Thin-film magnetic head and method of manufacturing same
AssigneeTDK Corporation
InventorYoshitaka Sasaki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
It is an object of the invention to obtain an optimal overwrite property even when the magnetic pole width is reduced. In a thin-film magnetic head of the invention an auxiliary layer made of a magnetic material is provided on a region in the neighborhood of the air-bearing-surface-side end of the insulating layer that defines the throat height. Since the auxiliary layer is provided, the volume of the portion of the magnetic layer in the neighborhood of throat height zero position TH0 is greater by the volume of the auxiliary layer, compared to a configuration in which a top pole layer is only provided. It is therefore possible to prevent magnetic flux saturation in the neighborhood of the throat height zero position.
Claims38
A thin-film magnetic head comprising:
- a medium facing surface that faces a recording medium;
- a first magnetic layer and a second magnetic layer magnetically coupled to each other and including magnetic pole portions placed in regions of the magnetic layers on a side of the medium facing surface, the pole portions being opposed to each other, the magnetic layers each being made up of at least one layer;
- a gap layer provided between the pole portions of the first and second magnetic layers;
- a thin-film coil at least part of which is placed between the first and second magnetic layers;
- and
- an insulating layer for insulating the first and second magnetic layers from the thin-film coil, the insulating layer having an end that defines a throat height, wherein one of the magnetic layers includes:
- a main layer including one of the pole portions an end of which is placed in the medium facing surface and a yoke portion magnetically connected directly or indirectly to the other end of the pole portion;
- and
- an auxiliary layer magnetically connected to the main layer and provided for increasing the thickness of the magnetic layer in the neighborhood of a portion connecting the pole portion to the yoke portion so that the thickness is greater than the thickness of the magnetic layer in the medium facing surface, and
- the end of the insulating layer that defines the throat height is aligned with the position of an end of the auxiliary layer closer to the medium facing surface by etching the insulating layer using the auxiliary layer as a mask.
A method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head comprising:
- a medium facing surface that faces a recording medium;
- a first magnetic layer and a second magnetic layer magnetically coupled to each other and including magnetic pole portions placed in regions of the magnetic layers on a side of the medium facing surface, the pole portions being opposed to each other, the magnetic layers each being made up of at least one layer;
- a gap layer provided between the pole portions of the first and second magnetic layers;
- a thin-film coil at least part of which is placed between the first and second magnetic layers;
- and an insulating layer for insulating the first and second magnetic layers from the thin-film coil, the insulating layer having an end that defines a throat height, the method including:
- the steps of forming the first and second magnetic layers, the gap layer, the thin-film coil, and the insulating layer, respectively, the step of forming one of the magnetic layers including:
- the step of forming a main layer including one of the pole portions an end of which is placed in the medium facing surface and a yoke portion magnetically connected directly or indirectly to the other end of the pole portion;
- and
- the step of forming an auxiliary layer on the insulating layer, the auxiliary layer being magnetically connected to the main layer and provided for increasing the thickness of the magnetic layer in the neighborhood of a portion connecting the pole portion to the yoke portion so that the thickness is greater than the thickness of the magnetic layer in the medium facing surface;
- the method further including the step of aligning the end of the insulating layer that defines the throat height with the position of an end of the auxiliary layer closer to the medium facing surface by etching the insulating layer using the auxiliary layer as mask.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.