JP3453735B2 - Thin film magnetic head - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thin film magnetic head. The present invention mainly discloses a composite type thin film magnetic head in which an inductive magnetic conversion element that serves as a recording element and a magnetoresistive effect (hereinafter referred to as MR) magnetic conversion element that serves as a reproducing element are provided in layers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a thin film magnetic head using an inductive magnetic conversion element as a recording element, the recording pole width must be minimized in order to achieve high surface density recording and improve high frequency reproduction output characteristics. As a prior art which refers to the minimization of the recording pole width, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-263603 can be cited. However, in the above-mentioned prior art, in the air bearing surface (hereinafter referred to as ABS surface) of the thin film magnetic head completed through the manufacturing process, the tip surfaces of the upper pole and the lower pole portion exposed on the ABS surface are etched. It does not disclose a technique for minimizing the recording pole width by applying the technique, but does not disclose a technique for minimizing the recording pole width in the manufacturing process.

Next, in a composite type thin film magnetic head in which the reproducing element is composed of an MR magnetic conversion element and the recording element is composed of an inductive magnetic conversion element, the reproduction output of the MR magnetic conversion element depends on the speed of the recording medium. Therefore, there is an advantage that a high reproduction output can be obtained. Such a composite type thin film magnetic head is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-35088. As can be seen from this publicly known document, conventionally, it was general to provide an inductive magnetic conversion element by laminating it on an MR magnetic conversion element.

However, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-35088, in the structure in which the inductive type magnetic conversion element is laminated on the MR magnetic conversion element, the above described recording pole width is minimized in mass production. There are various problems to be solved in addition to the problems associated with conversion.

First, in the structure in which the inductive magnetic conversion element is laminated on the MR magnetic conversion element, the MR magnetic conversion element is affected by the entire manufacturing process of the inductive magnetic conversion element. Therefore, the characteristics of the magnetic head as a whole are deteriorated, the reliability is lowered, and the yield is lowered.

Particularly, in a thin film magnetic head having a high areal recording density by using a GMR film such as a spin valve film, a superlattice film or a granular film as an MR magnetic conversion element, a heat treatment is performed when manufacturing an induction type magnetic head. GMR depending on temperature
The film is thermally damaged and the reproduction output is significantly reduced. For example, in a spin valve film in which Ni—Fe is used for the magnetic film and Cu is used for the non-magnetic film, the temperature of 200 ° C. to 25 ° C. which is usually applied in the manufacturing process of the inductive magnetic conversion element is used.
At a temperature of 0 ° C. or higher, Ni and Cu are mixed with each other, which disturbs the multilayer structure of the spin valve film.

Next, the overwrite characteristics of the induction type magnetic conversion element are as follows: the apex angle of the coil support (photoresist) and the throat height (Throat) of the pole portion.
Height). Therefore, in mass production, it is extremely important to accurately control the apex angle and the throat height of the pole portion in order to stabilize the characteristics, improve reliability, and improve yield.

Further, factors that greatly affect the yield include the throat height of the inductive magnetic conversion element and the MR height of the MR magnetic conversion element. As known to those skilled in the art, the throat height and the MR height are the positions of the lowermost insulating film of the organic insulating film supporting the coil film and the air bearing surface (hereinafter referred to as ABS surface) of the slider. It is determined by the processing accuracy. In order to set the throat height and the MR height with high accuracy in the conventional structure in which the inductive type magnetic conversion element is laminated on the MR magnetic conversion element, it is necessary to set the maximum value with respect to the already formed MR magnetic conversion element. Mask alignment for the lower insulating film must be performed with a minimum alignment error.

However, the MR magnetic conversion element has a film thickness of only a few hundred angstroms. Moreover, since the pole portion of the lower magnetic film is present on the MR magnetic conversion element, the contour of the MR magnetic conversion element used for alignment becomes unclear. Therefore, it is difficult to align the insulating film mask with the MR magnetic conversion element. As a means for solving this problem, there is a method of providing another pattern different from the MR magnetic conversion element and aligning the insulating film mask with this pattern. In this case,
An alignment error occurs due to the added pattern.

Further, the photoresist supporting the coil film is heat-treated at a temperature of, for example, about 250 ° C. so as to provide a flat coil forming surface for the coil film formed thereon. In this heat treatment step, the photoresist is softened or melted, and the dimensions of the pattern change greatly. Further, when forming the coil film, plating, milling or the like is used as the patterning means. In this patterning step, the pattern of the insulating film serving as a reference for the MR magnetic conversion element is etched again by milling or the like, and the pattern recedes.

When such a photoresist pattern variation occurs, even if the photoresist photomask is aligned with high accuracy with respect to the MR magnetic conversion element or a separately provided pattern, the MR magnetic conversion element. The relative positional relationship of the photoresist with respect to is changed. The variation of the resist pattern reaches 0.5 μm to 0.6 μm depending on the film thickness of the photoresist. In particular, high frequency composite thin film magnetic heads are required to have a throat height of 1.00 μm or less, and correspondingly, it is required to accurately control the resist pattern variation in submicron units. There is.

The conventional technique in which the resist pattern varies greatly cannot be adapted to the current situation, and the MR magnetic conversion element and the induction type magnetic conversion element often have defective characteristics when polishing the ABS surface.

Yet another problem of the conventional composite type thin film magnetic head is that the MR gap is formed after the MR magnetic conversion element is formed, and then the lower magnetic film is formed thereon. The unevenness due to the magnetic conversion element and the shield gap film is reflected as it is on the lower pole portion of the lower magnetic film, and unevenness also occurs on the lower pole portion. It is known that when the upper pole portion of the upper magnetic film is formed on the lower pole portion having such unevenness, the high frequency characteristics of the recording element deteriorate due to the influence of the magnetic field. In order to avoid the deterioration of high frequency characteristics due to the unevenness of the lower pole portion, conventionally, after forming the lower pole portion, for example, CMP (Chemi
A step of flattening by applying the cal mechanical polish method was required.

