Abstract: Provided is a thin film magnetic head capable of suppressing an occurrence of a track erase, decreasing an influence on a magnetoresistive element caused by a magnetic flux generated from a thin film coil, and further decreasing the parasitic capacity. The thin film magnetic head has, in order in a stacked direction, a first magnetic shield layer, a magnetoresistive element, a second magnetic shield layer, a third magnetic shield layer, a main magnetic pole layer and a return yoke layer. A width in a track width direction of at least one of the first and the second magnetic shield layers is smaller than widths in a track width direction of the third magnetic shield layer and the return yoke layer.

Abstract: In a thin film magnetic head of the present invention, lead formation patterns of a first lead for connection between a lower shield layer and a first extraction electrode portion and a second lead for connection between an upper shield layer and a second extraction electrode portion are each formed so as not to have an overlapping portion with a heatsink layer but to bypass the heatsink layer when observing from the upper shield layer side toward the lower shield layer in a transparent state in plan view. Therefore, it is possible to increase an effect of heat radiation to the substrate side on the basis of the presence of the heatsink layer to thereby limit propagation of heat to a magnetoresistive effect layer as much as possible and further to achieve a drastic improvement in recording and reproducing characteristics at high recording frequencies, i.e. frequency characteristics (f characteristics) in a high frequency region.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to providing a perpendicular magnetic write head which can suppress unintended erasure of information written on a write medium at a non-writing time by optimizing a magnetic domain structure of main component elements that are engaged in writing operation. In the perpendicular magnetic write head, an auxiliary magnetic pole layer is disposed on a trailing or leading side of a main magnetic pole layer, the auxiliary magnetic pole layer being recessed from the main magnetic pole layer. When the main magnetic pole layer has a tensile stress as its internal stress, a nonmagnetic layer disposed in a layer same as the auxiliary magnetic pole layer and in an area in front of the auxiliary magnetic pole layer, also has a tensile stress as its internal stress.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head is provided, in which thermal protrusion can be suppressed. The thin film magnetic head includes a main magnetic pole layer which conducts a magnetic flux into the recording medium so that the recording medium is magnetized in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the recording medium, a first return yoke layer provided in a trailing side of the main magnetic pole layer, and has a recess in a top surface, a second return yoke layer provided so as to fill at least the recess of the first return yoke layer, and a thermal expansion suppression layer provided in a trailing side of the second return yoke layer. Thus, since the thermal expansion suppression layer can be provided on a surface having no recess, a possibility of a crack in the thermal expansion suppression layer can be eliminated.

Abstract: A parasitic capacity C4 generated between a slider substrate and the first shield layer with the first insulating layer as a capacity layer is made substantially equal to a parasitic capacity C2 occurring between a lower magnetic layer and the second shield layer with the third insulating layer as a capacity layer. Preferably, a connection is made between the lower magnetic layer and the slider substrate by a resistance of preferably 100 (?) or lower. Thus, it is possible to provide a thin-film magnetic head that can hold back deterioration in a reproducing device and the occurrence of errors due to crosstalk between a recording device and the reproducing device and extraneous noises.

Abstract: The thin film magnetic head includes a main magnetic pole layer conducting a magnetic flux to the recording medium so that the recording medium an be magnetized in a direction orthogonal to a surface thereof; a return yoke layer disposed on a trailing side of the main magnetic pole layer; an intermediate protective layer partially disposed on a magnetic shield layer; and a thermal expansion suppressing layer having an edge located on the intermediate protective layer and being in contact with the return yoke layer in an area where the intermediate protective layer is not formed. If the thin film magnetic head is affected by ambient temperature environment, the thermal expansion suppressing layer suppresses the shift of the main magnetic pole layer and the return yoke layer toward the air bearing surface. This suppresses thermal protrusion from occurring on the thin film magnetic head due to ambient temperature environment.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a thin-film magnetic head whereby re-deposition and an overlapped part in a region of a magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure opposite to an air bearing surface can be removed and also a width of a free layer can be narrowed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a magnetoresistive (MR) effect element which can effectively reduce a leakage of magnetic flux from a magnetic domain control layer, and a thin film magnetic head which has the MR effect element. The MR effect element has a pair of magnetic domain control layer, each of which magnetically connects a MR effect multilayered structure, and an additional york layer. Each end of the additional york layer is respectively connected with a magnetic domain control layer, and the additional york layer leads magnetic flux from one magnetic domain control layer to another magnetic domain control layer.

