Patent ID: 8498080

Claim:
A magnetic head for perpendicular magnetic recording, comprising: a medium facing surface that faces a recording medium; a coil that produces a magnetic field corresponding to data to be written on the recording medium; and a main pole that has an end face located in the medium facing surface, allows a magnetic flux corresponding to the magnetic field produced by the coil to pass, and produces a write magnetic field for writing the data on the recording medium by means of a perpendicular magnetic recording system; a write shield made of a magnetic material and having an end face located in the medium facing surface; a gap part made of a nonmagnetic material and disposed between the main pole and the write shield; a first return path section made of a magnetic material; at least one heater that generates heat for making part of the medium facing surface protrude; and a sensor that detects contact of the part of the medium facing surface with the recording medium, wherein: the end face of the write shield includes a first end face portion located forward of the end face of the main pole along a direction of travel of the recording medium; the first return path section includes: a yoke layer located backward of the main pole along the direction of travel of the recording medium; a first coupling part that couples the yoke layer and the write shield to each other; and a second coupling part that is located away from the medium facing surface and couples the yoke layer and the main pole to each other; the first coupling part has an end face facing toward the yoke layer; the end face of the first coupling part includes a middle portion that is spaced from the yoke layer and faces the yoke layer, and two side portions that are located on opposite sides of the middle portion in a track width direction and in contact with the yoke layer; and the sensor is located between the yoke layer and the middle portion of the end face of the first coupling part.