Patent ID: 7518826

Claim:
A perpendicular magnetic recording head, comprising: a thin film coil generating a magnetic flux; and a pole layer extending from an air bearing surface facing a recording medium to the rear, and guiding the magnetic flux to the recording medium so that the recording medium is magnetized in a direction orthogonal to a surface of the recording medium, wherein the pole layer includes a first pole layer portion, a second pole layer portion, and a third pole layer portion in order from the air bearing surface to the rear, the first pole layer portion having a first width W 1 which determines the recording track width of the recording medium, the second pole layer portion having a width which gradually expands from the first width W 1 to a second width W 2 larger than the first width W 1 , wherein the second pole layer portion is connected to the third pole layer portion in a position where the second pole layer portion has the second width W 2 , and the third pole layer portion having a third width W 3 larger than the second width W 2 .