Patent ID: 7190553

Claim:
A thin-film magnetic head comprising an upper magnetic core layer, a lower magnetic core layer arranged to be opposed to the upper magnetic core layer, an electrically conductive coil layer sandwiched between the upper magnetic core layer and the lower magnetic core layer, a first insulator layer, sandwiched between the lower magnetic core layer and the electrically conductive coil layer, for electrically insulating the lower magnetic core layer from the electrically conductive coil layer, a second insulator layer, sandwiched between the upper magnetic core layer and the electrically conductive coil layer, for electrically insulating the upper magnetic core layer from the electrically conductive coil layer, wherein the first insulator layer is arranged on the lower magnetic core layer except a front end portion of the lower magnetic core layer facing a front end portion of the upper magnetic core layer, a lower magnetic pole layer having a thickness equal to that of the first insulator layer is arranged in continuity with the end of the first insulator layer on the front end portion of the lower magnetic core layer between the upper magnetic core layer and the lower magnetic core layer, the front end portion of the upper magnetic core layer is arranged on a gap layer on the lower magnetic pole layer, and the second insulator layer is positioned behind the lower magnetic pole layer and close to a back end of the upper magnetic core layer, wherein the upper magnetic core layer comprises a narrow-width pole region with the end portion thereof formed on the gap layer on the lower magnetic pole layer, and a yoke region being wider in width than the pole region, arranged in continuity with a back end of the pole region, wherein the width of the front end portion of the upper magnetic core layer combines with the width of the lower magnetic pole layer and the width of the gap layer to constitute the track width, and wherein the upper magnetic core layer is integrally formed of a one piece article composed of a single magnetic material of an FeNi based alloy, and is provided so as to cover the second insulator layer.