Patent ID: 7418778

Claim:
A method for producing a CPP thin-film magnetic head comprising a thin-film magnetic head element and an insulating layer between a bottom shield layer and a top shield layer, the insulating layer being disposed behind the thin-film magnetic head element in a height direction, wherein a current flows in a direction orthogonal to a surface of a layer constituting the thin-film magnetic head element, the method comprising the steps of: forming the insulating layer; forming a resist layer for lift-off processing on the thin-film magnetic head element and the insulating layer, the resist layer comprising a space for forming a hole, the space being disposed at a predetermined position behind the thin-film magnetic head element in the height direction; removing the insulating layer exposed in the space and completely removing a surface oxide layer on the bottom shield layer directly below the insulating layer in the space, while a top surface of the thin-film magnetic head element is covered with the resist layer; forming a metal layer on a portion generated by removing the insulating layer and the surface oxide layer on the bottom shield layer, and then removing the resist layer by lift-off processing; and separating the top shield layer into a first top shield sublayer and a second top shield sublayer, the first top shield sublayer being disposed on the thin-film magnetic head element and the insulating layer, the second top shield sublayer being disposed on the insulating layer and the metal layer.