Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic sensing device capable of stably sensing a signal magnetic field with high sensitivity by suppressing occurrence of hysteresis to reduce 1/f noise. A magnetic sensing device has a stacked body including a pinned layer having a magnetization direction pinned to a predetermined direction (Y direction), a free layer having a magnetization direction which changes according to an external magnetic field and, when the external magnetic field is zero, becomes parallel to the magnetization direction of the pinned layer, and an intermediate layer sandwiched between the pinned layer and the free layer. The thickness of the intermediate layer is set so that an exchange bias magnetic field becomes positive. Consequently, the magnetization directions are stabilized.

Abstract: An eddy-current probe according to the present invention comprises: a substrate having a first surface facing to a subject to be tested and a second surface opposite to said first surface; an exciting coil formed on the second surface, having a pair of current lines in parallel with each other through which exciting currents flow in opposite directions to each other during testing, for generating an alternate magnetic field applied to the subject by the exciting currents; and at least one eddy-current sensor positioned on a central axis between the pair of current lines on the second surface of the substrate, for detecting a magnetic field generated newly from the subject by an eddy-current induced by the alternate magnetic field.

Abstract: An eddy-current probe according to the present invention comprises: a substrate having a first surface facing to a subject to be tested and a second surface opposite to said first surface; an exciting coil formed on the second surface, having a pair of current lines in parallel with each other through which exciting currents flow in opposite directions to each other during testing, for generating an alternate magnetic field applied to the subject by the exciting currents; and at least one eddy-current sensor positioned on a central axis between the pair of current lines on the second surface of the substrate, for detecting a magnetic field generated newly from the subject by an eddy-current induced by the alternate magnetic field.

Abstract: Provided is a thin-film piezoelectric element which reduces the influence of an oxide film left on the electrode film on the degradation of element characteristics, and a method of making the thin-film piezoelectric element. The thin-film piezoelectric element has ZrO2 as the main component of the outermost layer of the oxide film which covers the laminate. Young's modulus of the ZrO2 is 190 GPa, giving a significantly low value compared with Young's modulus of MgO, 245 GPa. Consequently, the influence of the oxide film on the reduction in the displacement magnitude of the piezoelectric film is smaller than the influence of the MgO thin film left in the conventional thin-film piezoelectric element. As a result, the thin-film piezoelectric element decreases the influence of the oxide film on the degradation of element characteristics compared with the conventional thin-film piezoelectric element.

Abstract: A thin film piezoelectric element has a laminate including a piezoelectric film and a pair of electrode films placed so as to sandwich the piezoelectric film in between, a resin film formed so as to cover the laminate, and an electrode formed on the resin film and electrically connected to the electrode film. The resin film is formed so that a thickness of a region where the electrode is formed is larger than a thickness of a region corresponding to a displaced portion of the laminate.

Abstract: A head slider having a thin film magnetic head is mounted on a suspension assembly. The suspension assembly is comprised of a metal plate-like member, and a piezoelectric actuator for displacing the head slider relative to the suspension assembly. The piezoelectric actuator has a piezoelectric film, and a pair of electrode films placed so as to sandwich the piezoelectric film in between. The piezoelectric film and the pair of electrode films are formed in an order of one electrode film, the piezoelectric film, and the other electrode film on the plate-like member.

Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic sensing device capable of stably sensing a signal magnetic field with high sensitivity by suppressing occurrence of a hysteresis to reduce 1/f noise. A magnetic sensing device has a stacked body including a pinned layer having a magnetization direction pinned to a predetermined direction (Y direction), a free layer having a magnetization direction which changes according to an external magnetic field and, when the external magnetic field is zero, becomes parallel to the magnetization direction of the pinned layer, and an intermediate layer sandwiched between the pinned layer and the free layer. Consequently, as compared with the case where the pinned layer and the free layer have magnetization directions which are orthogonal to each other when the external magnetic field is zero, variations in the spin directions of magnetic domains in the free layer can be reduced.

Abstract: A thin-film magnetic head comprises a read head and a write head. The read head and the write head are placed such that a top shield layer of the read head and a bottom pole layer of the write head are opposed to each other. A magnetism intercepting layer is provided between the top shield layer and the bottom pole layer. The magnetism intercepting layer is made of a nonmagnetic metal material that is capable of being formed through plating, such as platinum. The top shield layer, the magnetism intercepting layer and the bottom pole layer are consecutively formed through plating.

Abstract: An eddy-current sensor for nondestructive testing according to the present invention includes a planar exciting coil having a pair of current lines in parallel with each other through which exciting currents flow in opposite directions to each other during the testing, for generating an alternative magnetic field applied to a subject to be nondestructively tested by the exciting currents, and at least one MR element positioned on a central axis between the pair of current lines and on the opposite side to the subject in relation to the exciting coil, for detecting a magnetic field generated newly from the subject by an eddy-current induced by the alternative magnetic field.

Abstract: A thin-film common mode filter is provided, comprising: a pair of magnetic plates; an upper coil conductor and a lower coil conductor formed between the pair of magnetic plates, spirally wound in the magnetic plate surface direction, and overlapped each other; an upper lead conductor and a lower lead conductor, one ends of the upper lead conductor and the lower lead conductor connected electrically to one ends in center portions of the upper coil conductor and the lower coil conductor, respectively, and extended to external portions across the upper coil conductor and the lower coil conductor; and a pedestal part formed below a connection portion between the upper coil conductor and the upper lead conductor, for lifting the connection portion to an upper position.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head, capable of forming a magnetic pole layer as easily as possible. By etching a lower insulating layer and the upper insulating layer by RIE using a fluorine-based gas (CF4 or CHF3) or chlorine-based gas (Cl2 or BCl3), a magnetic pole formation space R1 is formed so as to have a uniform width in an upper insulating layer by and a magnetic pole formation space R2 is formed in the lower insulating layer so as to have a width gradually narrowed from width W1 to width W4 with distance from the magnetic pole formation space R1. After that, a plating film is grown in the magnetic pole formation spaces R1 and R2, thereby forming a main magnetic pole layer.

