 and the lower shield layer 13.

After the formation of the magnetoresistive effect element 33, Al ₂ O ₃ having a thickness of 1200 ° is formed as the second insulating layer 34 in the same manner as the second insulating layer 17 of the first embodiment.
Subsequently, the etching mask 1 is formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.
9 is peeled off, and the magnetoresistive element 36 and the second insulating layer 37 deposited on the etching mask 19 are lifted off. Next, using the etching mask 22 shown in FIG.
3 is performed in the stripe width direction.

After the stripe width processing of the magnetoresistive effect element 33 is completed, as shown in FIG.
A Ta having a layer thickness of Å is formed by DC magnetron sputtering. Thereafter, the formation of the upper shield layer 18, the processing of the conductive layer 35 and the upper shield layer 18 into a predetermined shape, and the formation of a protective layer (not shown) are performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Then, the medium facing surface is polished so that the stripe width of the magnetoresistance effect element 33 becomes a predetermined width. After that, after slider processing, divided into chips,
Perform crown polishing.

In the shield type magnetoresistive head manufactured as described above, the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13 are provided substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the medium, and are arranged to face each other. . The magnetoresistive element 33 is provided so that the whole is completely shielded by the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13. Therefore, similarly to the case of the first embodiment, there is no possibility that the problem that the S / N is reduced occurs.

The above-described magnetoresistive element 33 is formed at a predetermined angle (in the present embodiment, a taper angle θ ₂₎ with respect to the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13.
That is, at least a part of the linear portion (the region of the magnetoresistive element 33 located on the tapered surface) inclined at 30 ° is provided as a track corresponding portion. Note that the track-corresponding portion refers to a region that actually corresponds to the track of the medium, and in the present embodiment, the conductive layer 1
It indicates a region sandwiched between the five end portions (the connection portion with the magnetoresistive element 33) and the connection portion with the conductive layer 31. The substantial track width (indicated by Tw _{2 in} FIG. 6) corresponds to the length of the orthogonal projection of the track corresponding portion on the upper shield layer 18 or the lower shield layer 13.

In the above shield type magnetoresistive head, the gap length (ie, the distance between the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13) is 0.2 μm, the track width is 0.19 μm, and the track width is larger than the gap length. Is getting narrower. The track width depends on the thickness of the first insulating layer 32 and the magnitude of the taper angle θ ₂ , and the smaller the thickness of the first insulating layer 32 and the greater the magnitude of the taper angle θ ₂ , the more. , A narrow track width can be realized.

More specifically, the track width (or the length of the track corresponding portion) of the magnetoresistive element 33 is substantially determined by the position of the end of the conductive layer 15 as in the first embodiment. You. In the present embodiment, the position of the end portion of the conductive layer 15 (the connection portion with the linear portion of the magnetoresistive element 33) depends on the magnitude of the taper angle θ ₂ and the thickness of the first insulating layer 32. . Therefore, by controlling the size of the taper angle θ ₂ and the thickness of the first insulating layer 32, the track width can be easily and accurately matched.

As described above, also in the present embodiment,
The conductive layer 15 is formed along the upper surface of the first insulating layer 32 as a base layer, and the conductive layer 31 is formed along the lower surface (extended surface of the lower surface) of the first insulating layer 32. The distance between the two layers (the conductive layer 15 and the conductive layer 31) functioning as the electrode layers, with the tapered surface interposed therebetween, corresponds to the length of the track corresponding portion. Therefore, the length of the track corresponding portion depends on the magnitude of the taper angle θ ₂ and the first insulating layer 3.
By controlling the layer thickness of No. 2, it can be controlled accurately and easily. Therefore, it is not necessary to position the two electrode layers in comparison with the case where the electrode layers are formed in parallel with the magnetoresistive element as in the related art, and the desired length of the track corresponding portion (and thus the track width) can be easily reduced. -It can be realized accurately. The upper surface and the lower surface of the base layer are desirably parallel to each other, but are not particularly limited.

The magnitude of the taper angle θ ₂ (90 ° exceeding 0 °)
) Is not particularly limited, but is preferably 10 ° or more and 70 ° or less for the same reason as in the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, Al ₂ O ₃ is used as a constituent material of the first insulating layer 32. However, the material is not particularly limited as long as it is an insulator material that can be formed into a tapered shape. , similar effects by using a SiO ₂ or the like is obtained.

