Patent ID: 8243386

Claim:
A perpendicular magnetic recording head comprising: a main magnetic pole layer including a magnetic pole part exposed at a surface opposing a recording medium, a return yoke layer laminated with a predetermined distance on the main magnetic pole layer and magnetically coupled to the main magnetic pole layer on a deeper side of the medium-opposing surface in a height direction, and a nonmagnetic material layer arranged under the magnetic pole part, the magnetic pole part exhibiting a trapezoidal form narrower at a leading edge than at a trailing edge on the return yoke layer side when seen from the medium-opposing surface; wherein a bottom shield layer formed with macroscopically flat and made of a soft magnetic material is provided below the leading edge of the magnetic pole part of the main magnetic pole layer such that the nonmagnetic material layer is interposed between the bottom shield layer and the leading edge of the magnetic pole part, and that the magnetic pole part is interposed between the return yoke layer and the bottom shield layer with the leading edge on the bottom shield layer side and the trailing edge on the return yoke layer side, the bottom shield layer being magnetically isolated from the magnetic pole part; wherein the bottom shield layer and the leading edge of the magnetic pole part oppose each other with a gap smaller than 60 nm and equal to or greater than 15 nm therebetween; and wherein the nonmagnetic material layer is in direct contact with both the bottom shield layer and the magnetic pole part.