Patent ID: 7916425

Claim:
A magnetic head for perpendicular magnetic recording comprising: a medium facing surface that faces toward a recording medium; a coil for generating a magnetic field corresponding to data to be written on the recording medium; a pole layer having an end face located in the medium facing surface, the pole layer allowing a magnetic flux corresponding to the magnetic field generated by the coil to pass therethrough and generating a write magnetic field for writing the data on the recording medium by means of a perpendicular magnetic recording system; a shield made of a magnetic material and having an end face located in the medium facing surface at a position forward of the end face of the pole layer along a direction of travel of the recording medium; a gap layer that is made of a nonmagnetic material, has an end face located in the medium facing surface, and is disposed between the pole layer and the shield; and a substrate on which the coil, the pole layer, the gap layer and the shield are stacked, the pole layer being disposed between the substrate and the shield, wherein: the end face of the pole layer located in the medium facing surface has a first side closer to the substrate, and a second side opposite to the first side, the second side defining a track width; the pole layer further has a top surface that is farther from the substrate; the top surface of the pole layer includes: a first portion having a first edge located in the medium facing surface and a second edge opposite thereto; and a second portion located farther from the medium facing surface than the first portion and connected to the first portion at the second edge, the first edge coinciding with the second side; the first portion is inclined at an angle of 12 to 45 degrees with respect to a direction orthogonal to the medium facing surface so that a distance from the substrate increases with increasing distance from the medium facing surface; and the second portion extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to the medium facing surface, the magnetic head further comprising a nonmagnetic layer made of a nonmagnetic material and disposed on the second portion, wherein: the nonmagnetic layer has a bottom surface touching the second portion, the bottom surface having an edge located at the second edge; the shield has a first surface disposed such that the gap layer is sandwiched between the first surface and the first portion, and a second surface disposed such that the nonmagnetic layer is sandwiched between the second surface and the second portion; and a distance between the second surface and the second portion is greater than a distance between the first surface and the first portion.