The conductive layer 31 and the conductive layer 35 electrically connect the magnetoresistive element 33 and the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13 which also serve as electrode layers for flowing a sense current to the magnetoresistive element 33. Not only does it serve as a spacer for magnetically separating the magnetoresistive effect element 33 from the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13 but also serves as a spacer.

Therefore, by providing conductive layer 31 and conductive layer 35, it is possible to prevent the end of magnetoresistive element 33 from being magnetically coupled to upper shield layer 18 and lower shield layer 13, and to prevent external coupling. At the same time as the sensitivity to the magnetic field is further improved, it is possible to prevent the magneto-sensitive region of the magneto-resistance effect element 33 from becoming narrow.

By providing the conductive layer 31 and the conductive layer 35, even if an inferior conductive or insulating magnetic layer is used for at least one of the upper shield layer 18 and the lower shield layer 13, the conductive layer An electrode can be formed using the conductive layer 31 and the conductive layer 35.
In some cases, the conductive layer 31 and / or the conductive layer 35 may be omitted.

In the present embodiment, Ta is used as a constituent material of the conductive layers 31 and 35. However, the material is not particularly limited as long as it is a nonmagnetic conductive material. For example, specifically, Al, Cu, Au, Ag, Pt, P
In the case of using d, Ti, Mo, Nb, W, Cr, Mg, Hf, Zr alone or an alloy thereof, or a laminated film of the above materials (a laminated film of each conductive material alone and a laminated film of a plurality of types). Has the same effect.

In this embodiment, a spin-valve magnetoresistive element is used as the magnetoresistive element 33, but a superlattice GMR element, a granular GMR element, an anisotropic magnetoresistive element, or the like is used. Has the same effect. Further, an antiferromagnetic material made of NiO was used as the magnetic domain control layer of the magnetoresistive element 33, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, Mn-Ru, Mn-
Pt, Fe-Mn, Ir-Mn, CoO, Pd-Mn,
Rh-Mn, alone antiferromagnetic material such as Fe ₂ O _3, or, the same effect can be obtained when used in laminating. In some cases, magnetic domain control is possible even when a ferromagnetic layer having a high coercive force is used as the magnetic domain control layer.

Further, in the present embodiment, the magnetoresistive element 33 has a region perpendicular to the direction of movement of the medium, in addition to the above-mentioned linear portion formed on the tapered surface. This area can be omitted. This is because the electrical connection between the lower shield layer 13 and the upper shield layer 18 and the magnetoresistive effect element 33 is substantially the same as that of the linear portion of the magnetoresistive effect element 33 (specifically, the magnetoresistive effect element 33 is electrically conductive). This is because the connection is performed at the connection portion with the layer 15 and the connection portion between the end of the linear portion and the conductive layer 31). The same can be said for the case where the lower shield layer 13 and / or the upper shield layer 18 does not double as the electrode layer.

[0091]

According to the shield type magnetoresistive head of the first aspect of the present invention, as described above, the first shield layer and the second shield layer insulated from each other are laminated on the base, and A shield type magnetoresistive effect head comprising a magnetoresistive effect element disposed between the two shield layers, and utilizing a phenomenon in which a resistance of the element changes when a magnetic bias is applied to the magnetoresistive effect element; Further, a base layer having an inclined surface inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the first shield layer and the second shield layer is provided between the two shield layers. This is a configuration in which a track corresponding portion is formed.

According to the above configuration, the track corresponding portion of the magnetoresistive element is provided along the shape of the inclined surface inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the first shield layer and the second shield layer. Therefore, only by controlling the thickness of the inclined surface and the magnitude of the taper angle, it is possible to easily and accurately control the length of the track-corresponding portion of the magnetoresistive element, and furthermore, control the track width. Therefore, the track width can be easily and accurately reduced.

Further, the above-described magnetoresistive element is completely shielded entirely by the first shield layer and the second shield layer. , S / N
There is no possibility that the problem of lowering will occur.