A composite type thin film magnetic head in which an MR magnetic conversion element is provided on an induction type magnetic conversion element has already been disclosed in JP-A-5-4.
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 6943. However, this prior art does not disclose a structure suitable for aligning the MR magnetic conversion element and the photoresist, and a technique effective for suppressing the pattern variation of the photoresist, particularly in mass production.

[0015]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a thin film magnetic head capable of minimizing the recording pole width, achieving high surface density recording and improving high frequency reproduction output characteristics. That is.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a thin film magnetic head having a structure suitable for minimizing the recording pole width in the manufacturing process.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a thin film magnetic head having a structure capable of uniformly forming a minimized recording pole width.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a thin film magnetic head in which the magnetic field concentration in the recording pole is enhanced and the high frequency recording characteristics and the high areal density recording characteristics are improved.

Still another object of the present invention is a composite type in which the reproducing element is composed of an MR magnetic conversion element and the recording element is composed of an inductive magnetic conversion element, and it is necessary to minimize the recording pole width. An object of the present invention is to provide a composite type thin film magnetic head having a suitable structure.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a composite type thin film magnetic head in which the MR magnetic conversion element is not adversely affected by the manufacturing process of the magnetic conversion element.

Another object of the present invention is to use a GMR film such as a spin valve film, a superlattice film or a granular film as an MR magnetic conversion element, and to prevent thermal damage to the GMR film. Type thin film magnetic head.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a composite type thin film magnetic head capable of accurately controlling the apex angle and the throat height of the pole portion.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a throat height of the inductive magnetic conversion element and an M of the MR magnetic conversion element.
An object of the present invention is to provide a composite type thin film magnetic head capable of accurately setting the R height.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a composite type thin film magnetic head capable of eliminating the pattern variation due to the heat treatment of the photoresist, narrowing the throat height and improving the accuracy. .

Still another object of the present invention is to form a flat lower pole portion without applying the CMP method,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a composite type thin film magnetic head that does not cause deterioration of high frequency characteristics due to unevenness of the lower pole portion.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method suitable for manufacturing the above-mentioned thin film magnetic head.

[0027]

In order to solve the above problems, a thin film magnetic head according to the present invention includes a base and an inductive magnetic conversion element. The base body supports the inductive magnetic conversion element. The inductive magnetic conversion element includes a thin film magnetic circuit including a lower magnetic film, an upper magnetic film, a gap film, and a coil film. The lower magnetic film has a lower pole portion. The upper magnetic film is
It has an upper pole portion facing the lower pole portion through the gap film. In such a structure,
The upper pole portion is composed of a protrusion formed by projecting a part of the lower surface of the upper magnetic film.

According to the above structure, the recording pole width can be minimized to a value determined by the width of the protrusions forming the upper pole portion, high area density recording can be achieved, and high frequency reproduction output characteristics can be improved. it can.

Moreover, since the upper pole portion is formed by the projection in which a part of the lower surface of the upper magnetic film is projected, the magnetic field concentration in the recording pole is increased, and the high frequency recording characteristic and the high areal density recording characteristic are improved. be able to.

Further, the width of the protrusions forming the upper pole portion can be formed extremely finely and highly accurately by the high precision pattern forming technique mainly including photolithography in the manufacturing process of the upper magnetic film. Therefore, the minimized recording pole width can be uniformly formed in the mass production process.

The present invention further discloses a preferred inductive magnetic conversion element structure in the application of the pole structure. This inductive magnetic conversion element has a recess on the surface of the base. The lower magnetic film is attached to the inner surface of the recess, and is further led from the inner surface of the recess to the surface of the base body to form the lower pole portion. The coil film is supported by a coil supporting insulating film and is arranged in the recess. The gap film covers the surface of the lower pole portion and the surface of the coil supporting insulating film.

With the above structure, the gap film on which the upper magnetic film is to be formed can be flattened. The gap film serves as a base for forming the upper magnetic film. Therefore, it becomes possible to form the upper magnetic film on the flat gap film, and not only the accuracy of the entire pattern but also the pattern accuracy of the protrusions forming a part of the upper pole portion is improved.

Since the substrate has a concave portion on the surface thereof, and the insulating film supports the coil film and is disposed in the concave portion, the apex angle and throat height of the insulating film are determined by the angle, shape and shape of the rising surface of the concave portion. By controlling the depth and the like, accurate control can be achieved.

Since the lower magnetic film is attached to the inner surface of the recess and is further guided from the inner surface to the surface of the base body to form the lower pole portion, the inflection point (the inflection point () from the inner surface of the recess to the surface of the base body. Pattern edge) occurs. The throat height of the lower pole portion can be determined with high accuracy based on this pattern edge.

The coil supporting insulating film for supporting the coil film is
Usually, it is made of photoresist, and is heat-treated at a temperature of, for example, about 250 ° C. to provide a flat coil forming surface for the coil film formed thereon. In this heat treatment step, even if the photoresist is softened or melted, the insulating film is arranged in the recess provided in the base made of ceramic, so that the pattern of the insulating film is defined by the pattern of the recess, No pattern variation will occur. Therefore, there is no room for pattern variation due to the heat treatment of the photoresist, and the apex angle of the insulating film,
And, it becomes possible to control the throat height to an accurate value determined by the angle of the rising surface of the recess,
It will be possible to cope with narrowing of the throat height.

The lower magnetic film is guided to the surface of the base body to form the lower pole portion. Therefore, by flattening the surface of the base body on which the lower pole portion is formed, unevenness of the lower pole portion is avoided. can do. Since a gap film having a substantially uniform film thickness is attached to the surface of the lower pole portion and the upper magnetic film is laminated on the gap film,
There is no room for deterioration of high frequency characteristics due to unevenness of the lower pole portion. In this case, unlike the prior art, the step of applying the CMP method to the lower pole portion to flatten it is completely unnecessary, which can contribute to the shortening of the step.

The above-mentioned structure in which the concave portion is provided in the base body and the lower magnetic film and the coil supporting insulating film are arranged inside the concave portion is particularly effective for a composite type thin film magnetic head having an MR magnetic conversion element as a reproducing element. Is. In this case, the MR magnetic conversion element is laminated on the induction type magnetic conversion element.

