Provided are a magnetic transducer having good thermal stability, a thin
film magnetic head, a method of manufacturing a magnetic transducer and a method
of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head. A stack of an MR element has a stacked
structure comprising an underlayer, a first soft magnetic layer, a second soft
magnetic layer, a nonmagnetic layer, a ferromagnetic layer, an antiferromagnetic
layer and a capping layer, which are stacked in this order on the underlayer. The
ferromagnetic layer is divided into a bottom layer and a top layer in the direction
of stack. A ferromagnetic interlayer having magnetism and having higher electrical
resistance than the electrical resistance of the ferromagnetic layer is formed
between the bottom layer and the top layer. The ferromagnetic interlayer magnetically
integrates the bottom layer with the top layer and limits a path for electrons
moving through the stack, thereby improving the rate of resistance change. Furthermore,
the ferromagnetic interlayer contains, as an additive, at least one element in
a group consisting of Mn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Rh, Ir and Pt and thus prevents heat deterioration
in the stack.
