Patent ID: 7948716
Filing Date: 2011-05-24
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. A magnetic head for perpendicular magnetic recording comprising: a medium facing surface that faces toward a recording medium; a coil that generates a magnetic field corresponding to data to be written on the recording medium; a pole layer that has an end face located in the medium facing surface, allows a magnetic flux corresponding to the magnetic field generated by the coil to pass therethrough and generates a write magnetic field for writing the data on the recording medium by means of a perpendicular magnetic recording system; a shield made of a magnetic material and having an end face located in the medium facing surface at a position forward of the end face of the pole layer along a direction of travel of the recording medium; a gap layer made of a nonmagnetic material, disposed between the shield and the pole layer and having an end face located in the medium facing surface; and a substrate on which the coil, the pole layer, the gap layer and the shield are stacked, the pole layer being located closer to the substrate than the shield, wherein: the pole layer has a top surface that is farther from the substrate; and the top surface of the pole layer includes: a first portion and a second portion with a difference in height therebetween; and a third portion that connects the first portion and the second portion to each other, the first portion having an edge located in the medium facing surface, the second portion being located farther from the medium facing surface and farther from the substrate than the first portion, the magnetic head further comprising a nonmagnetic layer made of a nonmagnetic material and disposed between the second portion and the gap layer, wherein: the nonmagnetic layer has a surface that touches the second portion, the surface having an edge located at a boundary between the second portion and the third portion; and the nonmagnetic layer has a thickness that is equal to or greater than the difference in height between the first portion and the second portion.