Abstract: A thin-film common mode filter is provided, comprising: a pair of magnetic plates; upper/lower coil conductors formed between the magnetic plates, spirally wound in the magnetic plate surface direction, overlapped each other; upper/lower lead conductors one ends of which are connected electrically to one ends in centers of the upper/lower coil conductors, respectively, extended to external portions across these coil conductors; an upper/lower lead drawing terminals to which the other ends of the upper/lower lead conductors are connected, respectively; an upper/lower coil drawing terminals to which the other ends of the upper/lower coil conductors are connected, respectively; and each of the lower lead/coil drawing terminals and the upper coil/lead drawing terminals having a structure where at least two of conductor layers to be patterned into the upper/lower lead conductors and the upper/lower coil conductors are stacked, and brought into conduction with each other.

Abstract: A thin-film magnetic head comprises a read head and a write head. The read head and the write head are placed such that a top shield layer of the read head and a bottom pole layer of the write head are opposed to each other. A magnetism intercepting layer is provided between the top shield layer and the bottom pole layer. The magnetism intercepting layer is made of a nonmagnetic metal material that is capable of being formed through plating, such as platinum. The top shield layer, the magnetism intercepting layer and the bottom pole layer are consecutively formed through plating.

Abstract: An eddy-current probe according to the present invention comprises: a substrate having a first surface facing to a subject to be tested and a second surface opposite to said first surface; an exciting coil formed on the second surface, having a pair of current lines in parallel with each other through which exciting currents flow in opposite directions to each other during testing, for generating an alternate magnetic field applied to the subject by the exciting currents; and at least one eddy-current sensor positioned on a central axis between the pair of current lines on the second surface of the substrate, for detecting a magnetic field generated newly from the subject by an eddy-current induced by the alternate magnetic field.

Abstract: A ferrite substrate for thin-film inductors is provided by means of blending raw materials to meet a composition of di-iron trioxide (Fe2O3): 40 to 55 mol %, nickel oxide (NiO): 5 to 35 mol %, zinc oxide (ZnO): 10 to 40 mol %, and bismuth trioxide (Bi2O3): 150 to 750 ppm, or of Fe2O3: 40 to 55 mol %, NiO: 5 to 35 mol %, ZnO: 10 to 40 mol %, cupric oxide (CuO): 5 to 10 mol %, and manganese dioxide (MnO2): 0.5 to 2 mol %, and then molding and sintering the blended material, and applying hot isostatic pressing to the sintered article. A thin-film common mode filter and a thin-film common mode filter array using the ferrite substrate and the manufacturing method of the substrate are also provided.

Abstract: A method for producing a high density inductor includes the steps of forming a coil having a spiral shape, sealing the coil in the interior of a core member, and forming a terminal electrode for allowing electric conduction to said coil on the outside of said core member. In this method, the coil is formed by repeating a process of forming a wire layer by means of a thin film forming process and a process of forming an additional wire layer on top of the wire layer by means of the thin film forming process to pile up the wire layers. With this production method, it is possible to form a coil with a high aspect ratio. In addition, the inductor is designed in such a way that the core member envelopes only the coil. With that design, it is possible to make the inductor compact.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a coil chip having a structure with which downsizing of the coil chip can be realized and a high inductance and a high Q can be obtained and to provide a method of producing such a coil chip. In order to attain the object, according to the present invention, there is provided a coil structure including a core member made of a material having low dielectric loss characteristics, a coil formed by metal plating and wound around the core member, and a layer functioning as a seed for metal plating provided between the core member and the coil.

Abstract: In order to imprint wafer-identifying information on a wafer on which a plurality of thin-film devices are formed in a batch, utilizing a patterned resist layer, an exposure apparatus exposes a resist layer formed on the wafer to light for forming a latent image of the wafer-identifying information. The exposure apparatus allows a mask storage controller and a mask transfer device to select a mask, on which the pattern of a numeral or symbol to be imprinted is drawn, for each digit of the wafer-identifying information and carries out exposure. The exposure apparatus also allows a mask shift controller to change the positional relationship between the wafer and the mask for each digit of the wafer-identifying information so that the numeral or symbol of each digit of the wafer-identifying information is imprinted at a mutually different position.

Abstract: A tooth mobility measuring apparatus of this invention includes an impact mechanism which injects or sucks a fluid to apply an impact to a tooth, a sensor which detects the displacement state of the tooth which is moved by the impact force from the impact mechanism, and a tooth mobility calculation mechanism which calculates the tooth mobility of the tooth on the basis of the output signal from the sensor. The displacement state of the tooth is measured without touching the tooth.

Abstract: Provided is a thin film magnetic head capable of reducing expansion and bending of a recording pattern resulting from a skew so as to improve recording performance. A main pole layer comprises a laminate including a bottom main pole layer being disposed on a medium-incoming side and having a first saturated magnetic flux density and a top main pole layer being disposed on a medium-outgoing side and having a second saturated magnetic flux density larger than the first saturated magnetic flux density. When magnetic flux flows in the main pole layer, magnetic flux saturation occurs in the bottom main pole layer with a smaller saturated magnetic flux density, however, no magnetic flux saturation occurs in the top main pole layer with a larger saturated magnetic flux density, so the magnetic flux flows mainly in the top main pole layer on a priority basis.