Patent ID: 6742241
Filing Date: 2004-06-01
Classification: G11B,Y10T

Abstract:
A method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head, the thin film magnetic head including:at least two magnetic layers, magnetically coupled to each other, and having two magnetic poles which face each other with a gap layer in between a portion on the side of a recording-medium-facing surface facing a recording medium; and a thin film coil portion disposed between the two magnetic layers sandwiching an insulating layer, at least one of the two magnetic layers including: first magnetic portion extending from the recording-medium-facing surface to either an edge or adjacent thereto on the side close to the recording-medium-facing surface of the insulating layer, and having a constant width which defines a width of a recording track on the recording medium; and a second magnetic portion, wider than the first magnetic portion, being magnetically coupled to the first magnetic portion at or adjacent to the edge of the insulating layer, and extending so as to be apart from the recording-medium-facing surface, the first magnetic portion and the second magnetic portion having: a step face extending in the width direction at a coupling position where the fist magnetic portion and the second magnetic portion are coupled to each other; a first corner where a side face of the first magnetic portion and the step face intersect each other, and a second corner where a side face of the second magnetic portion and the step face intersect each other, the method comprising the steps of: forming a photoresist pattern by a photolithography process with a light shield mask whose basic shape includes a shape corresponding to a shape of at least the first and second magnetic portions and at least one acute angle that is positioned at a location corresponding to the first corner; and selectively forming at least one of the magnetic layers by using the photoresist pattern, wherein the photoresist pattern has a projection that is positioned at a location corresponding to the first corner.