Patent ID: 8351157

Claim:
A thin film magnetic head having, on a substrate, a magnetic read head section and a magnetic write head section that is stacked on the magnetic read head section in a stacking direction, the magnetic read head section and the magnetic write head section each having its respective end surfaces exposed to an air bearing surface, the magnetic read head section comprising: a magnetic read element including an end surface exposed to the air bearing surface, a first heat generation mechanism disposed on an opposite side of the magnetic read element from the air bearing surface and configured to provide heating to the magnetic read head section, and a first temperature detection mechanism configured to detect the heating provided by the first heat generation mechanism to the magnetic read head section, the first temperature detection mechanism being disposed closer than the first heat generation mechanism to the air bearing surface, the first temperature detection mechanism detecting a first temperature, and an input to the first heat generation mechanism being controlled based on the first temperature, and the magnetic write head section comprising: a magnetic pole having an end surface exposed to the air bearing surface, a second heat generation mechanism configured to provide heating to the magnetic write head section, the first heat generation mechanism and the second heat generation mechanism being spatially separate in the stacking direction, and a second temperature detection mechanism configured to detect the heating provided by the second heat generation mechanism to the magnetic write head section, the second temperature detection mechanism being disposed closer than the second heat generation mechanism to the air bearing surface, the first temperature detection mechanism and the second temperature detection mechanism being spatially separate in the stacking direction, the second temperature detection mechanism detecting a second temperature, and an input to the second heat generation mechanism being controlled based on the second temperature.