Patent ID: 7870660
Filing Date: 2011-01-18
Classification: G11B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of manufacturing a magnetic head for perpendicular magnetic recording, the magnetic head comprising: a medium facing surface that faces toward a recording medium; a coil for generating a magnetic field corresponding to data to be written on the recording medium; a pole layer made of a magnetic metal material, having an end face located in the medium facing surface, allowing a magnetic flux corresponding to the field generated by the coil to pass therethrough, and generating a write magnetic field for writing the data on the recording medium through the use of a perpendicular magnetic recording system; an encasing layer made of a nonmagnetic material and having a groove that opens in a top surface of the encasing layer; a metal layer made of a metal material, disposed on the top surface of the encasing layer, and having a penetrating opening contiguous to the groove; and a substrate on which the encasing layer, the metal layer, the pole layer and the coil are stacked, wherein: at least a portion of the pole layer is placed in the groove of the encasing layer and in the opening of the metal layer; the end face of the pole layer located in the medium facing surface incorporates a first portion and a second portion that is located farther from the substrate than the first portion and connected to the first portion; the first portion has a side located away from the substrate; the first portion has a width that decreases as a distance from the substrate decreases; the second portion has a uniform width that is equal to a length of the side of the first portion located away from the substrate and that defines a track width; and in the medium facing surface, the metal layer exists on both sides of the second portion, the sides being opposed to each other in a direction of the track width, the method comprising the steps of: forming a nonmagnetic layer that will be formed into the encasing layer by forming the groove therein later; forming the metal layer on a top surface of the nonmagnetic layer; forming the groove in the nonmagnetic layer by selectively etching a portion of the nonmagnetic layer exposed from the opening of the metal layer, so that the nonmagnetic layer is formed into the encasing layer; forming the pole layer so that at least a portion of the pole layer is placed in the groove of the encasing layer and in the opening of the metal layer; and forming the coil.