Patent ID: 8300357

Claim:
A magnetic head for perpendicular magnetic recording, comprising: a medium facing surface that faces a recording medium; a first coil and a second coil that produce magnetic fields corresponding to data to be written on a recording medium; a main pole that has an end face located in the medium facing surface, allows magnetic fluxes corresponding to the magnetic fields produced by the first and second coils to pass, and produces a write magnetic field for writing the data on a recording medium by means of a perpendicular magnetic recording system; a first shield made of a magnetic material and having an end face that is located in the medium facing surface at a position forward of the end face of the main pole in a direction of travel of a recording medium; a gap part made of a nonmagnetic material and interposed between the main pole and the first shield; and a first return path section and a second return path section that are each made of a magnetic material, wherein: the first return path section is located forward of the main pole in the direction of travel of a recording medium and connects the first shield and a part of the main pole away from the medium facing surface to each other so that a first space is defined by the main pole, the gap part, the first shield, and the first return path section; the second return path section is located backward of the main pole in the direction of travel of a recording medium so that a second space is defined by the main pole and the second return path section; the first coil includes at least one first coil element and a remaining portion, the first coil being located forward of the main pole in the direction of travel of a recording medium and wound around a part of the first return path section; the at least one first coil element of the first coil extends to pass through the first space; the remaining portion of the first coil does not exist in the first space; the second coil includes a plurality of second coil elements and a remaining portion, the second coil being located backward of the main pole in the direction of travel of a recording medium and wound around a part of the second return path section; the plurality of second coil elements of the second coil extend to pass through the second space; the remaining portion of the second coil does not exist in the second space; a minimum distance between the first shield and the main pole is smaller than a minimum distance between the at least one first coil element and the main pole; and the at least one first coil element is smaller in number than the plurality of second coil elements.