JP2000195013A - Fabrication method of thin film magnetic head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily fabricate a structure with a magnetic pole portion and an insulating layer provided adjacent to each other, and capable of precisely defining a throat height of a recording head. SOLUTION: An insulating layer 20a is formed on a lower magnetic pole layer 18 so as to have an opening at a position corresponding to a tip portion of a lower magnetic pole (a lower pole tip). The insulating layer 20a is formed by an insulating material, e.g. alumina, by, for example, a sputtering method or a CVD method. A magnetic layer 19 is formed on the insulating layer 20a and the lower magnetic pole layer 18. The magnetic layer 19 is then planarized by CMP(Chemical and Mechanical Polishing) to expose a surface of the insulating layer 20a. Thus, the tip portion of the lower magnetic pole (the lower pole tip) adjacent to the insulating layer 20a is formed on the lower magnetic pole layer 18.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a thin film magnetic head having at least an inductive magnetic transducer for writing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as the areal recording density of a hard disk drive has been improved, the performance of a thin film magnetic head has been required to be improved. As the thin film magnetic head, a composite thin film having a structure in which a recording head having an inductive magnetic transducer for writing and a reproducing head having a magnetoresistive (MR) element for reading is stacked. Magnetic heads are widely used. As an MR element, an anisotropic magnetoresistance (hereinafter, AMR) is used.
stive). AMR element using a film having an effect) and a giant magnetoresistance (hereinafter referred to as GMR (Giant Magneto Resi
stive). There is a GMR element using a film having an effect. A reproducing head using an AMR element is called an AMR head or simply an MR head, and a reproducing head using a GMR element is called a GMR head. The AMR head is used as a reproducing head having a surface recording density exceeding 1 gigabit / (inch) ² , and the GMR head is used as a reproducing head having a surface recording density exceeding 3 gigabit / (inch) ² .

Generally, an AMR film is a single layer structure made of a magnetic material exhibiting the MR effect. On the other hand, many GMR films have a multilayer structure in which a plurality of films are combined. There are several types of mechanisms by which the GMR effect occurs.
The layer structure of the MR film changes. As a GMR film, a superlattice G
Although an MR film, a spin valve film, a granular film, and the like have been proposed, the spin valve film is promising as a GMR film that is relatively simple in structure, exhibits a large resistance change even with a weak magnetic field, and is premised on mass production. .

Factors that determine the performance of the reproducing head include the pattern width, particularly the MR height. The MR height refers to the length (height) from the end on the air bearing surface side of the MR element to the end on the opposite side. The MR height is originally controlled by the polishing amount at the time of processing the air bearing surface. The air bearing surface (ABS) mentioned here
Is a surface of the thin-film magnetic head facing the magnetic recording medium, and is also called a track surface.

On the other hand, as the performance of the reproducing head is improved, the performance of the recording head is also required to be improved. To increase the recording density of the performance of the recording head, it is necessary to increase the track density in the magnetic recording medium. For this purpose, the width of the lower magnetic pole (bottom pole) and the upper magnetic pole (top pole) formed above and below the write gap (write gap) on the air bearing surface is reduced from several microns to submicron order. It is necessary to realize a recording head having a track structure, and therefore, a semiconductor processing technique is used.

Another factor that determines the performance of the recording head is the throat height (TH). The throat height refers to the length (height) of a portion (magnetic pole portion) from the air bearing surface to the edge of the insulating layer that electrically separates the thin-film coil. In order to improve the performance of the recording head, it is desired to reduce the throat height. This throat height is also controlled by the amount of polishing when processing the air bearing surface.

In order to improve the performance of a thin film magnetic head,
It is important to form the above-described recording head and reproducing head in a well-balanced manner.

Here, FIGS. 16 (a), (b) through 21
With reference to (a) and (b), an example of a method of manufacturing a composite thin film magnetic head will be described as an example of a conventional thin film magnetic head.

