Patent ID: 6922316

Claim:
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 that are magnetically coupled to each other at a distance from the medium facing surface, and include magnetic pole portions disposed so as to oppose to each other with a predetermined spacing interposed therebetween along the traveling direction of the recording medium; a gap layer made of a non-magnetic material and provided between the first and second magnetic layers; and a thin-film coil at least a part of which is disposed between the first and second magnetic layers and insulated from the first and second magnetic layers, wherein: the at least part of the thin-film coil has a first surface closer to the first magnetic layer and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the second surface being located at a level closer to the first magnetic layer than a level of an end of the gap layer is, the end being located in the medium facing surface next to the second magnetic layer; the second magnetic layer has: a pole portion layer including the magnetic pole portion, the width of the pole portion layer measured in the medium facing surface defining a track width; and a yoke portion layer for magnetically connecting the pole portion layer and the first magnetic layer to each other; the pole portion layer has a saturated magnetic flux density equal to or greater than that of the yoke portion layer; and the yoke portion layer is magnetically connected to the pole portion layer at least at a surface of the pole portion layer that is closer to the gap layer, and both side surfaces of the pole portion layer in the width direction.