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.