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  Thin film magnetic head and method of manufacturing the sameUSPTO Application #: 20070217070Title: Thin film magnetic head and method of manufacturing the same Abstract: Provided are a thin film magnetic head and a method of manufacturing the same, which can locally miniaturized a pole width with high accuracy. A thin film coil is provided in a region located more rearward than a position (a first position) of a rear end of a top shield layer. A position of a surface of an underlayer of a rearward region of a write gap layer, i.e., the region in which the thin film coil is to be formed is lower than a position of a surface of an underlayer of a frontward region. Thus, a height (μm) of an apex portion formed of an insulating film decreases. Thus, a top pole can be formed so that a tip portion has a local miniature uniform width. Therefore, the pole width can be locally miniaturized with high accuracy. (end of abstract)
Agent: Kenyon & Kenyon LLP - Washington, DC, US Inventor: Naoto Matono USPTO Applicaton #: 20070217070 - Class: 360126000 (USPTO) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070217070. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The invention relates to a thin film magnetic head having an inductive magnetic transducer for writing and a magnetic transducer for reading, and a method of manufacturing the same. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] Recently, an improvement in performance of a thin film magnetic head has been sought in accordance with an increase in an areal density of a hard disk drive. For example, a composite thin film magnetic head, which has a stacked structure comprising a recording head having an inductive magnetic transducer for writing and a reproducing head having a magnetoresistive (hereinafter referred to as MR) element for reading, is widely used as the thin film magnetic head. [0005] For example, the recording head includes a top pole and a bottom pole, which are located with a write gap in between on and under the write gap, respectively, and a coil for generating a magnetic flux with an insulating layer in between the top pole and the bottom pole. The top pole and the bottom pole have the same uniform width near the write gap in a region close to a recording-medium-facing surface (an air bearing surface) facing a magnetic recording medium (hereinafter referred to as "a recording medium"). The top pole and the bottom pole form "a magnetic pole portion" for determining a write track width. For example, the magnetic pole portion is formed in the following manner: the top pole having a uniform-width portion forming a part of the magnetic pole portion is formed, and then the write gap and the bottom pole are etched in self-alignment by using the uniform-width portion as a mask. [0006] To increase the recording density of the performance of the recording head, it is necessary to locally miniaturize the width of the magnetic pole portion (a pole width) to the submicron order and thereby increase a track density on the recording medium. In this case, it is preferable that the pole width is uniform with high accuracy over the overall area of the magnetic pole portion. When the pole width is partly great, a side erase phenomenon occurs. Specifically, information is written not only on a track region on which the information is to be written, but also on a neighboring track region. Thus, information already written on the neighboring track region is overwritten with the information newly written thereon, and consequently the already-written information is erased. [0007] Although the local miniaturization of the pole width to the submicron order is required, a problem has, however, heretofore existed: it is difficult to form with high accuracy the uniform-width portion of the top pole to be used as the mask for forming the magnetic pole portion. The problem arises for the following reason. [0008] That is, for example, a coil for generating a magnetic flux is formed on a flat underlayer (e.g., a write gap), and then the coil is coated with an insulating layer made of a photoresist. As a result, a hill portion (hereinafter sometimes called "an apex portion") made of the photoresist is formed on the flat underlayer. The apex portion has a round inclined surface near the edge thereof, for example because a portion near the edge flows due to heat treatment subjected to the photoresist with which a peripheral region around the coil is to be filled. To form the top pole made of a plated film pattern in a region having an uneven structure formed of the apex portion and the like, a photoresist film formed in the region having the uneven structure is exposed to light in the step of forming a frame (a frame pattern) for forming the plated film pattern. Consequently, light is reflected obliquely or transversely from an inclined surface portion of the underlayer. Since the reflected light increases or reduces an exposed region in the photoresist film, the reflected light deteriorates the accuracy in forming the frame pattern. This makes it difficult to form with high accuracy the top pole, particularly the uniform-width portion having a local miniature width. The greater the height of the apex portion on the underlayer, the more noticeable the tendency to deteriorate the accuracy in forming the top pole. