Method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head structure

A method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head structure adapted to manufacture a thin-film magnetic head configured such that a main magnetic pole layer including a magnetic pole end part on a side of a medium-opposing surface opposing a recording medium, a write shield layer opposing the magnetic pole end part so as to form a recording gap layer on the medium-opposing surface side, and a thin-film coil wound about the write shield layer or main magnetic pole layer are laminated;

• the method comprising the steps of:
• forming a base insulating layer including a magnetic pole forming depression sunken into a form corresponding to the main magnetic pole layer, the magnetic pole forming depression having a very narrow groove part formed so as to define a track width of the thin-film magnetic head;
• forming an end-face-equipped magnetic pole layer having an in-depression end face exposed into a region other than the very narrow groove part in the magnetic pole forming depression of the base insulating layer;
• forming a joining magnetic pole layer joined to the in-depression end face in the end-face-equipped magnetic pole layer;
• forming the magnetic pole end part and a yoke magnetic pole part having a size greater than that of the magnetic pole end part in the magnetic pole forming depression by surface-flattening the end-face-equipped magnetic pole layer and joining magnetic pole layer on the side closer to the thin-film coil;
• forming the recording gap layer on an upper face of the magnetic pole end part and the yoke magnetic pole part;
• forming the thin-film coil with the yoke magnetic pole part such that the thin-film coil and the yoke magnetic pole part are in contact with each other by way of an insulating layer;
• and
• forming the write shield layer such that the write shield layer opposes the magnetic pole end part by way of the recording gap layer.