Self-pinned CPP giant magnetoresistive head with antiferromagnetic film absent from current path

A CPP giant magnetoresistive head comprising:

• lower and upper shield layers with a predetermined shield distance therebetween;
• a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) element disposed between the upper and lower shield layers, the GMR element having a group of adjacent parallel layers, the group comprising a pinned magnetic layer, a free magnetic layer and a nonmagnetic layer disposed between the pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer, the CPP giant magnetoresistive head being free of an antiferromagnetic layer between the upper and lower shield layers that passes generally perpendicularly through a vertical plane drawn through the group of adjacent parallel layers in a thickness direction, wherein a current flows in a direction of the vertical plane;
• and
• large-area nonmagnetic metal films provided between the giant magnetoresistive element and the lower shield layer and between the giant magnetoresistive element and the upper shield layer, respectively, so that the large-area nonmagnetic metal films are in direct contact with the pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer and have larger areas than those of the pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer, respectively,
• wherein the large-area nonmagnetic metal films are in direct contact with the lower shield layer and the upper shield layer respectively,
• wherein the pinned magnetic layer includes a laminated ferrimagnetic structure comprising a first pinned magnetic sublayer and a second pinned magnetic sublayer which are laminated with a nonmagnetic intermediate layer disposed therebetween, and
• wherein the pinned magnetic layer extends to a rear of the nonmagnetic layer and the free magnetic layer, in a height direction, and a dimension of the pinned magnetic layer in a height direction is larger than that in a track width direction.

A CPP giant magnetoresistive head comprising;

• lower and upper shield layers with a predetermined shield distance therebetween;
• a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) element disposed between the upper and lower shield layers, the GMR element having a group of adjacent parallel layers, the group comprising a pinned magnetic layer, a free magnetic layer and a nonmagnetic layer disposed between the pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer, the CPP giant magnetoresistive head being free of an antiferromagnetic layer between the upper and lower shield layers that passes generally perpendicularly through a vertical plane drawn through the group of adjacent parallel layers in a thickness direction, wherein a current flows in a direction of the vertical plane;
• and
• large-area nonmagnetic metal films provided between the giant magnetoresistive element and the lower shield layer and between the giant magnetoresistive element and the upper shield layer, respectively, so that the large-area nonmagnetic metal films are in direct contact with the pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer and have larger areas than those of the pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer, respectively,
• wherein the large-area nonmagnetic metal films are in direct contact with the lower shield layer and the upper shield layer respectively,
• wherein the pinned magnetic layer has a laminated ferrimagnetic structure comprising a first pinned magnetic sublayer and a second pinned magnetic sublayer which are laminated with a nonmagnetic intermediate layer disposed therebetween, and
• wherein the pinned magnetic layer comprises a magnetic material having a positive magnetostriction constant, and an end of the pinned magnetic layer is exposed at a surface facing a recording medium.