Patent ID: 7826175

Claim:
A thin-film magnetic head comprising: a medium facing surface that faces toward a recording medium; a first magnetic layer that has a top surface and extends in a direction intersecting the medium facing surface; a coil that is flat, spiral-shaped and insulated from the first magnetic layer, and that has a portion located above the top surface of the first magnetic layer; an insulating layer that is toroidal in shape with a space formed inside, and that covers the coil and has a portion located above the top surface of the first magnetic layer; and a second magnetic layer that has a bottom surface closer to the first magnetic layer and a top surface opposite to the bottom surface, extends in a direction intersecting the medium facing surface, touches the insulating layer, and is disposed such that the portion of the coil is sandwiched between the first and second magnetic layers, wherein: the second magnetic layer has a recessed portion that enters the space inside the insulating layer; in the recessed portion, the bottom surface of the second magnetic layer includes a first flat portion a part of which touches the top surface of the first magnetic layer, and the top surface of the second magnetic layer includes a second flat portion located in the space and substantially parallel to the first flat portion; and in a cross section that is orthogonal to the medium facing surface and to an interface between the top surface of the first magnetic layer and the first flat portion and that divides each of the first and second magnetic layers into two equal portions, the second flat portion has a length within a range of 0.3 to 6 μm, and a distance from an edge of the interface between the top surface of the first magnetic layer and the first flat portion closer to the medium facing surface to an edge of the top surface of the first magnetic layer farther from the medium facing surface is within a range of 0.35 to 0.95 times a length of the first flat portion.