Abstract: A manufacturing method of a thin-film magnetic head, includes a step of forming many thin-film magnetic heads arranged along row and column directions on a wafer, each of the thin-film magnetic heads having a read head element, a write head element, and pairs of probe-use pads electrically connected with the read head element and the write head element, respectively, the pairs of probe-use pads being positioned so that at least part of each probe-use pad is removed by a cutting process along the row direction, a step of obtaining a plurality of row-bars by cutting the wafer along the row direction so that the at least part of each probe-use pad is removed, each of the obtained row-bars having the thin-film magnetic heads aligned in the row direction, a step of forming pairs of bonding pads electrically connected with the read head element and the write head element, respectively, on a surface opposite to an ABS of each thin-film magnetic head of each of the row-bars, and a step of cutting each row-bar along t

Abstract: A manufacturing method of a thin-film magnetic head, includes a step of forming many thin-film magnetic heads arranged along row and column directions on a wafer, each of the thin-film magnetic heads having a read head element, a write head element, and pairs of probe-use pads electrically connected with the read head element and the write head element, respectively, the pairs of probe-use pads being positioned so that at least part of each probe-use pad is removed by a cutting process along the row direction, a step of obtaining a plurality of row-bars by cutting the wafer along the row direction so that the at least part of each probe-use pad is removed, each of the obtained row-bars having the thin-film magnetic heads aligned in the row direction, a step of forming pairs of bonding pads electrically connected with the read head element and the write head element, respectively, on a surface opposite to an ABS of each thin-film magnetic head of each of the row-bars, and a step of cutting each row-bar along t

Abstract: A method of plating, which allows compositions of plating patterns of a plurality of layers to be uniform without any operational complexity, is provided. The area of the plating layer electrodeposited including plating patterns is constant in each of the plurality of layers. Accordingly, a value of plating-current density is easily maintained constant without any special operation. Consequently, the plating patterns in each of the plurality of layers is easily formed to have an uniform composition.

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: 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: A method of plating, which allows compositions of plating patterns of a plurality of layers to be uniform without any operational complexity, is provided. The area of the plating layer electrodeposited including plating patterns is constant in each of the plurality of layers. Accordingly, a value of plating-current density is easily maintained constant without any special operation. Consequently, the plating patterns in each of the plurality of layers is easily formed to have an uniform composition.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for registering and bonding upper and lower substrate plates together through a sealer material and in such a way as to form a gap of a predetermined width between the two substrate plates. Registered substrate plates are provisionally pressed to form a joined substrate assembly, which is then pressed under heated conditions at a hot press station, thereby compressing the sealer material into a flattened form and at the same time thermally hardening the sealer material to form a predetermined gap space between the two substrate plates. In order to correct positional deviations which occur to the upper and lower substrate plates in the course of the hot pressing, on the basis detected positional deviations of upper and lower substrate plates of a hot-pressed substrate assembly, upper and lower substrates are set in offset positions instead of aligned positions when registering them at the provisional press station to cancel predicted positional deviations at the hot press station.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for registering and bonding upper and lower substrate plates together through a sealer material and in such a way as to form a gap of a predetermined width between the two substrate plates. Registered substrate plates are provisionally pressed to form a joined substrate assembly, which is then pressed under heated conditions at a hot press station, thereby compressing the sealer material into a flattened form and at the same time thermally hardening the sealer material to form a predetermined gap space between the two substrate plates. In order to correct positional deviations which occur to the upper and lower substrate plates in the course of the hot pressing, on the basis detected positional deviations of upper and lower substrate plates of a hot-pressed substrate assembly, upper and lower substrates are set in offset positions instead of aligned positions when registering them at the provisional press station to cancel predicted positional deviations at the hot press station.