As described above, when the MR magnetic conversion element is provided on the induction type magnetic conversion element, the MR magnetic conversion element can be formed after the induction type magnetic conversion element is formed. Therefore, the MR magnetic conversion element is not adversely affected by the manufacturing process of the induction type magnetic conversion element.

Even if a GMR film such as a spin valve film, a superlattice film or a granular film is used as the MR magnetic conversion element, the coil film formation of the induction type magnetic conversion element which requires high temperature annealing is the formation of the GMR film. Since it has already been completed at some time, thermal damage is not given to the GMR film. Therefore, it is possible to obtain an MR magnetic conversion element having a stable GMR film.

Moreover, on the flattened upper magnetic film,
Since the MR magnetic conversion elements can be stacked, accurate photomask alignment for the MR magnetic conversion elements can be performed on a flat surface, and the MR magnetic conversion elements can be formed with high accuracy.

Further, since the gap film, the upper magnetic film and the insulating film laminated on the pattern edge of the lower pole portion are very thin, when forming the MR magnetic conversion element, the pattern edge of the lower pole portion is formed. Can be seen from above. Therefore, with reference to the pattern edge, M
A photomask for forming the R magnetic conversion element can be positioned. Therefore, the relative position of the MR magnetic conversion element with respect to the induction type magnetic conversion element can be set with high accuracy.

Other objects, configurations and advantages of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings showing embodiments.

[0043]

1 is a sectional view of a thin film magnetic head according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the thin film magnetic head shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. FIG.
In the figure, the dimensions are exaggerated. The thin-film magnetic head according to the present invention includes a substrate 1 and an inductive magnetic conversion element 2 serving as a recording element.

The substrate 1 is a portion which becomes a slider,
It supports the inductive magnetic conversion element 2. The inductive magnetic conversion element 2 includes a thin film magnetic circuit including a lower magnetic film 21, an upper magnetic film 23, a gap film 22, and coil films 241 and 242. The lower magnetic film 21 has a lower pole portion 211. The surface 10 of the base 1 on which the tip of the lower pole portion 211 is exposed serves as an air bearing surface.
The arrow a indicates the outflow direction of the air that the magnetic recording medium follows.

The upper magnetic film 23 has an upper pole portion 231 facing the lower pole portion 211 via the gap film 22.
have. The upper pole portion 231 is made up of the upper magnetic film 23.
Of the lower surface of the projection. This structure provides, in short, a top pole portion 231 having a T-shaped cross section.

The coil films 241 and 242 are supported by the coil supporting insulating film 25 made of resist. The coil films 241 and 242 are formed of a conductor material such as Cu. Although the drawing shows a two-layer structure of the coil films 241, 242, the coil film may have one layer or three or more layers.

According to the upper pole portion 231 having the T-shaped cross section, the following effects can be obtained. First, the recording pole width PW can be minimized to a value determined by the width of the protrusions forming the upper pole portion 231, so that high areal density recording can be achieved and high frequency reproduction output characteristics can be improved.

Next, since the upper pole portion 231 is formed by a projection in which a part of the lower surface of the upper magnetic film 23 is projected, the magnetic field concentration in the recording pole is increased, and high frequency recording characteristics and high areal density recording characteristics are achieved. Can be improved.

Further, the width of the protrusions forming the upper pole portion 231 can be formed extremely finely and highly accurately in the manufacturing process of the upper magnetic film 23 by the high precision pattern forming technique mainly including photolithography. . Therefore, the minimized recording pole width PW can be uniformly formed in the mass production process.

In the embodiment, the base 1 is provided with an insulating film 12 made of Al ₂ O ₃ or SiO _{2 on} the surface of a main body 11 made of Al ₂ O ₃ .TiC and the like, and a recess 13 is formed on the surface of the insulating film 12. Has been formed. The insulating film 12 is formed to have a film thickness of, for example, about 10 μm. The recess 13 can be formed by means such as ion milling. The inner surface 131 of the recess 13 is raised at an angle that provides an appropriate apex angle and throat height TH.

Lower magnetic film 21 of induction type magnetic conversion element 2
Are attached to the inner surface 131 of the recess 13 and are further guided to the surface of the base 1 to form the lower pole portion 211. The lower magnetic film 21 is attached to the inner surface 131 of the recess 13, and is further guided from the inner surface 131 to the surface of the base body 1 so as to reach the lower pole portion 2.
Since 11 is formed, an inflection point (pattern edge) 21 is formed at a portion where the inner surface 131 of the recess 13 moves to the surface of the base 1.
0 occurs.

The gap film 22 has a substantially uniform film thickness and is attached to the surface of the lower pole portion 211 and the surface of the insulating film 25. The upper magnetic film 23 is the gap film 22.
And has an upper pole portion 231 facing the lower pole portion 211 via the gap film 22, and is magnetically coupled to the lower magnetic film 21 at a connection portion 232 at the rear of the upper pole portion 231. It constitutes a magnetic circuit. As described above, the upper pole portion 231 is formed by the protrusion that is formed by projecting a part of the lower surface of the upper magnetic film 23.

With the above structure, the surface of the gap film 22 on which the upper magnetic film 23 is to be formed can be flattened. The gap film 22 serves as a base for forming the upper magnetic film 23. Therefore, the upper magnetic film 23 is replaced with the flat gap film 22.
Since it can be formed on the upper surface, not only the accuracy of the entire pattern but also the pattern accuracy of the upper pole portion 231 which is a part thereof is improved.

The substrate 1 has a concave portion 13 on the surface thereof, and the insulating film 2
Since 5 is arranged in the recess 13 to support the coil films 241, 242, it is necessary to control the apex angle and throat height of the insulating film 25, and the angle, shape and depth of the rising surface of the recess 13. Can be controlled accurately.

The lower magnetic film 21 has an inner surface 131 of the recess 13.
Further, since the lower pole portion 211 is formed by being guided to the surface of the base body 1 from the inner surface 131, the pattern edge 210 is generated in the portion of the recess 13 that moves from the inner surface 131 to the surface of the base body 1. The throat height TH of the lower pole portion 211 can be determined with high accuracy based on this pattern edge 210.