First, as shown in FIG. 16, for example, alumina (aluminum oxide, Al ₂ O ₃ ) is formed on a substrate 101 made of, for example, Altic (Al ₂ O ₃ .TiC).
The insulating layer 102 is formed with a thickness of about 5 to 10 μm. Subsequently, a lower shield layer 1 for a reproducing head made of, for example, permalloy (NiFe) is formed on the insulating layer 102.
03 is formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 17, for example, alumina is coated on the lower shield layer 103 by 100 to 200 nm.
And a shield gap film 104 is formed. Next, on the shield gap film 104, M
An MR film 105 for forming an R element is formed with a thickness of several tens of nm, and is formed into a desired shape by high-precision photolithography. Subsequently, a lead terminal layer 106 for the MR film 105 is formed by a lift-off method. Next, a shield gap film 107 is formed on the shield gap film 104, the MR film 105, and the lead terminal layer 106,
The film 105 and the lead terminal layer 106 are embedded in the shield gap films 104 and 107. Subsequently, on the shield gap film 107, a magnetic material used for both the read head and the write head, for example, an upper shield / lower magnetic pole (hereinafter, referred to as a lower magnetic pole) 108 having a thickness of 3 μm made of permalloy (NiFe) is formed. I do.

Next, as shown in FIG.
08, an insulating layer such as an alumina film having a thickness of 200
A recording gap layer 109 of nm is formed. Further, the recording gap layer 109 is patterned by photolithography, and an opening 109 for connecting the upper magnetic pole and the lower magnetic pole is formed.
a is formed. Then, the permalloy (N
A magnetic pole tip (pole tip) 110 is formed of a magnetic material such as iFe) or iron nitride (FeN), and a connection pattern 110a between the upper magnetic pole and the lower magnetic pole is formed. The lower magnetic pole 108 is formed by the connection pattern 110a.
Is connected to an upper magnetic pole layer 116 to be described later.
(Chemical and Mechanical Polishing) It becomes easy to form an opening (through hole) after the step.

Next, as shown in FIG. 19, the recording gap layer 109 and the lower magnetic pole 108 are separated by about 0.3 to 0.5 μm by ion milling using the magnetic pole tip 110 as a mask.
Etch about m. By etching the lower magnetic pole 108 to form a trim structure, the spread of the effective write track width is prevented (that is, the spread of the magnetic flux in the lower magnetic pole during data writing is suppressed). Subsequently, an insulating layer 111 made of, for example, alumina having a thickness of about 3 μm is formed on the entire surface, and the entire surface is flattened by CMP.

Next, as shown in FIG.
1, a first-layer thin-film coil 11 for an inductive recording head made of, for example, copper (Cu) by plating, for example.
2 is formed selectively, and a photoresist film 113 is formed in a predetermined pattern on the insulating layer 111 and the thin film coil 112 by high-precision photolithography. Subsequently, heat treatment is performed at a predetermined temperature to planarize the photoresist film 113 and to insulate the thin film coil 112 from each other. Further, similarly, a second-layer thin-film coil 114 and a photoresist film 115 are formed on the photoresist film 113, and a predetermined temperature is set for flattening the photoresist film 115 and insulating between the thin-film coils 114. Heat treatment.

Next, as shown in FIG. 21, an upper yoke / upper magnetic pole layer (hereinafter referred to as an upper magnetic pole) made of a magnetic material for a recording head, for example, permalloy, is formed on the magnetic pole tip 110 and the photoresist films 113 and 115. A layer 116 is formed. The upper magnetic pole layer 116 is
2, 114, the lower magnetic pole 108
And is magnetically coupled. Subsequently, the upper magnetic pole layer 1
On the overcoat layer 1 made of, for example, alumina
17 is formed. Finally, the slider is machined to form track surfaces (air bearing surfaces) 118 of the recording head and the reproducing head, thereby completing the thin-film magnetic head. In FIG. 21, TH represents the throat height, and MR-H represents the MR height. P2W represents the track (magnetic pole) width.

In addition to the throat height TH and MR height MR-H, factors that determine the performance of the thin-film magnetic head include an Apex Angle as indicated by θ in FIG. The apex angle refers to an angle between a straight line connecting the corners of the side surfaces on the track surface side of the photoresist films 113 and 115 and the upper surface of the upper magnetic pole layer 116.

[0016]

In order to improve the performance of the thin-film magnetic head, the throat height TH, MR height MR-H, apex angle θ as shown in FIG.
It is important to accurately form the track width P2W.

In particular, in recent years, in order to enable high areal density recording, that is, to form a recording head having a narrow track structure, the track width P2W is required to have a submicron size of 1.0 μm or less. I have. For that purpose, a technology for processing the upper magnetic pole to submicron using semiconductor processing technology is required. Further, with the narrow track structure, it is desired to use a magnetic material having a higher saturation magnetic flux density for the magnetic pole.

The problem here is that the photoresist film (for example, the photoresist films 113 and 11 shown in FIG.
It is difficult to finely form an upper magnetic pole layer (top pole) 116 formed on a coil portion (apex portion) covered with 5) and raised in a mountain shape.

