Patent ID: 6504686
Filing Date: 2003-01-07
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
A thin-film magnetic head comprising:a medium facing surface that faces toward a recording medium; a reproducing head including: a magnetoresistive element; and a first shield layer and a second shield layer for shielding the magnetoresistive element, portions of the shield layers located on a side of the medium facing surface being opposed to each other with the magnetoresistive element in between; and a recording head including: a first magnetic layer and a second magnetic layer magnetically coupled to each other and including magnetic pole portions opposed to each other and placed in regions of the magnetic layers on a side of the medium facing surface, each of the magnetic layers including at least one layer; a gap layer provided between the pole portions of the first and second magnetic layers; and a thin-film coil at least a part of which is placed between the first and second magnetic layers, the at least part of the coil being insulated from the first and second magnetic layers; the second shield layer functioning as the first magnetic layer, too, the thin-film magnetic head further comprising a nonmagnetic layer that is embedded in the second shield layer and located between the magnetoresistive element and the pole portion of the second shield layer, the nonmagnetic layer having an area smaller than an area of the second shield layer and greater than an area of the magnetoresistive element.