Magnetic head structure and method for manufacturing magnetic head structure

A method for manufacturing a magnetic head structure provided with a recording element having a main magnetic pole layer and a recording-side monitor element to be used as an element resistance monitor in polishing for forming a medium-facing surface of the recording element, the recording-side monitor element including a resistance film, a lead conductor located as a layer below the resistance film, and a contact conductor for conductively connecting the resistance film and the lead conductor, the method comprising:

• forming a lead conductor as a layer below the plane on which a lowermost layer of the main magnetic pole layer or a base layer is formed, while the lead conductor is retreated to the back side of the surface position of the medium-facing surface to be regulated by the polishing in the height direction;
• forming a contact conductor on a medium-facing surface-side end portion of the lead conductor in such a way that the lead conductor has an area to be entirely covered with a resistance film to be formed in a downstream operation and a thickness adequate for reaching the plane on which the lowermost layer of the main magnetic pole layer or the base layer is formed;
• forming a resistance film on the plane including the contact conductor from the same material as that for the lowermost layer of the main magnetic pole layer or the base layer simultaneously with the formation of the lowermost layer of the main magnetic pole layer or the base layer;
• forming a mask covering the resistance film in such a way as to straddle the surface position of the medium-facing surface in the height direction simultaneously with the formation of the main magnetic pole layer;
• and
• removing the resistance film exposed at the mask and, thereafter, removing the mask.