As a method of forming the upper magnetic pole, for example, a frame plating method is used as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-262519. When the upper magnetic pole is formed by using the frame plating method, first, a thin electrode film made of, for example, permalloy is entirely formed on the apex portion. Next, a photoresist is applied thereon and patterned by photolithography to form a frame (outer frame) for plating. Then, the upper magnetic pole is formed by plating using the electrode film formed earlier as a seed layer.

The above-mentioned apex portion has a height difference of, for example, 7 to 10 μm or more. The thickness of the photoresist formed on the apex portion is at least 3 μm.
If it is necessary, the photoresist having fluidity is collected on the lower side, so that a photoresist film having a thickness of, for example, 8 to 10 μm or more is formed below the apex portion. As described above, in order to form a narrow track, it is necessary to form a submicron-width pattern using a photoresist film. Therefore, 8 to 1
It is necessary to form a submicron-width fine pattern using a photoresist film having a thickness of 0 μm or more, but this has been extremely difficult.

Furthermore, at the time of photolithographic exposure,
Exposure light is reflected by, for example, an electrode film made of permalloy, and the photoresist is also exposed by the reflected light,
Deformation of the photoresist pattern occurs. As a result, the upper magnetic pole cannot be formed in a desired shape, for example, the side wall of the upper magnetic pole has a rounded shape. As described above, conventionally, it has been extremely difficult to accurately control the track P2W and accurately form the upper magnetic pole for the narrow track structure.

In view of the above, FIG.
As shown in the steps of FIGS. 8 to 21, after forming a track width of 1.0 μm or less at the magnetic pole tip 110 effective for forming a narrow track of the recording head, the upper portion which also serves as the yoke portion and this magnetic pole tip 110. A method of connecting the magnetic pole layer 116, that is, a method of dividing a normal upper magnetic pole into two parts: a magnetic pole tip 110 that determines a track width and an upper magnetic pole layer 116 that serves as a yoke for inducing magnetic flux. (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 62-245509 and 60-245).
No. 10409). By dividing the upper magnetic pole into two in this way, it becomes possible to finely process one magnetic pole tip 110 into a submicron width on the flat surface of the recording gap layer 109.

However, this thin-film magnetic head still has the following problems.

(1) First, in the conventional magnetic head, the throat height is determined at the end of the magnetic pole tip 110 far from the track surface 118. However, when the width of the magnetic pole tip 110 is reduced, the pattern edge is formed round in photolithography. For this reason, the throat height, which requires high-precision dimensions, becomes non-uniform, and a lack of balance with the track width of the magnetoresistive effect element occurs during the processing and polishing of the track surface. For example, if the track width is 0.
When 5 to 0.6 μm is required, the end of the magnetic pole tip 110 remote from the track surface 118 shifts from the throat height zero position to the track surface side, and a large write gap is opened, making it impossible to write recording data. The problem often occurred.

(2) Next, as described above, in the conventional magnetic head, the track width of the recording head is defined by the magnetic pole tip 110 of one of the two divided upper magnetic poles. It can be said that the magnetic pole layer 116 does not need to be processed as finely as the magnetic pole tip 110. However,
Since the upper magnetic pole layer 116 is positioned above the magnetic pole tip 110 by photolithographic alignment, when both are largely displaced to one side when viewed from the track surface 118 (FIG. 21) side, the upper magnetic pole layer 116 A so-called side write occurs in which writing is performed on the 116 side. As a result, the effective track width becomes wide, and a problem occurs that writing is performed in an area other than the original data recording area on the hard disk.

The track width of the recording head is extremely fine,
In particular, when the thickness becomes 0.5 μm or less, the upper magnetic pole layer 116
Also, a processing accuracy of a submicron width is required. That is, when viewed from the track surface 118 (FIG. 21) side,
If the dimensional difference in the horizontal direction between the magnetic pole tip 110 and the upper magnetic pole layer 116 is too large, as in the above case, side writing occurs, and writing is performed in an area other than the original data recording area. appear.

For this reason, it is necessary to process not only the magnetic pole tip 110 but also the upper magnetic pole layer 116 to have a submicron width. However, the apex portion below the upper magnetic pole layer 116 still has the above-described structure. Because there is such a large height difference,
Fine processing of the upper magnetic pole layer 116 was difficult.

