Patent ID: 7522386

Claim:
A CPP thin-film magnetic head comprising: a lower shield layer; an upper shield layer separated from the lower shield layer by a predetermined distance; a thin-film magnetic head element disposed between the lower and upper shield layers, the thin-film magnetic head element allowing current to flow in a direction orthogonal to a surface thereof; an insulating layer positioned at a rear of the thin-film magnetic head element in a height direction, the insulating layer covering the thin-film magnetic head element and the lower shield layer; a first nonmagnetic metal layer provided in a region defined by the insulating layer; and a second nonmagnetic metal layer disposed between the upper shield layer and each of the first nonmagnetic metal layer, the insulating layer, and the thin-film magnetic head element; and, the second nonmagnetic metal layer is electrically connected to the upper shield layer allowing current to flow from the upper shield layer to the thin-film magnetic head element through the first nonmagnetic metal layer.