Patent ID: 8824102

Claim:
A thin-film magnetic head constructed such that a main magnetic pole layer having a magnetic pole end face on a side of a medium-opposing surface opposing a recording medium, a write shield layer having a write shield end face disposed in the medium-opposing surface, a gap layer formed between the main magnetic pole layer and write shield layer, and a thin-film coil are laminated on a substrate, the thin-film magnetic head comprising: a return magnetic pole layer formed at a position distanced from the medium-opposing surface on the side opposite to the write shield layer with the main magnetic pole layer intervening therebetween; and a connecting magnetic layer formed using a magnetic material so as to connect the return magnetic pole layer to the write shield layer on the side closer to the medium-opposing surface than the thin-film coil, wherein the connecting magnetic layer has a front end shield part and a middle connecting part, and wherein an upper surface of the middle connecting part extends further from the medium-opposing surface than a lower surface of the front end shield part, wherein the thin-film coil is wound to form a flat spiral structure around the write shield layer, the thin-film coil defining a structure such that the flat spiral structure is entirely disposed at an opposite side of the main magnetic pole layer from the substrate, wherein the front end shield part comprises a shield end face connected to the write shield end face in the medium-opposing surface, wherein the write shield end face and the shield end face surround the entire magnetic pole end face and are disposed near the magnetic pole end face; and wherein the connecting magnetic layer includes a receding connecting part disposed at a position distanced from the medium-opposing surface and connected to an upper face on the main magnetic pole layer side of the return magnetic pole layer, and the middle connecting part disposed in the medium-opposing surface, and connecting the front end shield part and the receding connecting part.