Patent ID: 7721415

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head having a structure in which a main magnetic pole layer including a magnetic pole end part on a side of a medium-opposing surface opposing a recording medium, a write shield layer opposing the magnetic pole end part so as to form a recording gap layer on the medium-opposing surface side, and a thin-film coil wound about the write shield layer or main magnetic pole layer are laminated, the method comprising the steps of: forming a base insulating layer having a magnetic pole forming depression sunken into a form corresponding to the main magnetic pole layer; forming a stop film for CMP on the base insulating layer such that the stop film enters the magnetic pole forming depression and then forming a magnetic layer on the stop film; removing part of the magnetic layer by forming a separation groove substantially surrounding the magnetic pole forming depression on an outside of the magnetic pole forming depression; forming a cover insulating film adapted to cover the whole upper face of the magnetic layer separated by the separation groove; polishing a surface by CMP until the stop film is exposed, so that a part of the magnetic layer remaining on an inside of the magnetic pole forming depression is used as the main magnetic pole layer; and forming the recording gap layer, write shield layer, and thin-film coil.