DUAL MAGNETORESISTIVE HEAD FOR VERY HIGH-DENSITY RECORDING

A dual magnetoresistive (DMR) reproduce head, consisting of two nominally identical, adjacent magnetoresistive stripes separated by a conductive spacer, is demonstrated. This two-terminal device is relatively simple to fabricate, does not require magnetic shields for high linear resolution, is self-biased, and is immune to electrical shorting between MR elements. The measured output voltage vs. recorded density agrees well with theoretical predictions. For large linear record densities > 100 kFCI, more advanced DMR designs are theoretically predicted to achieve signal levels comparable to the most advanced shielded MR heads yet demonstrated, and with more robust fabrication and yield.