Patent ID: 8724264
Filing Date: 2014-05-13
Classification: B82Y,G11B

Abstract:
1. A thin film magnetic head, comprising: a magnetoresistive element exposed to a recording-medium-facing-surface facing a magnetic recording medium and detecting a signal magnetic field applied from the magnetic recording medium; a pair of magnetic bias layers disposed on both sides, in a track-width direction of the magnetic recording medium, of the magnetoresistive element, and applying a bias magnetic field to the magnetoresistive element; a bottom magnetic shielding layer and a top magnetic shielding layer both exposed to the recording-medium-facing-surface, and sandwich the magnetoresistive element and the pair of magnetic bias layers in a stacking direction orthogonal to the track-width direction; a pair of first cap layers provided between the pair of magnetic bias layers and the top magnetic shielding layer so as to cover the pair of magnetic bias layers, each of the first cap layers having a side face; and a second cap layer provided between the magnetoresistive element and the top magnetic shielding layer so as to cover an entire upper surface of the magnetoresistive element and the side face of each of the first cap layers, wherein: the pair of first cap layers extend so that upper surfaces thereof is located at a same height in the thickness direction, the height being same as an upper surface of the second cap layer; and each of the first cap layers have an undersurface, which is nearest to the bottom magnetic shielding layer, and an upper surface parallel to the undersurface and connected to the undersurface by the side face, the upper surface being shorter than the undersurface such that the side face of each of the first cap layers faces upward.