Magnetic recording head and magnetic recording apparatus

• US 20090059423A1
• Filed: 05/20/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwasaki, Hitoshi, Takashita, Masahiro, Akiyama, Junichi, Yamada, Kenichiro, Takagishi, Masayuki, Shimizu, Mariko, Funayama, Tomomi
• Granted Patent: US 8,139,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 360/122
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2005/0002 Special dispositions or recording techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/02 Recording, reproducing, or erasing methods; Read, write or erase circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/1278 specially adapted for magnetisations perpendicular to the surface of the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/314 where the layers are extra layers normally not provided in the transducing structure, e.g. optical layers G11B5/3196 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3153 including at least one magnetic thin film coupled by interfacing to the basic magnetic thin film structure

Abstract

A magnetic recording head includes: a main magnetic pole; a laminated body; and a pair of electrodes operable to pass a current through the laminated body. The laminated body includes a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, and an intermediate layer provided between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer. A lamination direction of the laminated body is substantially parallel to a medium moving direction. In a first direction parallel to an air bearing surface and perpendicular to the lamination direction, the laminated body has a protruding portion that protrudes beyond an end of a surface of the main magnetic pole facing the laminated body.

Claims

1. A magnetic recording head comprising:

a main magnetic pole;

a laminated body including a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, and an intermediate layer provided between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer; and

a pair of electrodes operable to pass a current through the laminated body,

a lamination direction of the laminated body being substantially parallel to a medium moving direction, and

in a first direction parallel to an air bearing surface and perpendicular to the lamination direction, the laminated body having a protruding portion that protrudes beyond an end of a surface of the main magnetic pole facing the laminated body.

2. The head according to claim 1, wherein the laminated body has a plurality of the protruding portions having different shapes.

3. The head according to claim 1, wherein a length of the protruding portion in the first direction is not less than a domain wall width of the first magnetic layer.

4. The head according to claim 1, further comprising a shield, wherein the laminated body is sandwiched between the shield and the main magnetic pole.

5. The head according to claim 1, further comprising

a magnetic film provided on at least one side of the laminated body in the first direction.

6. The head according to claim 1, wherein the first magnetic layer is made of a magnetic material having a lower coercivity and a higher saturation magnetic flux density than that of the second magnetic layer.

7. The head according to claim 5, wherein the magnetic film is made of a magnetic material having higher coercivity than that of the first magnetic layer.

8. The head according to claim 1, wherein the laminated body further has a protruding portion that protrudes in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction beyond the end of the surface, and a length of the protruding portion that protrudes in the first direction is different from a length of the protruding portion that protrudes in the second direction.

9. The head according to claim 1, wherein

the main magnetic pole has a protruding portion that protrudes in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction beyond an end of a surface of the laminated body facing the main magnetic pole.

10. A magnetic recording apparatus comprising:

a magnetic recording medium;

a magnetic recording head including;

a main magnetic pole;

a laminated body including a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, and an intermediate layer provided between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer; and

a pair of electrodes operable to pass a current through the laminated body,

a lamination direction of the laminated body being substantially parallel to a medium moving direction, and

in a first direction parallel to an air bearing surface and perpendicular to the lamination direction, the laminated body having a protruding portion that protrudes beyond an end of a surface of the main magnetic pole facing the laminated body;

moving mechanism configured to allow relative movement between the magnetic recording medium and the magnetic recording head which are opposed to each other with a spacing therebetween or in contact with each other;

controller configured to position the magnetic recording head at a prescribed recording position of the magnetic recording medium; and

signal processing unit configured to perform writing and reading of a signal on the magnetic recording medium by using the magnetic recording head.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the laminated body has a plurality of the protruding portions having different shapes.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a length of the protruding portion in the first direction is not less than a domain wall width of the first magnetic layer.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a shield, wherein the laminated body is sandwiched between the shield and the main magnetic pole.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising

a magnetic film provided on at least one side of the laminated body in the first direction.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first magnetic layer is made of a magnetic material having a lower coercivity and a higher saturation magnetic flux density than that of the second magnetic layer.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a length of the protruding portion at one side in the first direction is different from a length of the protruding portion at another side in the first direction.

17. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the laminated body in the magnetic recording head is provided on a trailing side of the main magnetic pole.

18. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the laminated body in the magnetic recording head is provided on a leading side of the main magnetic pole.

19. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the magnetic recording medium is a discrete track medium in which adjacent recording tracks are formed via a nonmagnetic member.

20. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the magnetic recording medium is a discrete bit medium in which magnetic recording dots isolated by a nonmagnetic member are regularly arranged.