Patent ID: 7218475

Claim:
A perpendicular magnetic recording head including: a magnetic pole layer extending rearward from a recording-medium-facing surface to be faced with a recording medium which moves in a medium travel direction, the magnetic pole layer for emitting a magnetic flux to the recording medium; a gap layer extending rearward from the recording-medium-facing surface on the side of the medium travel direction with respect to the magnetic pole layer; a thin film coil disposed in an insulation layer distinct from the gap layer, wherein the thin film coil generates the magnetic flux and is disposed on the side of the medium travel direction with respect to the gap layer; a first magnetic shield layer extending rearward from the recording-medium-facing surface on the side of the medium travel direction with respect to the gap layer, the first magnetic shield layer being disposed so as to be separated from the magnetic pole layer by the gap layer and physically coupled to the gap layer on the side close to the recording-medium-facing surface and to be coupled to the magnetic pole layer via a back gap on the side far apart from the recording-medium-facing surface; and a second magnetic shield layer extending rearward from the recording-medium-facing surface on the side of the direction opposite to the medium travel direction with respect to the magnetic pole layer, wherein the first magnetic shield layer extends rearward relative to the back gap and is physically isolated from the second magnetic shield layer.