Pinched-gap magnetic recording thin film head

A pinched-gap magnetic recording head comprising:

• first and second magnetic pole-tips, said first and second magnetic pole-tips terminating at a surface which is to be located adjacent a magnetic recording medium when said head is writing data;
• a nonmagnetic gap layer separating said pole-tips;
• said pole-tips being in substantial contact with each other in two areas so as to define a pinched-gap segment of said gap layer in a central region between said areas of substantial contact, said areas of substantial contact beginning at said surface and extending a distance along said pole-tips away from said surface, a thickness of said gap layer being such that a transducing gap is formed between said pole-tips in said central region, there being no third magnetic pole-tip located between said first and second magnetic pole-tips within said central region, a width of said first magnetic pole-tip being greater than a width of said second magnetic pole-tip;
• whereby a magnetic reluctance between said pole-tips in said areas of substantial contact is substantially lower than a magnetic reluctance between said pole-tips across said transducing gap, thereby substantially preventing magnetic flux lines from spreading laterally outward from said pole-tips and thereby preventing the creation of significant track edge noise in a data track written by said device.

A thin film head (TFH) comprising a pinched-gap inductive magnetic transducer device, said device comprising

• a substrate;
• a bottom magnetic pole formed over said substrate, said bottom magnetic pole comprising a back-portion and a bottom pole-tip;
• a non-magnetic gap layer formed over said bottom magnetic pole;
• a top magnetic pole formed over said gap layer, said top magnetic pole comprising a back-portion and a top pole-tip, said back-portion of said top magnetic pole being connected to said back-portion of said bottom magnetic pole, both of said pole-tips terminating at a surface which is to be located adjacent a magnetic recording medium when said device is writing data;
• said top pole-tip and said bottom pole-tip being in substantial contact with each other in two areas so as to define a pinched-gap segment of said gap layer in a central region between said two areas of substantial contact, said areas of substantial contact beginning at said surface and extending a distance along said pole-tips away from said surface;
• whereby a magnetic reluctance between said pole-tips in said areas of substantial contact is substantially lower than a magnetic reluctance between said pole-tips across said pinched-gap segment, thereby substantially preventing magnetic flux lines from spreading laterally outward from said pole-tips and thereby preventing the creation of significant track edge noise in a data track written by said device.