Thermal micromagnetic model with a pseudo-three-dimensional junction for magnetoresistive heads

We developed a pseudo-three-dimensional (3D) thermal model in conjunction with a thermal micromagnetic model to study the performance of magnetoresistive (MR) readers. With decreasing sensor dimensions, the junction plays an important role in the overall sensor response. With an image method, we converted the 3D thermal problem to a set of coupled nonlinear differential-integral equations in three regions: sensor stack region, junction region, and lead region. Analytic methods for each region allow a speedy solution for rapid development in MR head design and performance analysis, such as numerical design of experiments and regression for design optimization, Monte Carlo analysis, and statistical analysis for product yield.