The coil supporting insulating film 25 for supporting the coil films 241, 242 is usually made of photoresist, and is provided, for example, to provide a flat coil forming surface for the coil films 241, 242 formed thereon. Heat treatment is performed at a temperature of about 250 ° C. In this heat treatment process, even if the photoresist is softened or melted, the insulating film 25 is arranged in the concave portion 13 provided in the base body 1 made of ceramic. It is defined by the pattern and does not cause pattern variations. Therefore, there is no room for pattern variation due to the heat treatment of the photoresist, and the apex angle of the insulating film 25 and the throat height TH can be controlled to an accurate value determined by the angle of the rising surface of the recess 13. The narrowing of the throat height TH becomes possible.

The lower magnetic film 21 is guided to the surface of the base body 1 and forms the lower pole portion 211. Therefore, by planarizing the surface of the base body 1 on which the lower pole portion 211 is formed, the lower pole film 211 is formed. It is possible to avoid the unevenness of the portion 211. Since the gap film 22 having a substantially uniform film thickness is attached to the surface of the lower pole portion 211 and the upper magnetic film 23 is laminated on the gap film 22, the high frequency caused by the unevenness of the lower pole portion 211 is high. There is no room for characteristic deterioration. In this case, unlike the conventional case, the step of applying the CMP method to the lower pole portion 211 to flatten it is not necessary at all, which can contribute to the shortening of the step.

The above structure in which the base 1 is provided with the recess 13 and the lower magnetic film 21 and the coil supporting insulating film 25 are disposed inside the recess 13 is a composite type thin film magnetic head having the MR magnetic conversion element 3 as a reproducing element. , Especially effective. In this case, the MR magnetic conversion element 3 is laminated on the upper magnetic film 23 with the inorganic insulating film 6 such as alumina interposed therebetween. An upper shield film 4 is laminated on the MR magnetic conversion element 3 with an insulating film 7 made of alumina or the like interposed therebetween. The upper shield film 4 is made of a magnetic material such as permalloy or ferrite, and is protected by the protective film 26.

As the MR magnetic conversion element 3, an anisotropic MR is used.
An element, a GMR element, a ferromagnetic tunnel junction element, or the like can be used. Anisotropic MR elements are typically Ni
-It is formed by using a ferromagnetic thin film material such as Fe or Ni-Co. In an anisotropic MR element, a bias magnetic field is usually applied to obtain a detection signal having good linearity with respect to an input magnetic field. As a means for generating a bias magnetic field, a bias conductor film is directly formed on an anisotropic MR element, and a shunt bias method is applied to apply a bias by using a magnetic field generated by a current flowing through the bias conductor film. Then, a magnet bias system or the like in which a thin film permanent magnet is arranged and a magnetic field generated by the thin film permanent magnet is utilized is known, and any structure can be adopted in the present invention.

As the GMR element, a spin valve film, a superlattice GMR film, a granular film or the like which has been proposed or may be proposed can be used. The ferromagnetic tunnel junction element is a ferromagnetic film /
It has a junction structure of an insulating film / ferromagnetic film and utilizes the tunnel effect that appears depending on the relative angle of magnetization of both ferromagnetic films.

As described above, the MR magnetic conversion element 3 has
Since it is provided on the inductive magnetic conversion element 2, the MR magnetic conversion element 3 can be formed after forming the inductive magnetic conversion element 2. Therefore, the MR magnetic conversion element 3 is not adversely affected by the manufacturing process of the inductive magnetic conversion element 2.

Even if a GMR film such as a spin valve film, a superlattice film or a granular film is used as the MR magnetic conversion element 3, the coil film formation of the induction type magnetic conversion element 2 which requires high temperature annealing is performed by the GMR film. Since it has already been completed at the time of formation, there is no thermal damage to the GMR film. Therefore, the MR magnetic conversion element 3 having a stable GMR film can be obtained.

Moreover, since the MR magnetic conversion element 3 can be laminated on the flattened upper magnetic film 23,
The MR magnetic conversion element 3 can be formed with high accuracy by performing accurate photomask alignment on a flat surface.

Further, the gap film 22, the upper magnetic film 23, the insulating film 6 and the like laminated on the pattern edge 210 of the lower pole portion 211 are very thin, and the MR
When forming the magnetic conversion element 3, the pattern edge 210 of the lower pole portion 211 can be seen from above through these laminated films. Therefore, the pattern edge 210
With reference to, the photomask for forming the MR magnetic conversion element 3 can be positioned. Therefore, the relative position of the MR magnetic conversion element 3 with respect to the induction type magnetic conversion element 2 can be set with high accuracy.

Since the gap film 22 has a substantially uniform thickness and is attached to the surface of the insulating film 25, and the upper magnetic film 23 is laminated on the gap film 22, the upper magnetic film 23 is flattened. It can be formed on the gap film 22. In the case of the conventional example in which the MR magnetic conversion element 3 is arranged below the inductive magnetic conversion element 2, in the vicinity of the pole portion of the upper magnetic film 23,
It has been difficult to form the upper pole portion having an accurate pattern, which causes severe unevenness due to the shape of the insulating film that supports the coil film, and thus seriously affects the recording characteristics. On the other hand, in the present invention, since the upper magnetic film 23 and the upper pole portion 231 can be formed on the flat gap film 22, the upper pole portion 231 can be accurately patterned to ensure excellent recording characteristics. You can

Next, referring to FIGS. 4 to 19, FIGS.
A method of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head according to the present invention shown in FIG. The structure of the thin-film magnetic head according to the present invention will be further clarified by the drawings and the description used for explaining these manufacturing methods.

First, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, Al ₂ O ₃ .
An insulating film 12 made of Al ₂ O ₃ or SiO ₂ is provided on the surface of the main body 11 made of TiC or the like, and a recess 13 is formed on the surface of the insulating film 12.
To form. The insulating film 12 is formed to have a film thickness of, for example, about 5 to 10 μm. The concave portion 13 is formed by means of ion milling or the like with an angle so that an appropriate apex angle and throat height can be obtained. A groove 15 is provided on the surface of the base body 1 located on the air bearing surface 10 side, and a groove 16 is also formed on the rear convex portion 14.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the partial magnetic film 21 is attached to the inner surface 131 of the recess 13, and further the inner surface 1
The lower pole portion 211 is formed by being guided from 31 to the surface of the groove 15 formed in the base body 1. In the lower pole portion 211, a pattern edge 210 is formed at a portion where the inner surface 131 of the recess 13 moves to the surface of the groove 15. Lower magnetic film 21
Can be typically formed by sputtering permalloy. Of the lower magnetic film 21, the portion attached to the groove 15 becomes the lower pole portion 211, the portion attached to the inner surface 131 of the recess 13 becomes the yoke portion, and the portion attached to the groove 16 is the upper magnetic film (described later). ) And the connection part. The pole width PW of the lower pole portion 211 is accurately determined by the width of the groove 15. Therefore, the finally obtained recording pole width can be minimized to a value determined by the width of the groove 15, high surface density recording can be achieved, and high frequency reproduction output characteristics can be improved.

After that, the surface of the lower pole portion 211 located in the groove 15 is etched to form a step g1 between the surface of the lower pole portion 211 and the surface of the base 1. 6 and 7 show a state after the etching process is completed. As the etching method, besides ion milling, sputter etching using argon plasma or the like can be used.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the inside of the recess 13 is filled with the insulating film 25 supporting the coil films 241 and 242. The insulating film 25 is formed so as not to be higher than the edge of the recess 13. As such means, a resist etch back method can be adopted.

The insulating film 25 is a photoresist film. The process of forming the coil films 241 and 242 is no different from the conventional process. In forming the coil films 241, 242, the temperature is 200 to 250 ° C. in order to flatten the coil forming surface.
Heat it for a while. Further, the insulating film 25 is SOG (Spin on Glass) which is often used in the semiconductor flattening technology.
Method, or a silicon oxide film or a nitride film formed by a CVD method.

The pattern of the insulating film 25 is defined by the pattern of the concave portion 13 and does not cause a pattern variation. Therefore, there is no room for pattern variation due to the heat treatment of the photoresist, and the apex angle of the insulating film 25 and the throat height TH can be controlled to an accurate value determined by the angle of the rising surface 131 of the recess 13. At the same time, it becomes possible to cope with the narrowing of the throat height TH. Even if patterning processing such as milling is performed when forming the coil films 241, 242, there is no room for the pattern variation in the insulating film 25.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the gap film 22 is attached to the surface of the lower pole portion 211 and the surface of the insulating film 25 so as to have a substantially uniform film thickness. The gap film 22 is typically made of Al ₂ O ₃ , and is attached so as to have a film thickness of, for example, 1000 to 2000 Å. Other than alumina, a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film may be used.

Here, the gap film 22 is attached on the lower pole portion 211 so that a step g2 corresponding to the step g1 is produced. Such a step g2 can be obtained by appropriately selecting the film thickness of the gap film 22 with respect to the step g1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11, the through hole 2 for coupling the upper magnetic film is provided on the convex portion 14.
20 is provided on the gap film 22.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, an upper magnetic film 23 is deposited on the gap film 22. The upper magnetic film 23 is formed so as to fill the step g2 formed on the gap film 22, and as a result, the upper pole portion 231 which is a protrusion formed by projecting a part of the lower surface of the upper magnetic film 23.
Is formed. The upper pole portion 231 faces the lower pole portion 211 via the gap film 22, and thereby a conversion gap is formed.

As described above, since the upper pole portion 231 is formed so as to fill the step g2 formed on the gap film 22 and is formed as a projection in which a part of the lower surface of the upper magnetic film 23 is projected, The recording pole width can be minimized to a value determined by the width of the groove 15, high area density recording can be achieved, and high frequency reproduction output characteristics can be improved.

The connecting portion 2 located behind the upper magnetic film 23.
Reference numeral 32 denotes a lower magnetic film 21 through the through hole 220.
Of the lower magnetic film 21 and the upper magnetic film 23 to complete the magnetic circuit. Here, since the upper magnetic film 23 can be formed on the surface flattened by the gap film 22, the pattern formation by photolithography can be performed with extremely high accuracy.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, after forming the shield gap film 6 on the upper magnetic film 23,
The MR magnetic conversion element 3 is formed on the shield gap film 6 by applying photolithography. When the MR magnetic conversion element 3 is formed by photolithography,
The pattern edge 210 of the lower pole portion 211 can be used as a target. Since the pattern edge 210 serves as a reference for determining the throat height TH of the inductive magnetic conversion element 2, the inductive magnetic conversion element 2 and the MR magnetic conversion element 3 are accurately positioned with the pattern edge 210 as an intermediary. be able to.

Next, as shown in FIG. 16 and FIG.
A shield gap film 7 made of, for example, an alumina film and having a film thickness of 1000 to 2000 angstrom is laminated on the magnetic conversion element 3.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the shield film 4 made of, for example, permalloy is formed on the shield gap film 7. After that, a protective film 25 made of alumina or the like (see FIGS. 1 to 4) is attached. After this, through the usual magnetic head manufacturing processes such as cutting and polishing,
A thin film magnetic head is obtained.

The MR magnetic transducer 3 may cause a change in MR change rate due to film stress and a characteristic change due to processing polishing stress when forming a narrow track surface. Composed of a combination of a silicon oxide film and an alumina film, a combination of a silicon oxide film and a silicon nitride film, or a combination of a silicon oxide film or an alumina film doped with phosphorus or boron that is often used in semiconductor passivation films. You may.

FIG. 20 is a sectional view showing still another embodiment of the thin film magnetic head according to the present invention, and FIG. 21 is an enlarged sectional view of the thin film magnetic head shown in FIG. In the figure,
The same components as those in FIG. 19 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In this embodiment, the insulating film 25 is
The surface is lower than the surface of the lower pole portion 211. The inorganic insulating film 10 is formed so as to fill the step d1 generated between the surface of the insulating film 25 and the surface of the lower pole portion 211.
0 is filled, and the gap film 22 is attached to the surface of the lower pole portion 211 and the surface of the inorganic insulating film 100. The inorganic insulating film 100 is made of the same material as the gap film 22,
For example, Al ₂ O ₃ or SiO ₂ can be used. The advantage of this embodiment is that the surface of the insulating film 25 is located lower than the surface of the lower pole portion 211, so that the pattern edge 210 serving as the reference of the throat height TH and the photomask alignment reference of the MR magnetic conversion element 3 is , To be clearer.

