The present disclosure generally relates to magnetic storage devices, such as magnetic tape drives, comprising a read head. The read head comprises a plurality of read sensors disposed between a lower shield having a first width in a stripe height direction and an upper shield. The plurality of read sensors comprise an antiferromagnetic layer and a free layer comprising a first layer and a second layer. A plurality of soft bias side shields disposed adjacent to and outwardly of the plurality of read sensors in a cross-track direction, each of the plurality of soft bias side shields having a second width in the stripe height direction less than the first width. Each of the plurality of soft bias side shields are spaced a first distance from the lower shield and a second distance from the upper shield, the first distance being substantially equal to the second distance.

A two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) disk drive has a gas-bearing slider that includes first and second sensors with a first cross-track spacing electrically coupled to a first magnetic shield, and third and fourth sensors with a different cross-track spacing electrically coupled to a second magnetic shield. The different spacings results in the first and third sensors and the second and fourth sensors having a cross-track spacing to accommodate for the effect of head skew. Each sensor is connected to an associated amplifier by a suspension trace and a common trace connected to its associated shield. Switching circuitry selects either the first and third amplifiers or the second and fourth amplifiers as the active pair depending on the radial location where the data is to be read. Thus the appropriate pair of sensors are aligned with the data tracks despite the presence of high head skew.

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes an array of magnetic read transducers each having a current-perpendicular-to-plane sensor, magnetic shields on opposite sides of the sensor in an intended direction of media travel thereacross, and a stabilizing layered structure between at least one of the magnetic shields and the sensor. The stabilizing layered structure has an antiferromagnetic layer, a first ferromagnetic layer adjacent the antiferromagnetic layer, and a second ferromagnetic layer. The antiferromagnetic layer pins a magnetization direction in the first ferromagnetic layer along an antiferromagnetic polarized direction of the antiferromagnetic layer. An antiparallel coupling layer is positioned between the ferromagnetic layers such that a magnetization direction in the second ferromagnetic layer is opposite the magnetization direction in the first ferromagnetic layer.

A magnetic read apparatus includes a first sensor, a shield layer, an insulating layer, a shield structure and a second sensor. The shield layer is between the first sensor and the insulating layer. The shield structure is in the down track direction from the insulating layer. The shield structure includes a magnetic seed structure, a shield pinning structure and a shield reference structure. The magnetic seed structure adjoins the shield pinning structure. The shield pinning structure is between the shield reference structure and the magnetic seed structure. The second sensor includes a free layer and a nonmagnetic spacer layer between the shield reference structure and the free layer. The shield reference structure is between the shield pinning structure and the nonmagnetic spacer layer. The shield pinning structure includes a pinned magnetic moment. The shield reference structure includes another magnetic moment weakly coupled with the pinned magnetic moment.

A system according to one embodiment includes a magnetic head having a plurality of sensors arranged to simultaneously read at least three immediately adjacent data tracks on a magnetic medium, wherein none of the sensors share more than one lead with any other of the sensors. Such embodiment may be implemented in a magnetic data storage system such as a disk drive system, which may include a magnetic head, a drive mechanism for passing a magnetic medium (e.g., hard disk) over the magnetic head, and a controller electrically coupled to the magnetic head.

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a sensor having an active region, a magnetic shield adjacent the active region, and a spacer between the active region and the magnetic shield. The spacer includes an electrically conductive ceramic layer. An apparatus according to another embodiment includes a sensor having an active tunnel magnetoresistive region, a magnetic shield adjacent the tunnel magnetoresistive region, and a spacer between the tunnel magnetoresistive region and the magnetic shields. The spacer includes an electrically conductive ceramic layer.

According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a disk, a head including a write head and a first read head and a second read head, and a controller that disposes the first read head at a first radial position of a first track of the disk in a radial direction to read the first track, changes a main read head which serves as a reference for positioning during a read process from the first read head to the second read head when read retrying the first track, disposes the second read head as the main read head at a second radial position different from the first radial position of the first track in the radial direction to read the first track, and changes an internal setting corresponding to the main read head to read the first track.

According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a disk, a head including a write head and a first read head and a second read head, and a controller that disposes the first read head at a first radial position of a first track of the disk in a radial direction to read the first track, changes a main read head which serves as a reference for positioning during a read process from the first read head to the second read head when read retrying the first track, disposes the second read head as the main read head at a second radial position different from the first radial position of the first track in the radial direction to read the first track, and changes an internal setting corresponding to the main read head to read the first track.

The present disclosure generally relates to a tape drive comprising a tape head. The tape head comprises one or more data heads and one or more servo heads. Each servo head comprises a first shield, a first lead, a magnetoresistive sensor, a second lead, a second shield, and side shields. The magnetoresistive sensor is recessed from a media facing surface (MFS). The first lead is recessed from the MFS while the second lead and side shields are disposed at the MFS. A power supply is configured to apply a first electrical potential to the first and second shields, the side shields, and the second lead, and a second electrical potential to the first lead. The electrical design of each servo head is configured such that only one electric potential is exposed at the MFS, eliminating the possibility that a scratch will short the sensor.

The present disclosure generally relates to a Wheatstone bridge that has four resistors. Each resistor includes a plurality of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) structures. Two resistors have identical TMR structures. The remaining two resistors also have identical TMR structures, though the TMR structures are different from the other two resistors. Additionally, the two resistors that have identical TMR structures each have an additional non-TMR resistor as compared to the remaining two resistors that have identical TMR structures. Therefore, the working bias field for the Wheatstone bridge is non-zero.