(3) Further, there is a problem that it is difficult to shorten the magnetic path length (Yoke Length) in the conventional magnetic head. That is, as the coil pitch is narrower, a head with a shorter magnetic path length can be realized, and a recording head having particularly excellent high-frequency characteristics can be formed. The distance from the position where the height is zero to the outer peripheral end of the coil is a major factor that hinders the magnetic path length. Since the magnetic path length of a two-layer coil can be shorter than that of a single-layer coil, many high-frequency recording heads employ a two-layer coil. However, in a conventional magnetic head, a photoresist film is formed with a thickness of about 2 μm in order to form an insulating layer between the coils after the first-layer coil is formed. Therefore, 1
A small rounded apex portion is formed at the outer peripheral end of the coil of the layer. Next, a second-layer coil is formed thereon. At this time, in the inclined portion of the apex portion,
Since the seed layer of the coil cannot be etched and the coil is short-circuited, a second-layer coil cannot be formed. Therefore, the coil of the second layer needs to be formed on a flat portion. If the thickness of the coil is 2 to 3 μm and the thickness of the inter-coil insulating layer is 2 μm, the slope of the apex is 4 μm.
In the case of 5 to 55 degrees, the distance from the outer peripheral end of the coil to the vicinity of the zero position of the throat height is twice the distance of 4 to 5 μm (the distance from the contact between the upper magnetic pole and the lower magnetic pole to the outer peripheral end of the coil is also 4 to 5 μm. ) Of 8 to 10 μm is required, which is a factor that hinders the reduction of the magnetic path length. For example, when an 11-turn coil having a line / space of 1.0 μm / 1.0 μm is formed by two layers, if the first layer has six turns and the second layer has five turns, the length of the portion occupying the coil having the magnetic path length is set 11μ
m. Here, since the apex portion at the outer peripheral end of the coil needs 8 to 10 μm, it is impossible to reduce the magnetic path length to 19 to 21 μm or less, which has hindered the improvement of the high frequency characteristics.

From the above, the same applicant as the present applicant has first described the precise control of the throat height in the recording head and the ultra-fine processing of the sub-micron width of the upper magnetic pole layer as well as the magnetic pole tip. And a thin-film magnetic head capable of reducing the magnetic path length of the recording head has been proposed (Japanese Patent Application No. 10-243942). The content is divided not only into the upper magnetic pole but also the lower magnetic pole into a flat lower magnetic pole layer (lower pole) and a lower magnetic pole tip (lower pole tip). An insulating layer formed in a projecting shape and made of an inorganic material is formed adjacent to the tip of the lower magnetic pole. According to this thin film head, the throat height can be accurately defined by making the length of the tip of the lower magnetic pole in the depth direction from the surface facing the recording medium equal to the length of the throat height of the recording head. Becomes possible.

The present invention provides a method suitable for manufacturing the thin-film magnetic head proposed earlier, that is, a structure in which the magnetic pole portion and the insulating layer are adjacent to each other and can accurately define the throat height of the recording head. An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head that can be manufactured.

[0031]

According to a method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head of the present invention, two magnetic pole portions which are magnetically connected and have a portion facing a recording medium facing a recording gap layer are provided. A method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head having at least two magnetic layers including at least one magnetic layer and one or more thin-film coils for generating magnetic flux, wherein the magnetic layer is formed flat, and then a magnetic pole is formed on the magnetic layer. Selectively forming an insulating layer having a shape opposite to that of the portion, and forming a magnetic pole portion magnetically coupled to a partial region of the magnetic layer using the pattern of the insulating layer. In.

Specifically, an insulating layer having a pattern opposite to that of the magnetic pole portion is selectively formed on the magnetic layer, and a magnetic material is deposited on the magnetic layer and the insulating layer. By flattening them so as to be on the same plane, a magnetic pole portion magnetically coupled to a partial region of the magnetic layer is formed.

In this method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head, the magnetic layer is flattened using the previously formed insulating layer, so that the magnetic pole portion is formed adjacent to the insulating layer. Therefore,
The distance of the end face of the insulating layer from the surface of the magnetic pole portion facing the recording medium (that is, the length in the depth direction from the surface of the magnetic pole portion facing the recording medium) is determined by the length of the throat height of the recording head. By making them equal, the throat height of the recording head section is accurately defined.

According to another method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head of the present invention, at least two thin film magnetic heads include at least two magnetic pole portions including two magnetic pole portions whose portions facing the recording medium face each other via the recording gap layer. A method for manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head having a magnetic layer and one or more thin-film coils for generating magnetic flux, comprising: forming a flat magnetic layer; and forming a first insulating layer on the magnetic layer. Forming a thin-film coil on the first insulating layer, and forming a second thin-film coil on the first insulating layer so as to cover the thin-film coil.
Forming the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer, and patterning the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer so as to have a shape opposite to that of the magnetic pole portion. Forming a magnetic pole portion magnetically coupled to a partial region of the magnetic layer using the pattern.

