Flux-guided MR head for very low flying height

Our flux-guided magnetoresistive-read/inductive-write composite head, which we named the WING MR head after the shape of its wide flux-guides, is designed for very low flying height or contact recording. It has 0.05 /spl mu/m-thick NiFe single layer flux-guides. The flux-guides are rectangular and wider than the read width. Test results show high linear density resolution and good offtrack characteristics at a flying height of 0.03 /spl mu/m. The wide flux-guides reduce Barkhausen noise without lowering offtrack performance.<
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