Magnetic head for perpendicular magnetic recording having a main pole and a shield

A magnetic head for perpendicular magnetic recording of data to be written on a recording medium, the magnetic head comprising:

• a medium facing surface configured to face the recording medium;
• a coil configured to produce a magnetic field corresponding to the data to be written on the recording medium, the coil including a winding portion of planar spiral shape that is formed in one or more layers;
• a main pole having an end face located in the medium facing surface, configured to allow a magnetic flux corresponding to the magnetic field produced by the coil to pass, and configured to produce a write magnetic field for writing the data on the recording medium by means of a perpendicular magnetic recording system;
• a write shield made of a magnetic material and having an end face located in the medium facing surface, the end face of the write shield including a first end face portion located forward of the end face of the main pole along a direction of travel of the recording medium, and a second end thee portion located backward of the end face of the main pole along the direction of travel of the recording medium, the write shield including:
• (i) a first shield having the first end face portion, and (ii) a second shield having the second end face portion;
• a gap part made of a nonmagnetic material and disposed between the main pole and the write shield;
• a first yoke layer and a second yoke layer that are aligned along the direction of travel of the recording medium such that the main pole is interposed between the first and second yoke layers, each of the first and second yoke layers being made of a magnetic material and magnetically connected to the write shield, the first yoke layer being located backward of the main pole along the direction of travel of the recording medium, the second yoke layer being located forward of the main pole along the direction of travel of the recording medium, and the second yoke layer being magnetically connected to the first shield;
• a substrate having a top surface;
• a first coupling part located away from the medium facing surface and magnetically coupling the main pole and the second yoke layer to each other;
• a second coupling part located away from the medium facing surface and magnetically coupling the first yoke layer and the second yoke layer to each other without touching the main pole;
• and
• a magnetic layer for magnetically coupling the second shield and the first yoke layer to each other, the magnetic layer being located backward of the second shield along the direction of travel of the recording medium and in contact with the second shield;
• wherein:
• the winding portion is wound around the first coupling part, and a part of the winding portion passes between the first coupling part and the second coupling part;
• the coil, the pole layer, the write shield, the gap part, the first yoke layer, the second yoke layer, the first coupling part the second coupling part, and the magnetic layer are disposed above the top surface of the substrate;
• and
• in a cross section that intersects the end face of the main pole and that is perpendicular to the medium facing surface and the top surface of the substrate, the magnetic layer is greater than the second shield and smaller than the first yoke layer in length in a direction perpendicular to the medium facing surface.