Abstract: An improved method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head, which includes the steps of forming an electrically conductive material coil layer on a substrate of a magnetic material, applying onto the electrically conductive material coil layer, an insulation layer of SiO.sub.2, Si.sub.3 N.sub.4, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and the like by sputtering, plasma chemical vapor deposition process, etc., and further forming a coating layer of SiO.sub.2 on the insulation layer by spin-coating process for flattening the upper surface of the insulation layer.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head including a lower yoke made of magnetic material having a high permeability, a magnetoresistive element and an upper yoke for transmitting magnetic flux to the magnetoresistive element. The upper yoke overlaps, at its rear end portion, a front end portion of the magnetoresistive element, while the lower yoke is formed, at its portion confronting the magnetoresistive element, with a groove such that the magnetoresistive element overlaps, at its rear end portion, the lower yoke.

Abstract: A process for preparing a soft magnetic film of Permalloy on a rugged substrate in an inert gas atmosphere by a multielectrode sputtering method wherein the target voltage and the target current are independently controllable, the Permalloy film being prepared by:(a) setting the inert gas pressure and the target voltage at values below the critical values where the coercive force of the Permalloy film abruptly increases when the film is formed on a flat substrate, and(b) applying to the rugged substrate during film formation a negative bias voltage not lower than a specific value determined by an angle of inclination formed by a stepped portion in the rugged substrate.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head for detecting, as a change in electric resistance, a change in signal magnetic field to be applied along the magnetization-hard-axis direction of a metal ferromagnetic thin film (MR element) having unit-axis anisotropy, which comprises a ferromagnetic film, which is sufficiently larger in coercive force than the metal ferromagnetic thin film, the ferromagnetic film being disposed on a superposed portion between a lead conductor portion and the metal ferromagnetic thin film (MR element), the metal ferromagnetic thin film (MR element) being coupled in ferromagnetic exchange (MR element) to the ferromagnetic film which is larger in coercive force. The ferromagnetic film is magnetized in a direction longitudinally of the MR element.