That is, it is possible to easily and accurately realize a narrow track width corresponding to a high recording density and to provide a shield type magnetoresistive head which does not have a possibility of picking up noise.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shield type magnetoresistive head according to the first aspect, wherein the inclined surface and the first shield layer and the second shield layer are connected to each other. The size of the angle formed is 10 ° or more and 70 ° or less.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to easily control the length of the track-corresponding portion of the magnetoresistive element, and furthermore, control the track width. Therefore, an effect of easily providing a shield type magnetoresistive head having a constant track width is obtained in addition to the effect of the first aspect.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shield type magnetoresistive head according to the first or second aspect, wherein the base layer is provided for allowing a sense current to flow through the magnetoresistive element. The electrode layer is sandwiched between upper and lower electrode layers, and each of the electrode layers is electrically connected to a magnetoresistive element formed on the inclined surface of the base layer at both ends of the inclined surface.

According to the above configuration, the distance across the tapered surface between the upper and lower electrode layers corresponds to the length of the track corresponding portion of the magnetoresistive element. Therefore, the length of the track corresponding portion can be accurately and easily controlled by controlling the magnitude of the taper angle of the inclined surface and the thickness of the base layer. That is, the positioning of the electrode layer is not required as compared with the conventional case where the electrode layer is formed in parallel to the magnetoresistive element, and the desired length of the track corresponding portion can be easily and accurately realized. It has the effect of being able to.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shield type magnetoresistive head according to the third aspect, wherein the first shield layer and the second shield layer are formed by replacing the electrode layer. It is a configuration that also serves.

According to the above configuration, since the first shield layer and the second shield layer also serve as the electrode layers for flowing a sense current to the magnetoresistive element, the shield type magnetoresistive head can be used more. The structure can be simple.

Further, since there is no need to insulate the first shield layer and the magnetoresistive element and the second shield layer and the magnetoresistive element, the gap length (the first shield layer and the second The effect that the distance between the shield layer and the shield layer can be shortened is obtained in addition to the effect of the configuration according to the third aspect.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shield type magnetoresistive head according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein:
Further, a nonmagnetic conductive layer is provided between each of the second shield layer and the magnetoresistive element.

According to the above configuration, the electrical connection between the first shield layer and the second shield layer also serving as electrodes for flowing a sense current to the magnetoresistive element and the magnetoresistive element is ensured. Things.

Further, the conductive layer serves as a spacer for magnetically separating the magnetoresistive element from the first shield layer and the second shield layer. And the second shield layer can be prevented from being magnetically coupled. Therefore, the sensitivity of the magnetoresistive effect element to the external magnetic field is further improved, and at the same time, the effect of preventing the magnetosensitive region from being narrowed can be obtained in addition to the effect of the configuration according to claim 4.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shielded magneto-resistance effect head according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the magneto-resistance effect element comprises Ni-Fe. It is characterized by being a spin valve film comprising.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a shield type magnetoresistive head having a structure excellent in magnetic sensitivity and hard to pick up noise.
In addition to the effects of the configuration described in any one of the above, the present invention is also provided.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shield type magnetoresistive head according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the magnetic domain control layer of the magnetoresistive effect element is provided. The configuration includes at least an antiferromagnetic material.

According to the above configuration, when the track corresponding portion of the magnetoresistive element is inclined with respect to the moving direction of the medium, at least a part of the magnetoresistive element is formed by the first shield layer and Even in the case where it is adjacent to the second shield layer, an effect that a sufficient magnetic domain control effect can be obtained is obtained in addition to the effect of the configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

According to a method of manufacturing a shielded magnetoresistive head according to claim 8 of the present invention, as described above, a step of forming a first shield layer on a substrate and a step of forming a base on the first shield layer A step of forming a layer, a step of forming an etching mask for processing the base layer into a tapered shape, a step of etching the base layer into a tapered shape using the etching mask, and removing the etching mask The method includes a step of forming a magnetoresistive element at least on a tapered surface of a base layer, a step of peeling off the etching mask, and a step of forming a second shield layer without forming the same.

According to the above-mentioned method, it is possible to easily and accurately provide a shield type magnetoresistive head having a narrow track width and a narrow gap length corresponding to a high recording density. The production yield can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a shield type magnetoresistive head according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the vicinity of a medium facing surface is cut along a plane parallel to the medium facing surface.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing step of the shielded magnetoresistive head shown in FIG. 1, showing a state where a first insulating layer and a conductive layer are formed on a substrate.

