Soft-film-bias type magnetoresitive device

Claim 1

A soft-film-bias type magnetoresistive device, comprising: a thin magnetoresistive film extending in a direction perpendicular to a magnetic recording medium and having a magnetic easy axis perpendicular to a direction of movement of said magnetic recording medium; electrodes formed on said thin magnetoresistive film at both end parts and a central part thereof in the direction of the magnetic easy axis of said thin magnetoresistive film to provide current to said thin magnetoresistive film such that said current flows from both of said end parts toward said central part of said thin magnetoresistsive film so as to produce at least one magnetic field around said thin magnetoresistive film; and a high-permeability magnetic body magnetically coupled with and electrically isolated from said thin magnetoresistive film and disposed parallel to and spaced from said thin magnetoresistive film in the direction of the movement of said magnetic recording medium such that said at least one magnetic field produced by said current flowing in said thin magnetoresistive film is shifted to produce at least one bias magnetic field across said thin film magnetoresistive film wherein said high-permeability magnetic body is a non-permanent magnetic member enabling shifting of said at least one magnetic field produced by said current flowing in said thin magnetoresistive film without the use of any additional current to generate a magnetic field by said non-permanent magnetic member.