Disclosed are a high-sensitivity and high-reliability magnetoresistance
effect device (MR device) in which bias point designing is easy, and also
a magnetic head, a magnetic head assembly and a magnetic
recording/reproducing system incorporating the MR device. In the MR device
incorporating a spin valve film, the magnetization direction of the free
layer is at a certain angle to the magnetization direction of a second
ferromagnetic layer therein when the applied magnetic field is zero. In
this, the pinned magnetic layer comprises a pair of ferromagnetic films as
antiferromagnetically coupled to each other via a coupling film existing
therebetween. The device is provided with a means of keeping the
magnetization direction of either one of the pair of ferromagnetic films
constituting the pinned magnetic layer, and with a nonmagnetic
high-conductivity layer as disposed adjacent to a first ferromagnetic
layer on the side opposite to the side on which the first ferromagnetic
layer is contacted with a nonmagnetic spacer layer. With that
constitution, the device has extremely high sensitivity, and the bias
point in the device is well controlled.