Abstract: A lapping monitor element that is juxtaposed with a magnetic transducer element having a magnetoresistance effect film to determine the lapping position upon lapping the element height of the magnetic transducer element to a predetermined dimension. The lapping monitor element includes a resistance film to be resistance measured. The resistance film is a metal film of nonmagnetic transition metal or of alloy composed mainly of nonmagnetic transition metal, or a multilayered film where two or more such metal films are laid one upon another. The lapping monitor makes it possible to extremely stabilize the ELG sensor resistance measured values upon lapping as well as to provide a high accuracy MR height control.

Abstract: A composite type thin-film magnetic head is provided, which comprises: a MR read head element having an upper shield layer, a lower shield layer, an MR layer in which a sense current flows in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the layer through the upper shield layer and the lower shield layer; an inductive write head element formed on the MR read head element, having an upper magnetic pole layer, a recording gap layer, a lower magnetic pole layer where end portion is opposed to an end portion of the upper magnetic pole layer through the recording gap layer, and a write coil; and a capacitance C12 between the write coil and the upper shield layer, set to 0.1 pF or less.

Abstract: The present invention provides an MR element bar that permits the fabrication of MR elements in which a variation in characteristics is suppressed, as well as an MR element bar exposure method and formation method enabling the fabrication of the MR element bar. The MR element bar exposure method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: detecting the positions of a plurality of alignment marks P1 to P4 formed on a wafer W; correcting an exposure position correction region R on the basis of the positions of detected alignment marks P1? to P4?; and exposing a resist which is formed on the wafer W, wherein an MR element bar region B comprises a plurality of MR elements (patterns MRE) aligned in the longitudinal direction of the region B, and one exposure position correction region R is established for one MR element bar region B.

Abstract: In the thin-film magnetic head of the present invention, the length of each of a pinned layer and an antiferromagnetic layer in their contact area in the depth direction from a surface facing a medium is longer than the length of a free layer in the same direction. When the length of the pinned layer in the depth direction is set longer as such, the direction of magnetization of the pinned layer can be restrained from being tilted by disturbances. Also, the pinned layer and the antiferromagnetic layer have the same length in their contact area in the MR height direction, so that the pinned layer is in contact with the antiferromagnetic layer throughout its length in the MR height direction, thus raising the exchange coupling force, whereby the inclination in the direction of magnetization can be suppressed more effectively.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head has an air bearing surface and comprises magnetic shield layers, an MR element, bias-applying layers, and a hard magnetic layer. Each of the magnetic shield layers has an end face forming the air bearing surface, and an end face located opposite to the end face. The MR element is located between the magnetic shield layers and on the end face side. The bias-applying layers are located between the magnetic shield layers and are arranged to apply a bias magnetic field to the MR element. The hard magnetic layer is located between the magnetic shield layers and on the end face side. A height of the hard magnetic layer is larger than ? and smaller than ½ of a height of each magnetic shield layer.

Abstract: A composite thin-film magnetic head includes a substrate; a first insulation layer laminated on the substrate; an MR read head element formed on the first insulation layer and provided with a lower shield layer, an upper shield layer and an MR layer in which a sense current flows in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the MR layer through the upper shield layer and the lower shield layer; a second insulation layer laminated on the MR read head element; an inductive write head element formed on the second insulation layer and provided with a lower magnetic pole layer, a recording gap layer, an upper magnetic pole layer whose end portion is opposed to an end portion of the lower magnetic pole layer through the recording gap layer and a write coil; and a nonmagnetic conductive layer electrically conducted with the lower shield layer and opposed to the substrate in order to increase substantially countered area between the lower shield layer and the substrate.

