CONTACT MAGNETORESISTIVE HEAD FOR PERPENDICULAR MAGNETIC RECORDING

Contact-type magnetoresistive (MR) inductive head designs and recordin g characteristics have been discussed in perpendicular magnetic record ing. The shielded-type MR head offered a high D-50 of 100-135 kFRPI, a nd the unshielded MR head had the largest output in a low density regi on. However when the recorded bit length became shorter than the shiel d-to-shield spacing, the shield had little effect and the output of th e shielded head was no longer almost equal to that of the unshielded M R head. In result, the shielded-type and even unshielded-type MR heads have good high density recording characteristics in the head-to-mediu m contact state. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.