Planar magnetoresistive head with an improved gap structure

摘要

Providing a magnetic head with a yoke and a gap structure coupled to a substrate that is positioned above a magnetic medium. The gap structure includes one or more lips, a first and a second ferromagnetic pole, and a magnetoresistive element (MRE). The magnetoresistive element is removed from the air-bearing surface of the magnetic head. For the embodiment with two lips, the two lips define a head gap. Each ferromagnetic pole is connected to one lip. The two poles are separated by a distance greater than the length of the gap, and each pole has a thickness that is greater than the thickness of each lip. The MRE is substantially coupled magnetically, but not electrically to the two poles at a location where the two poles are separated by a distance greater than the length of the gap.