Abstract: In the method of making a thin-film magnetic head in accordance with the present invention, an alignment mark is electrically connected to a multilayer film which will later become a TMR film. Therefore, when the alignment mark is irradiated with a position correcting electron beam in order to correct a drawing position in the subsequent step of electron beam lithography, electric charges of the electron beam flow into the multilayer film without staying in the alignment mark. As a consequence, the position correcting electron beam does not lose its straightforwardness, whereby the drawing position in electron beam lithography can be corrected accurately.

Abstract: In a thin film magnetic head of the present invention, lead formation patterns of a first lead for connection between a lower shield layer and a first extraction electrode portion and a second lead for connection between an upper shield layer and a second extraction electrode portion are each formed so as not to have an overlapping portion with a heatsink layer but to bypass the heatsink layer when observing from the upper shield layer side toward the lower shield layer in a transparent state in plan view. Therefore, it is possible to increase an effect of heat radiation to the substrate side on the basis of the presence of the heatsink layer to thereby limit propagation of heat to a magnetoresistive effect layer as much as possible and further to achieve a drastic improvement in recording and reproducing characteristics at high recording frequencies, i.e. frequency characteristics (f characteristics) in a high frequency region.

Abstract: A parasitic capacity C4 generated between a slider substrate and the first shield layer with the first insulating layer as a capacity layer is made substantially equal to a parasitic capacity C2 occurring between a lower magnetic layer and the second shield layer with the third insulating layer as a capacity layer. Preferably, a connection is made between the lower magnetic layer and the slider substrate by a resistance of preferably 100 (?) or lower. Thus, it is possible to provide a thin-film magnetic head that can hold back deterioration in a reproducing device and the occurrence of errors due to crosstalk between a recording device and the reproducing device and extraneous noises.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of a thin-film magnetic head includes a step of depositing an MR multi-layered film on a lower electrode layer, a step of patterning the deposited MR multi-layered film to define a track width, a step of forming a layer containing at least first insulation layer at both track-width direction sides of the patterned MR multi-layered film, a step of depositing a first additional upper metal layer on the patterned MR multi-layered film and on the layer containing at least first insulation layer, a step of patterning the first additional upper metal layer and the MR multi-layered film to define a length in a direction perpendicular to the track-width direction so as to obtain an MR multi-layered structure, a step of forming a second insulation layer to surround the first additional upper metal layer and the MR multi-layered structure, a step of removing by etching the second insulation layer on the first additional upper metal layer formed on the MR multi-layered structure, a step of thereaf

Abstract: A composite type thin-film magnetic head is provided, which comprises: a MR read head element having an upper shield layer, a lower shield layer, an MR layer in which a sense current flows in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the layer through the upper shield layer and the lower shield layer; an inductive write head element formed on the MR read head element, having an upper magnetic pole layer, a recording gap layer, a lower magnetic pole layer where end portion is opposed to an end portion of the upper magnetic pole layer through the recording gap layer, and a write coil; and a capacitance C12 between the write coil and the upper shield layer, set to 0.1 pF or less.

Abstract: A magnetic head is provided for further improving a correlation between the dynamic characteristics and static characteristics. A lower magnetic shield layer, a magneto-resistive layer, and an upper magnetic shield layer are laminated on a base in this order. A lower lead layer and an upper lead layer apply a sense current to the magneto-resistive layer in a direction substantially perpendicular to the film plane thereof through the magnetic shield layers. The lower magnetic shield layer and upper magnetic shield layer have their shapes and sizes which substantially exactly overlap each other, when viewed in a laminating direction. The lower lead layer is electrically connected to the lower magnetic shield layer. At least a portion of the lower lead layer closer to the lower magnetic shield layer is made of a non-magnetic conductive material. The upper lead layer is electrically connected to the upper magnetic shield layer.