Patent ID: 8867168
Filing Date: 2014-10-21
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. A magnetic head for perpendicular magnetic recording, comprising: a medium facing surface that faces a recording medium; a coil that produces a magnetic field corresponding to data to be written on the recording medium; a main pole having an end face located in the medium facing surface, the main pole allowing a magnetic flux that corresponds to the magnetic field produced by the coil to pass, and producing a write magnetic field for writing the data on the recording medium by means of a perpendicular magnetic recording system; a write shield made of a magnetic material and having an end face located in the medium facing surface; a gap part made of a nonmagnetic material and interposed between the main pole and the write shield; and a return path section made of a magnetic material, the return path section connecting the write shield and part of the main pole away from the medium facing surface to each other, wherein the end face of the write shield includes a first end face portion and a second end face portion located on opposite sides of the end face of the main pole in a track width direction, the write shield includes a first shield portion and a second shield portion located on opposite sides of the main pole in the track width direction, the first shield portion has the first end face portion, the second shield portion has the second end face portion, the return path section includes a first yoke portion and a second yoke portion located on opposite sides of the main pole in the track width direction, the first yoke portion is connected to the first shield portion so that a first space is defined by the main pole, the gap part, the first shield portion and the first yoke portion, the second yoke portion is connected to the second shield portion so that a second space is defined by the main pole, the gap part, the second shield portion and the second yoke portion, the coil passes through the first and second spaces so as to surround at least part of an entire outer periphery of the main pole when viewed from the medium facing surface, the first shield portion includes a portion located between the first space and the medium facing surface, the second shield portion includes a portion located between the second space and the medium facing surface, and the return path section includes one layer that includes at least one of at least part of the first yoke portion and at least part of the second yoke portion, the one layer connecting the write shield and the part of the main pole away from the medium facing surface to each other directly, and the one layer of the return path section and the main pole are disposed to intersect an imaginary plane perpendicular to a direction of travel of the recording medium.