FIG. 3 is another cross-sectional view showing a step of manufacturing the shielded magneto-resistance effect head shown in FIG. 1, showing a state in which a magneto-resistance effect element and a second insulating layer are formed.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a manufacturing process of the shielded magneto-resistance effect head shown in FIG. 1, showing a processing stage of the magneto-resistance effect element in a stripe width direction.

5 is still another cross-sectional view showing a step of manufacturing the shielded magnetoresistive head shown in FIG. 1, showing a state in which an upper shield layer has been formed;

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of the vicinity of a medium facing surface of a shielded magnetoresistive head according to another embodiment of the present invention, cut along a plane parallel to the medium facing surface.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of manufacturing the shielded magnetoresistive head shown in FIG. 6, showing a state where a first insulating layer and a conductive layer are formed on a substrate.

8 is another cross-sectional view showing a step of manufacturing the shielded magneto-resistance effect head shown in FIG. 6, showing a state in which the magneto-resistance effect element and the second insulating layer are formed.

9 is a schematic view showing a manufacturing process of the shielded magneto-resistance effect head shown in FIG. 6, and shows a processing stage of the magneto-resistance effect element in a stripe width direction.

10 is still another cross-sectional view showing a step of manufacturing the shielded magnetoresistive head shown in FIG. 6, showing a state in which an upper shield layer has been formed.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a medium facing surface of a conventional shield type magnetoresistive head, taken along a plane parallel to the medium facing surface.

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a medium facing surface of another conventional shield type magnetoresistive head, cut along a plane parallel to the medium facing surface.

FIG. 13 is a schematic sectional view of the vicinity of a medium facing surface of still another conventional shield type magnetoresistive head, cut along a plane parallel to the medium facing surface.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 Substrate (base) 13 Lower shield layer (first shield layer and
14 First insulating layer (base layer) 15 Conductive layer 16 Magnetoresistive element 18 Upper shield layer (second shield layer and
19 Etching mask 31 Conductive layer 32 First insulating layer (base layer) 33 Magnetoresistive element 35 Conductive layer

Claims (8)

[Claims] A first shield layer and a second shield layer, which are insulated from each other, are laminated on a base; and a magnetoresistive element is provided between the two shield layers. In a shielded magnetoresistive head utilizing a phenomenon in which the resistance of the element changes when a magnetic bias is applied to the element, the head is further inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the first shield layer and the second shield layer. The base layer having an inclined surface is
A shield type magnetoresistive effect head, comprising between two shield layers, wherein a track corresponding portion of the magnetoresistive effect element is formed along the inclined surface. 2. The angle between the inclined surface and the first and second shield layers is 10 ° or more and 70 ° or more.
2. The shield type magnetoresistive head according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The magneto-resistance effect element according to claim 1, wherein said base layer is sandwiched between upper and lower electrode layers for passing a sense current to the magneto-resistance effect element. 3. The shield type magnetoresistive head according to claim 1, wherein the element is electrically connected to both ends of the inclined surface. 4. The shield type magnetoresistive head according to claim 3, wherein said first shield layer and said second shield layer also serve as said electrode layer. 5. A non-magnetic conductive layer is provided between the first shield layer and the magnetoresistive element, and between the second shield layer and the magnetoresistive element. The shield type magnetoresistive head according to claim 4, wherein 6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the magnetoresistive element is a spin valve film containing Ni—Fe.
6. The shield type magnetoresistive effect head according to any one of items 5 to 5. 7. The shielded magnetoresistive head according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic domain control layer of the magnetoresistive element includes at least an antiferromagnetic material. 8. A step of forming a first shield layer on a substrate, a step of forming a base layer on the first shield layer, and forming an etching mask for processing the base layer into a tapered shape. Performing a step of etching the base layer into a tapered shape using the etching mask; forming a magnetoresistive element at least on a tapered surface of the base layer without removing the etching mask; A method for manufacturing a shield type magnetoresistive head, comprising: a step of removing an etching mask; and a step of forming a second shield layer.