Next, referring to FIGS. 22 to 39, FIG.
A method of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head according to the present invention shown in FIG. 21 will be described.

First, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, Al
Al ₂ O ₃ or SiO _{2 on} the surface of the main body 11 made of ₂ O ₃ .TiC or the like.
And the like, and the recess 13 is formed on the surface of the insulating film 12.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the lower magnetic film 21 is formed on the inner surface 131 of the recess 13 and the surface of the substrate 1.
Attach.

Next, as shown in FIG. 26, the inside of the recess 13 is filled with the insulating film 25 supporting the coil films 241 and 242. The insulating film 25 is formed to be lower than the surface of the lower pole portion 211 by the thickness d1 of the lower magnetic film 21.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the lower pole portion 211 has a film thickness larger than the step d1 generated between the surface of the insulating film 25 and the surface of the lower pole portion 211. And the inorganic insulating film 100 so as to cover the insulating film 25.
To form.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, the surface of the inorganic insulating film 100 is polished to be flattened so as to substantially coincide with the surface of the lower pole portion 211. This flattening is CM
This can be done by applying the P method.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, the surface of the lower pole portion 211 is etched to form a step g1 between the surface of the lower pole portion 211 and the surface of the substrate 1. As described above, as the etching method, ion milling may be used, or sputter etching using argon plasma may be used.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 33 and 34, the gap film 22 is attached on the inorganic insulating film 100. The gap film 22 has a step g1 above the lower pole portion 211.
It is attached so that a step g2 corresponding to The gap film 22 is typically made of Al ₂ O ₃ . Other than alumina, a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film may be used.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 35 and 36, the upper magnetic film 23 is deposited on the gap film 22. The upper magnetic film 23 is formed so as to fill the step g2 formed on the gap film 22, thereby forming the upper pole portion 231 which is a projection obtained by projecting a part of the lower surface of the upper magnetic film 23. The upper pole portion 231 faces the lower pole portion 211 via the gap film 22, and thereby a conversion gap is formed. The width of the recording pole is the upper pole 2
The width of the protrusion 31 is minimized. Therefore, it is possible to achieve high surface density recording and improve high frequency reproduction output characteristics.

The upper magnetic film 23 is the upper pole portion 23.
1 is magnetically coupled to the lower magnetic film 21 through the through hole 220 at the connection portion at the rear of 1. Here, since the upper magnetic film 23 can be formed on the surface flattened by the gap film 22, the pattern formation by photolithography can be performed with extremely high accuracy.

The subsequent steps are as shown in FIGS. 14 to 19, whereby the thin film magnetic head having the structure shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 is obtained.

The thin film magnetic head shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 can also be manufactured by the manufacturing method shown in FIGS. 37 to 51.

First, as shown in FIGS. 37 and 38, the recess 13 is formed on the surface of the substrate 1 by the means already described.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 39 and 40, the recess 1
3 and the lower magnetic film 21 on the surface of the base 1, and at least the surface of the lower pole portion 211 of the lower magnetic film 21 is made of a material different from that of the lower magnetic film 21 and between the lower magnetic film 21 and the lower magnetic film 21. A metal film 200 that can be selectively etched is formed. An example of the metal film 200 that can be selectively etched is molybdenum when the lower magnetic film 21 is made of permalloy. In addition to molybdenum, T
You may use i, TiN, Ta, Ni, etc.

Next, as shown in FIG. 41, the inside of the recess 13 is filled with the coil supporting insulating film 25 supporting the coil films 241 and 242.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 42 and 43, the inorganic insulating film 100 is attached to the surface of the substrate 1, the surface of the metal film 200 on the lower pole portion 211, and the surface of the coil supporting insulating film 25.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 44 and 45, the surface of the inorganic insulating film 100 is etched until the surface of the metal film 200 is exposed. When the lower magnetic film 21 is made of permalloy and the metal film 200 is made of molybdenum, as described above, by the Freon-based dry etching,
The metal film 200 can be selectively etched.

By selectively etching the metal film 200 as described above, the lower pole portion 211 is exposed and the lower pole portion 2 is exposed, as shown in FIGS.
A step g1 is formed between the surface of the metal film 11 and the surface of the inorganic insulating film 100 by removing the metal film 200.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 48 and 49, the gap film 22 covering the lower pole portion 211 and the surface of the coil supporting insulating film 25 is attached. The gap film 22 is
On the lower pole portion 211, a step g corresponding to the step g1
Attach so that 2 results.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 50 and 51, the upper magnetic film 23 is laminated on the gap film 22. The upper magnetic film 23 is formed so as to fill the step g2 formed on the gap film 22, thereby forming the upper pole portion 231 which is a projection obtained by projecting a part of the lower surface of the upper magnetic film 23. The upper pole portion 231 is located in the step g2 attached to the gap film 22 and faces the lower pole portion 211. In addition, the upper magnetic film 23 is magnetically coupled to the lower magnetic film 21 at the connection portion behind the upper pole portion 231.

The subsequent steps are as shown in FIGS. 14 to 19, whereby the thin film magnetic head having the structure shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 is obtained.

FIG. 52 is a sectional view showing still another embodiment of the thin film magnetic head according to the present invention, and FIG. 53 is 53-5 of FIG.
It is sectional drawing which followed the 3 line. In the drawings, the same components as those shown in the previous drawings are designated by the same reference numerals.
In the embodiment, the groove 15 has an inclined surface whose opposite side edges open upward. According to this configuration,
To obtain the minimized recording pole width, the upper magnetic film 23 can be attached onto the gap film 22 through the opening of the expanded groove. Therefore, the minimized recording pole width can be formed uniformly. Next, this point will be specifically described with reference to the manufacturing method.

