Magneto-resistive head having a stable response property without longitudinal biasing and method for manufacturing the same

A magneto-resistive head, comprising:

• a magneto-resistive film including a pinned magnetic layer wherein the magnetization is fixed in the sensor height direction, a free magnetic layer whose magnetization direction varies according to an external magnetic field, and an intermediate layer laminated between said pinned magnetic layer and said free magnetic layer;
• and
• a pair of electrodes for passing a sensing current, wherein:
• said free magnetic layer has a laminated structure including a first magnetic layer, an interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling layer and a second magnetic layer,
• said first magnetic layer and said second magnetic layer have approximately equal magnetic moments, and
• at least one of said first magnetic layer and said second magnetic layer has a uniaxial anisotropy wherein a track width direction is an axis of easy magnetization, due to the orientation of the growth direction of the crystal grains.