Abstract. The existing magnetic recording read head technologies use one of the well-known magneto-resistance effects (i.e. anisotropic magneto-resistance, giant magneto-resistance or tunnelling magneto-resistance (TMR)) to read back the data from the magnetic recording medium. These are usually sophisticated devices that require a dc test current flowing through the sensor stack in order to measure its change in resistance (i.e. amplitude response signal) as a function of the fringing magnetic flux of the recorded bits, when the reader moves along the recorded track. In this paper, we propose the design of a new kind of highly sensitive read sensor for magnetic recording heads, which directly produces a voltage response without the need for a test current. This new design is based on the magneto-electric effect in laminated multiferroic materials. Such a magnetic read head is much simplified in terms of sensor construction (i.e. number of layers involved and horizontal biasing requirements) and has a range of potential advantages including similar sensitivity to that of the TMR heads, reduced power consumption, better thermal performances, excellent high frequency operation and reduced cost of production.

Print publication: Issue 17 (7 September 2007)
Received 30 March 2007, in final form 28 June 2007
Published 16 August 2007