Analytical approach to driving efficiency in yoke GMR heads

In this paper, an analytical model has been established to calculate the dr iving efficiency, xi, which is defined as the ratio of the current-induced field at the center of the free layer in the GMR sensor to the currents in the conductors. Expressions for the driving efficiencies xi of the bias con ductor and the sense conductor inside the yoke GMR test structures are deri ved. The trends of the driving efficiency as a function of several head par ameters are obtained. The simulation results indicate that the driving effi ciency of the sense current Is about an order of magnitude less than that o f the bias conductor and that the product of the GMR sensor permeability an d its thickness plays an important role in determining the driving efficien cy. Output signal of a yoke GMR sensor calculated from this model is in goo d agreement with the experimental result [1].