Patent ID: 6504678
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 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, the gap layer having a flat first surface that touches the pole portion of the first magnetic layer, and a flat second surface that touches the pole portion of the second magnetic layer; 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; wherein the second magnetic layer includes a throat height defining layer touching a flat surface including the second surface of the gap layer, the throat height defining layer being formed such that a portion thereof forms a cavity with the gap layer, the cavity being located in a position at a specific distance from the medium facing surface, the throat height defining layer touching the second surface of the gap layer at a portion of the throat height defining layer located closer to the medium facing surface than an end of the cavity closer to the medium facing surface and at a portion of the throat height defining layer located farther from the medium facing surface than the other end of the cavity farther from the medium facing surface, the throat height being defined by the end of the cavity closer to the medium facing surface.