A new biasing method for shielded MR head

Reproduced signal waveform changes of magnetoresistive (MR) heads due to head wear are studied through experiments and computer simulations using the finite-element method. The experiments are performed utilizing magnetic tapes and MR heads with permanent-magnet and shunt bias. The change of reproduced signal waveform asymmetry is opposite in these biasing methods. Based on this result, we propose a new biasing MR head which has a structure combining current bias with permanent-magnet bias, and present its advantages.