54 to 62 are views showing a method of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head shown in FIGS. 52 and 53. First, FIG.
4 and FIG. 55, after the surface of the lower pole portion 211 is etched to form a step g1 between the surface of the inorganic insulating film 100 that substantially forms a part of the base body 1, As shown by 56, both side edges having a step are etched to open upward, inclined surfaces 101, 1
02 is formed.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 57 and 58, the gap film 22 is deposited on the inorganic insulating film 100. The gap film 22 has a step g on the lower pole portion 211.
It is attached so that a step g2 corresponding to 1 is generated. The details of the gap film 22 have already been described.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 59 and 60, the upper magnetic film 23 is deposited on the gap film 22. The upper pole portion 231 of the upper magnetic film 23 faces the lower pole portion 211 with the gap film 22 in between, thereby forming a conversion gap. In this case, the upper magnetic film 23 passes through the opening expanded by the inclined surfaces 101 and 102,
It can be attached on the upper gap film 22. Therefore, the minimized recording pole width can be formed uniformly.

Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 61 and 62, the surface of the upper magnetic film 23 is flattened. Subsequent steps are as shown in FIGS.
2, a thin film magnetic head having the structure shown in FIG. 53 is obtained.

FIG. 63 is a cross-sectional view showing still another embodiment of the thin film magnetic head according to the present invention, and FIG. 64 is 64-6 of FIG.
It is sectional drawing which followed the 4 line. The same components as those of the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
The feature of this embodiment is that the upper pole portion 231 is composed of a plurality of magnetic films 233 and 234 having different saturation magnetic flux densities. At least one of the plurality of magnetic films 233 and 234 uses a magnetic material (Hi-Bs material) having a higher saturation magnetic flux density than other films. Particularly preferably, the magnetic film 233 having a high saturation magnetic flux density is provided adjacent to the gap film 22.

With such a structure, it is possible to enhance the magnetic field concentration and improve the high frequency recording characteristics and the high areal density recording characteristics in the miniaturized recording pole. Magnetic film 23
As a Hi-Bs material suitable for forming No. 3, when the magnetic film 234 is made of permalloy having a normal composition,
Permalloy having a ratio of Ni-50% and Fe-50% can be used. Unlike the embodiment, both the lower magnetic film 21 or both the upper magnetic film 23 and the lower magnetic film 21 may have a laminated film structure containing a Hi-Bs material.

65 to 73 are views showing a method of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head shown in FIGS. 63 and 64. According to the steps already described, as shown in FIGS. 65 and 66, the surface of the lower pole portion 211 is etched to form the inorganic insulating film 1
A step difference g1 is generated between the surface of No. 00 and the surface of No. 00.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 67 and 68, the gap film 22 is attached on the inorganic insulating film 100 and the lower pole portion 211. The gap film 22 is attached on the lower pole portion 211 so that a step g2 corresponding to the step g1 is generated. The details of the gap film 22 have already been described.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 69 and 70, a first upper magnetic film 233 is laminated on the gap film 22.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 71 and 72, the first
The surface of the upper magnetic film 233 is etched. This etching is performed so that the first upper magnetic film 233 remains only in the groove 15. Further, as the etching means, milling or sputter etching using argon plasma can be adopted.

Through the above etching process, the upper pole portion of the first upper magnetic film 233 attached in the groove 15 is changed to the lower pole portion 21 via the gap film 22.
It comes to face 1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 73, a second upper magnetic film 234 having a saturation magnetic flux density different from that of the first upper magnetic film 233 is deposited on the first upper magnetic film 233. Subsequent steps are as previously described, whereby FIG.
3. A thin film magnetic head having the structure shown in FIG. 64 is obtained.

FIG. 74 is a sectional view showing still another embodiment of the thin film magnetic head according to the present invention. In the embodiment, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals. The feature of this embodiment is that the concave portion 13 is formed in the main body portion 11, and the insulating film 12 is attached to the inner surface of the concave portion 13 and the surface of the main body portion 11 while preserving its shape. Therefore, the film thickness of the insulating film 12 becomes remarkably thin as compared with the above-described embodiments. Therefore, heat dissipation is improved.

Although description and illustration are omitted, it goes without saying that various combinations of the embodiments are possible.

[0120]

As described above, according to the thin film magnetic head of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (A) It is possible to provide a thin film magnetic head that can minimize the recording pole width to achieve high areal density recording and improve high frequency reproduction output characteristics. (B) It is possible to provide a thin film magnetic head having a structure suitable for minimizing the recording pole width in the manufacturing process. (C) It is possible to provide a thin film magnetic head having a structure capable of uniformly forming a minimized recording pole width. (D) It is possible to provide a thin film magnetic head in which the magnetic field concentration in the recording pole is increased and the high frequency recording characteristics and the high areal density recording characteristics are improved. (E) A composite type thin-film magnetic head having a structure in which a reproducing element is composed of an MR magnetic conversion element and a recording element is composed of an inductive magnetic conversion element, and which has a structure suitable for minimizing a recording pole width. can do. (F) It is possible to provide a composite type thin film magnetic head in which the MR magnetic conversion element is not adversely affected by the manufacturing process of the magnetic conversion element. (G) When a GMR film such as a spin valve film, a superlattice film or a granular film is used as the MR magnetic conversion element, G
It is possible to provide a composite type thin film magnetic head for high areal recording density which does not cause thermal damage to the MR film. (H) It is possible to provide a composite type thin film magnetic head capable of accurately controlling the apex angle and the throat height of the pole portion. (I) It is possible to provide a composite thin film magnetic head capable of setting the throat height of the inductive magnetic conversion element and the MR height of the MR magnetic conversion element with high accuracy. (J) It is possible to provide a high-frequency composite thin-film magnetic head capable of eliminating the pattern variation due to the heat treatment of the photoresist and coping with the narrowing of the throat height. (K) It is possible to provide a composite thin-film magnetic head in which a flat lower pole portion can be formed without applying the CMP method and deterioration of high frequency characteristics due to unevenness of the lower pole portion does not occur.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a thin film magnetic head according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the thin film magnetic head shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process of the thin film magnetic head shown in FIGS.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

9 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIG.

10 is a sectional view taken along the line 10-10 of FIG.

11 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG.

12 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIG.

13 is a sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 12 and 13.

15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 15-15 of FIG.

16 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG.

