Magnetoresistive Head for High Density Magnetic Recording

Magnetoresistive (MR) heads, which detect magnetic signals through the change in resistance of a ferromagnetic film, have been intensively investigated as read elements for use in magnetic recording. Recently very high areal densities, on the order of gigabits per square inch, have been reported. MR heads play an important role in such high-density recording systems. This paper reviews research results on the principle of MR head operation, biasing methods for improving output linearity, the advantages of MR heads over inductive heads, typical MR head structures, and domain stabilization techniques for Barkhausen noise suppression.