Abstract
Computer simulation of sensing current effects on the magnetic and magnetoresistance properties of a crossed spin-valve head is carried out. The spin-valve head has the following layer structure: Ta (8.0 nm)/NiMn (25 nm)/NiFe (2.5 nm)/Cu (3.0 nm)/NiFe (5.5 nm)/Ta (3.0 nm), and it is 1500 nm long and 600 nm wide. Even with a high pinning field of 300 Oe and a high hard-biased field of 50 Oe, the ideal crossed spin-valve structure, which is essential to the symmetry of the output signal and hence high density recording, is not realized mainly due to large interlayer magnetostatic interactions. This problem is solved by applying a suitable magnitude of sensing currents along the length direction generating magnetic fields in the width direction. The ideal spin-valve head is expected to show good symmetry of the output signal. This has not been shown explicitly in the present simulation, however, The reason for this is possibly related to the simple assumption used in this calculation that each magnetic layer consists of a single domain.