17 is a sectional view taken along line 17-17 of FIG.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 16 and 17.

19 is a sectional view taken along the line 19-19 of FIG.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the thin film magnetic head according to the present invention.

21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 21-21 of FIG.

22 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process of the thin-film magnetic head shown in FIGS. 20 and 21. FIG.

23 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 23-23 of FIG.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 22 and 23.

25 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 25-25 of FIG.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 24 and 25.

27 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIG. 26. FIG.

28 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 28-28 of FIG.

29 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 27 and 28. FIG.

30 is a sectional view taken along the line 30-30 of FIG.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 29 and 30.

32 is a sectional view taken along the line 32-32 of FIG.

FIG. 33 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 31 and 32.

34 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 34-34 in FIG. 33.

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 33 and 34.

36 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 36-36 of FIG. 35.

FIG. 37 shows another method of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head shown in FIGS. 20 and 21.

38 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 38-38 of FIG. 37.

FIG. 39 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 37 and 38.

FIG. 40 is a sectional view taken along the line 39-39 of FIG. 39.

41 is a diagram showing a step after the step shown in FIGS. 39 and 40. FIG.

42 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIG. 41. FIG.

43 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 43-43 of FIG.

44 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 42 and 43. FIG.

45 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 45-45 of FIG. 44.

FIG. 46 is a diagram showing a step after the step shown in FIGS. 44 and 45.

47 is a sectional view taken along the line 47-47 in FIG. 46.

48 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 46 and 47. FIG.

49 is a sectional view taken along the line 49-49 in FIG.

50 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 48 and 49. FIG.

51 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 51-51 of FIG.

52 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the thin film magnetic head according to the present invention. FIG.

53 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 53-53 in FIG. 52.

54 is a diagram showing a method of manufacturing the thin film magnetic head shown in FIGS. 52 and 53. FIG.

55 is a sectional view taken along the line 55-55 in FIG. 54.

FIG. 56 is a cross-sectional view showing a step after the step shown in FIGS. 54 and 55.

57 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIG. 56. FIG.

58 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 58-58 of FIG. 57.

FIG. 59 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 57 and 58.

FIG. 60 is a sectional view taken along the line 60-60 of FIG. 59.

FIG. 61 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 59 and 60.

62 is a sectional view taken along the line 62-62 in FIG. 61.

FIG. 63 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the thin film magnetic head according to the present invention.

64 is a sectional view taken along the line 64-64 in FIG. 63.

FIG. 65 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process of the thin-film magnetic head shown in FIGS. 63 and 64.

66 is a sectional view taken along the line 66-66 of FIG. 65.

67 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 65 and 66. FIG.

68 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 68-68 in FIG. 67.

FIG. 69 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 67 and 68.

70 is a sectional view taken along the line 70-70 in FIG. 69.

71 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 69 and 70. FIG.

72 is a sectional view taken along the line 72-72 in FIG. 71.

73 is a diagram showing a step that follows the step shown in FIGS. 71 and 72. FIG.

FIG. 74 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the thin-film magnetic head according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 base 2-induction type magnetic conversion element 3 MR magnetic transducer 13 recess 21 Lower magnetic film 22 Gap film 23 Upper magnetic film 241,242 coil film 211 Lower pole part 231 Upper pole part

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tsutomu Koyanagi 1-13-1 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo TDK Corporation (56) References JP-A-5-166132 (JP, A) JP-A-1 -96814 (JP, A) JP-A-2-68704 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G11B 5/31

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head having at least an inductive magnetic conversion element on a base, comprising forming a recess and a groove on the surface of the base, the recess, the groove and the surface of the base. A lower magnetic film is attached on the upper surface, and the surface of the lower pole portion of the lower magnetic film located in the groove is etched to form a step between the surface of the lower pole portion and the surface of the base. The inside of the recess is filled with a coil supporting insulating film supporting a coil film, and a gap film covering the surface of the lower pole portion and the surface of the coil supporting insulating film is attached, and the gap film is The upper pole portion of the upper magnetic film is attached to the gap film, and the upper magnetic film is laminated on the gap film so that a step corresponding to the step is formed on the lower pole portion. The above A method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head, wherein the thin film magnetic head is attached inside a step so as to face the lower pole portion, and is magnetically coupled to the lower magnetic film at a connection portion behind the upper pole portion. 2. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, further comprising: stacking a magnetoresistive effect type magnetic conversion element on the upper magnetic film via an insulating film. 3. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein after a step is formed between the surface of the lower pole portion and the surface of the base body, and before the gap film is attached, A method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head, wherein opposite side edges of a groove formed by the step are etched to form an inclined surface that opens upward. 4. A method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head having at least an inductive magnetic conversion element on a base, comprising forming a recess on the surface of the base, and forming a lower magnetic film on the surface of the recess and the base. A metal film having a material different from that of the lower magnetic film and capable of being selectively etched with the lower magnetic film is attached to at least the surface of the lower pole portion of the lower magnetic film. A coil supporting insulating film supporting a coil film, and an inorganic insulating film is adhered to the surface of the base body, the surface of the metal film on the lower pole portion and the surface of the coil supporting insulating film. The surface of the insulating film is etched until the surface of the metal film is exposed, the metal film is selectively etched to expose the lower pole portion, and the surface of the lower pole portion and the surface of the substrate are exposed. A gap is formed between the surface and the surface by etching the metal film, and a gap film is attached to the surface of the lower pole portion and the coil supporting insulating film. , So as to form a step corresponding to the step, an upper magnetic film is attached on the gap film, and an upper pole portion of the upper magnetic film is attached in the step provided on the gap film. A method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head in which a lower magnetic film is magnetically coupled at a connection portion behind the upper pole portion by facing the lower pole portion. 5. The method for manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to claim 4, further comprising a magnetoresistive effect type magnetic conversion element laminated on the upper magnetic film with an insulating film interposed therebetween. 6. The manufacturing method according to claim 4, wherein a step is formed between the surface of the lower pole portion and the surface of the base by etching the metal film, and then the gap is formed. A method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head, wherein, before attaching a film, opposite side edges of a groove formed by the step are etched to form an inclined surface that opens upward.