Magnetic head having a soft magnetic layer formed behind a tunneling magnetoresistance (tmr) sensor in an element height direction

A magnetic head, comprising:

• a read sensor configured to sense an external magnetic field;
• an upper magnetic shield positioned above the read sensor along a media-facing surface of the read sensor;
• a lower magnetic shield positioned below the read sensor along the media-facing surface of the read sensor;
• a rear insulating layer positioned on a rear side of the read sensor, the rear side being on an opposite side of the read sensor as the media-facing surface of the read sensor, and
• a soft magnetic layer positioned near the rear side of the read sensor opposite the media-facing surface of the read sensor,
• wherein the rear insulating layer is positioned between the soft magnetic layer and the read sensor,
• wherein the rear insulating layer is positioned between the soft magnetic layer and the lower magnetic shield, and
• wherein the soft magnetic layer comprises alternately laminated layers of a non-magnetic material and a soft magnetic material.

A magnetic head, comprising:

• a read sensor configured to sense an external magnetic field;
• an upper magnetic shield positioned above the read sensor along a media-facing surface of the read sensor;
• a lower magnetic shield positioned below the read sensor along the media-facing surface of the read sensor;
• a rear insulating layer positioned on a rear side of the read sensor, the rear side being on an opposite side of the read sensor as the media-facing surface of the read sensor;
• and
• a soft magnetic layer positioned near the rear side of the read sensor opposite the media-facing surface of the read sensor,
• wherein the rear insulating layer is positioned between the soft magnetic layer and the read sensor,
• wherein the rear insulating layer is positioned between the soft magnetic layer and the lower magnetic shield, and
• wherein the rear insulating layer has a surface adjacent the soft magnetic layer which comprises unidirectional grooves.

A magnetic head, comprising:

• a read sensor configured to sense an external magnetic field;
• an upper magnetic shield positioned above the read sensor along a media-facing surface of the read sensor;
• a lower magnetic shield positioned below the read sensor along the media-facing surface of the read sensor;
• a rear insulating layer positioned on a rear side of the read sensor, the rear side being on an opposite side of the read sensor as the media-facing surface of the read sensor;
• and
• a soft magnetic layer positioned near the rear side of the read sensor opposite the media-facing surface of the read sensor,
• wherein the rear insulating layer is positioned between the soft magnetic layer and the read sensor,
• wherein the rear insulating layer is positioned between the soft magnetic layer and the lower magnetic shield, and
• wherein a lower portion of the read sensor extends below the soft magnetic layer, the lower portion being below an upper surface height of a fixed layer of the read sensor.