Patent ID: 8085500

Claim:
A perpendicular magnetic recording head comprising a main magnetic pole layer and a return yoke layer, the main magnetic pole layer and return yoke layer being laminated with a predetermined distance therebetween on a surface opposing a recording medium and magnetically coupled to each other on a deeper side of the medium-opposing surface in a height direction, a magnetic pole part of the main magnetic pole layer exposed at the medium-opposing surface exhibiting a trapezoidal form narrower on a leading edge side than on a trailing edge side when seen from the medium-opposing surface; wherein a pair of partial side shield layers made of a soft magnetic material are provided with each partial side shield layer on a respective side in a track width direction of the magnetic pole part of the main magnetic pole layer so as to be located more on the leading edge side of the magnetic pole part, and a bottom shield layer made of a soft magnetic material magnetically separated from the pair of partial side shield layers is provided below the leading edge of the magnetic pole part of the main magnetic pole layer.