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] The invention is designed to overcome the foregoing problems. It is an object of the invention to provide a thin film magnetic head and a method of manufacturing the same, which can locally miniaturize a pole width with high accuracy. [0010] A thin film magnetic head of the invention including: two magnetic layers magnetically coupled to each other and having two magnetic poles which face each other with a gap layer in between and face a recording medium, a thin film coil provided between the two magnetic layers, and an insulating layer for insulating the thin film coil from the two magnetic layers includes: a magnetic transducer film; a first magnetic film provided between the magnetic transducer film and the two magnetic layers; and a second magnetic film provided opposite to the first magnetic film with the magnetic transducer film in between, wherein the first magnetic film extends to a first position in a direction away from a recording-medium-facing surface facing the recording medium, the thin film coil is provided in a region farther from the recording-medium-facing surface than a second position by using as a reference position the second position farther from the recording-medium-facing surface than the first position, and the second magnetic film extends from the recording-medium-facing surface to a third position farther from the recording-medium-facing surface than the second position. [0011] A method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head of the invention including: two magnetic layers magnetically coupled to each other and having two magnetic poles which face each other with a gap layer in between and face a recording medium, a thin film coil provided between the two magnetic layers, and an insulating layer for insulating the thin film coil from the two magnetic layers includes the steps of forming a magnetic transducer film; forming a first magnetic film between the magnetic transducer film and the two magnetic layers so as to extend to a first position in a direction away from a recording-medium-facing surface facing the recording medium; forming the thin film coil in a region farther from the recording-medium-facing surface than a second position by using as a reference position the second position farther from the recording-medium-facing surface than the first position; and forming a second magnetic film opposite to the first magnetic film with the magnetic transducer film in between so as to extend from the recording-medium-facing surface to a third position farther from the recording-medium-facing surface than the second position. [0012] In the thin film magnetic head of the invention or the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head of the invention, the thin film coil is provided in the region farther from the recording-medium-facing surface than the second position by using as the reference position the second position farther from the recording-medium-facing surface than the first position. Thus, a position of a surface of the thin film coil close to the second magnetic film is easily located closer to the second magnetic film than a position of a surface of the gap layer far from the second magnetic film. [0013] In the thin film magnetic head of the invention or the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head of the invention, it is preferable that a length of the first magnetic film is equal to or less than 1/3 of a length of the insulating layer. [0014] In the thin film magnetic head of the invention or the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head of the invention, it is preferable that the length of the first magnetic film is equal to or less than 10 .mu.m. [0015] In the thin film magnetic head of the invention or the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head of the invention, an end surface of the first magnetic film far from the recording-medium-facing surface may be inclined at an exterior angle of more than 90.degree. in the direction in which the first magnetic film extends. [0016] In the thin film magnetic head of the invention or the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head of the invention, it is preferable that the second magnetic film extends so that a surface of the second magnetic film close to the first magnetic film may be flat over the overall surface, and that the thin film coil is provided so that a position of a surface of the thin film coil close to the second magnetic film may be closer to the second magnetic film than a position of a surface of a portion of the gap layer near the recording-medium-facing surface, the surface being far from the second magnetic film. [0017] In the thin film magnetic head of the invention or the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head of the invention, it is preferable that the thin film magnetic head further includes a connect wiring having one end connected to the magnetic transducer film and the other end connected to an external circuit, wherein the first magnetic film extends so as to coat a region in which the connect wiring is provided. [0018] In the thin film magnetic head of the invention or the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head of the invention, one of the two magnetic layers close to the first magnetic film may be made of a different material from a material of the first magnetic film. Preferably, the one magnetic layer is made of a material having a higher saturation magnetic flux density than a saturation magnetic flux density of the material of the first magnetic film. [0019] In the method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head of the invention, the step of forming the first magnetic film may include the steps of: forming a frame pattern for selectively forming a plated film pattern, by using a negative photoresist; and forming the first magnetic film made of the plated film pattern, by using the frame pattern. Alternatively, the step of forming the first magnetic film may include the steps of: forming a preparatory magnetic layer for serving as a preparatory layer for the first magnetic film; and forming the first magnetic film by selectively etching the preparatory magnetic layer and thus patterning the preparatory magnetic layer. [0020] Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0021] FIGS. 1A and 1B are cross sectional views for describing a step of a method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to an embodiment of the invention; Continue reading... Full patent description for Thin film magnetic head and method of manufacturing the same Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Thin film magnetic head and method of manufacturing the same patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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