Finite element magnetic field analysis is one the best tools for designing magnetic recording heads and arriving at a better understanding of the various phenomena associated with them. This paper describes the modeling of a metal-in-gap(MIG) magnetic recording head using the 2-D finite element method, and various analyses carried out on the basis of this modeling. It was confirmed that an MIG head, owing to the effect of its metallic layer, generates a much steeper magnetic field gradient than a ferrite head and alleviates the saturating characteristics of the magnetic field in relation to the magnetomotive force. The optimized thickness of the metallic layer deposited on one side of the gap is 0.4-1.0μm for a frequency lower than 10 MHz.
