Patent ID: 6195872
Filing Date: 2001-03-06
Classification: G11B,Y10T

Abstract:
A method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head comprising the steps of:forming a first magnetic layer having a pole portion such that the first magnetic layer is supported by a substrate;forming a second magnetic layer having a pole portion which constitutes an air bearing surface together with the pole portion of the first magnetic layer and being magnetically coupled with the first magnetic layer;forming a gap layer made of a non-magnetic material such that the gap layer is interposed between the pole portion of the first magnetic layer and the pole portion of the second magnetic layer; andforming a thin film coil consisting of one or more thin film coil layers and having a portion which is arranged between the first and second magnetic layers and is supported by the substrate in an electrically isolated manner;wherein a step of forming a first thin film coil layer of the thin film coil comprises, in succession, the steps of:forming a first insulating layer on a part of the first magnetic layer, the insulating layer being made of an inorganic insulating material selected from the group consisting of silicon oxide, silicon nitride and alumina;forming coil-shaped recesses in the first insulating layer by reactive ion etching such that the recesses have a width and a spacing which are equal to a width and a spacing of coil windings of the thin film coil layer to be formed and have a depth which is deeper than a height of the coil windings, the width of the recesses being 1.5-2.5 .mu.m and the spacing of the recesses being 0.3-0.5 .mu.m;depositing an electrically conductive material within the recesses by a chemical vapor deposition such that the recesses are completely filled with a deposited electrically conductive material and the surface of the first insulating layer is completely covered with the deposited electrically conductive material;polishing the deposited electrically conductive material such that coil windings are formed in the recesses and the surface of the first insulating layer is exposed to form a flat surface consisting of the exposed surface of the first insulating layer and upper surfaces of the coil windings; andforming a second insulating layer on the flat surface consisting of the exposed surface of the first insulating layer and the upper surfaces of the coil windings.