Patent ID: 6557241
Filing Date: 2003-05-06
Classification: B82Y,G11B,Y10T

Abstract:
A method for manufacturing a combination-type thin film magnetic head in which a writing inductive-type thin film magnetic conversion element and a reading magnetoresistive-effective-type thin film magnetic conversion element are stacked on a surface of a wafer substrate and are magnetically and electrically insulated, comprising the steps of:forming a first magnetic member comprising a first magnetic pole portion of an inductive-type thin film magnetic head; forming a first electrode member for a polished amount-monitoring element of a same magnetic material as that of the first magnetic pole portion so that the first electrode member can have similar construction as that of the first magnetic pole portion and be formed simultaneous to the formation of the first magnetic pole portion either before or after forming the reading magnetoresistive-effective-type thin film magnetic conversion element on the wafer constituting the substrate; forming a write gap layer so as to cover the first magnetic pole portion of the first magnetic member; forming a thin film coil supported by an insulating layer on the first magnetic member and the first electrode member; forming a second magnetic member comprising a second magnetic pole portion of the inductive-type thin film magnetic head; forming a second electrode member for the polished amount-monitoring element of a same magnetic material as that of a second magnetic pole portion opposed to the first magnetic pole portion via the write gap layer and constituting a second magnetic member of the inductive-type thin film magnetic head, which is magnetically connected to the first magnetic member so that the second electrode member can have similar construction as that of the second magnetic pole portion, the second electrode member can be directly contacted with the first electrode member without the write gap layer and an inside edge, opposite to an air bearing surface of a joined surface between the first and second electrode members, the second electrode member can have a given position relative to a standard zero Throat Height position and be formed simultaneous to the formation of the second magnetic member; forming first and second lead members connected to the first and the second electrode members for the polished amount-monitoring element respectively; forming a magnetoresistive-effective-type thin film magnetic head on the surface of the same substrate; cutting the wafer in plural bars so that each bar can have plural combination-type thin film magnetic head units and at least one polished amount-monitoring element after forming the writing inductive-type thin film magnetic conversion element and the reading magnetoresistive-effective-type thin film magnetic conversion element on the wafer substrate; polishing ends of the bars while monitoring the polished amount of the air bearing surface of the combination-type thin film magnetic head by electrically detecting continuation and discontinuation between the first and second electrode members of the polished amount-monitoring element with a measuring circuit connected to the first and second lead members, and cutting each bar having plural combination-type thin film magnetic heads into individual heads, each head having its air bearing surface polished so as to obtain a desired Throat Height.