Thin film magnetic head and method of making wherein the head includes a magnetic layer including an underlayer and a coating layer with each having a uniform width portion and a wider portion

A method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head including:

• two magnetic layers magnetically coupled to each other and having two magnetic poles which face each other with a gap layer in between and are arranged to be faced with a recording medium, a thin film coil provided between the two magnetic layers, and an insulating layer for insulating the thin film coil from the two magnetic layers,
• wherein steps of forming one of the two magnetic layers includes:
• a first step of forming a precursory underlayer so as to coat the insulating layer and a peripheral region around the insulating layer;
• a second step of forming on the precursory underlayer a coating layer as a part of the one of the two magnetic layers, so that the coating layer includes a first uniform-width portion and a first wider portion, the first uniform-width portion extending from a recording-medium-facing surface facing the recording medium to a first coupling position away from the recording-medium-facing surface and having a uniform width for determining a write track width on the recording medium, the first wider portion being magnetically coupled to the first uniform-width portion at the first coupling position and having a width greater than that of the uniform width of the first uniform-width portion;
• a third step of selectively forming a patterning mask so as to coat the coating layer and part of the precursory underlayer;
• and
• a fourth step of selectively etching the precursory underlayer through the use of the patterning mask, thereby selectively forming an underlayer as another part of the one of the two magnetic layers, so that the underlayer includes a second uniform-width portion and a second wider portion, the second uniform-width portion extending from the recording-medium-facing surface to a second coupling position which locates closer to the recording-medium-facing surface than the first coupling position and having a uniform width corresponding to the uniform width of the first uniform-width portion, the second wider portion being magnetically coupled to the second uniform-width portion at the second coupling position and having a width greater than that of the uniform width of the second uniform-width portion.

A method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head including:

• two magnetic layers magnetically coupled to each other and having two magnetic poles which face each other with a gap layer in between and are arranged to be faced with a recording medium, a thin film coil provided between the two magnetic layers, and an insulating layer for insulating the thin film coil from the two magnetic layers, one of the two magnetic layers including a laminate constituted of an underlayer and a coating layer, the underlayer being located closer to the gap layer, the coating layer being located away from the gap layer,
• wherein the coating layer is formed so as to include a first uniform-width portion and a first wider portion, the first uniform-width portion extending from a recording-medium-facing surface facing the recording medium to a first coupling position away from the recording-medium-facing surface and having a uniform width for determining a write track width on the recording medium, the first wider portion being magnetically coupled to the first uniform-width portion at the first coupling position and having a width greater than that of the uniform width of the first uniform-width portion, and
• the underlayer is formed so as to include a second uniform-width portion and a second wider portion, the second uniform-width portion extending from the recording-medium-facing surface to a second coupling position which locates closer to the recording-medium-facing surface than the first coupling position and having a uniform width corresponding to the uniform width of the first uniform-width portion, the second wider portion being magnetically coupled to the second uniform-width portion at the second coupling position and having a width greater than that of the uniform width of the second uniform-width portion.