Method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head

A method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head comprising:

• a first magnetic layer and a second magnetic layer magnetically coupled to each other and having two magnetic poles facing each other with a gap layer in between near and in a recording-medium-facing surface to be faced with a recording medium;
• a thin film coil provided between the first and second magnetic layers;
• and
• an insulating layer for insulating the thin film coil from the first and the second magnetic layers, the second magnetic layer including a uniform width portion which defines a recording track width of the recording medium;
• wherein the method comprises:
• a first step of forming the first magnetic layer on a substrate through sputtering by using a magnetic material including iron nitride;
• a second step of forming the gap layer on the first magnetic layer;
• a third step of selectively forming at least the uniform width portion in the second magnetic layer on the gap layer by using a predetermined magnetic material, the uniform width portion extending so as to cross over a position in which the recording-medium-facing surface is to be formed;
• and
• a fourth step of selectively removing the gap layer in a region other than a portion corresponding to the uniform width portion, through relactive ion etching with the uniform width portion as a mask, in an atmosphere of gas including chlorine and boron trichloride, and at an ambient temperature within a range of 30° C. to 300° C. and selectively removing the first magnetic layer in a region other than a portion corresponding to the uniform width portion to a predetermined depth, through reactive ion etching with the uniform width portion as the mask, in an atmosphere of gas including chlorine, and at an ambient temperature within a range of 30° to 300° C.