Specifically, after patterning the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer, a magnetic material is deposited on the magnetic layer and the second insulating layer, and the magnetic material is deposited on the same surface as the second insulating layer. By flattening as much as possible, a magnetic pole portion magnetically coupled to a partial region of the magnetic layer is formed.

In this method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head, the magnetic layer is flattened using the first insulating and second insulating layers which have been previously patterned, so that the magnetic pole portion is formed adjacent to the insulating layer. Is done. Accordingly, the distance between the end surfaces of the first insulating layer and the second magnetic layer from the surface of the magnetic pole portion facing the recording medium (that is, the length in the depth direction from the surface of the magnetic pole portion facing the recording medium) Is made equal to the length of the throat height of the recording head, thereby accurately defining the throat height.

[0037]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment] FIGS. 1A and 1B
7 (a) and 7 (b) show the first embodiment of the present invention, respectively.
14A to 14C show a manufacturing process of a composite thin film magnetic head as the thin film magnetic head according to the embodiment. 1 to 7, (a) shows a cross section perpendicular to the track surface (ABS), and (b) shows a cross section of the magnetic pole portion parallel to the track surface.

In this embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 1, a substrate 11 made of, for example, AlTiC (Al ₂ O ₃ .TiC) is formed on a substrate 11 by, for example, sputtering (eg, alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ )). Insulating layer 12 of about 3 to 5 μm.
It is formed with a thickness of about m. Next, using a photoresist film as a mask, permalloy (NiFe) is selectively formed to a thickness of about 3 μm on the insulating layer 12 by plating.
A lower shield layer 13 for a reproducing head is formed. Subsequently, for example, sputtering or CVD (Chemical Vapor Dep.
An alumina film (not shown) having a thickness of about 4 to 6 μm is formed by an osition method, and planarized by CMP.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, alumina is deposited on the lower shield layer 13 to a thickness of 100 to 200 nm by sputtering, and the shield gap layer 14 is formed.
To form Subsequently, on the shield gap layer 14, a GMR film 15 for forming a reproduction GMR element or the like is formed.
It is formed to a thickness of several tens of nm, and is formed into a desired shape by high-precision photolithography. The GMR film 15 is made of, for example, a free layer made of permalloy (NiFe), PtMn, IrM
It is formed of various materials having a magnetoresistance effect, such as an antiferromagnetic film made of n, RuRhMn. GM
Instead of the R film 15, another magnetoresistive film such as an AMR film may be used. Subsequently, the GMR film 1
5 is formed by a lift-off method. Next, the shield gap layer 14, the GMR film 1
5 and the lead terminal layer 15a, a shield gap layer 17 is formed, and the GMR film 15 and the lead terminal layer 15a are formed.
Is embedded in the shield gap layers 14 and 17.

Subsequently, a lower magnetic pole layer (lower pole) 18 also serving as an upper shield made of, for example, permalloy (NiFe) is formed on the shield gap film 17 for about 1.0 to 1..
It is formed with a thickness of 5 μm.

Next, as shown in FIG.
An insulating layer 20a having an opening corresponding to a lower magnetic pole tip portion 19a and a lower connecting portion 19b, which will be described later, is formed on the upper surface 8a. The insulating layer 20a is formed of an insulating material, for example, alumina by, for example, a sputtering method or a CVD method. The thickness of the insulating layer 20a is determined by the lower magnetic pole tip 19, which will be described later.
For example, the thickness is set to about 2.0 to 2.5 μm according to the thickness of “a”. Subsequently, a magnetic layer 19 is formed on the insulating layer 20a and the lower magnetic pole layer 18. The magnetic layer 19 may be formed of a plating film of NiFe or the like, and may be formed of FeN, FeZrN.
It may be formed by a sputtered film of P, CoFeN or the like. Here, the tip of the insulating layer 20a on the track side is set to the position of zero throat height. Note that the insulating layer 20a corresponds to the insulating layer of the present invention.

Next, as shown in FIG.
The magnetic layer 19 is planarized by (Chemical and Mechanical Polishing) to expose the surface of the insulating layer 20a. As a result, a lower pole tip (lower pole tip) 19a and a lower connecting portion 19b having a thickness of about 2.0 to 2.5 μm are formed on the lower magnetic pole layer 18 adjacent to the insulating layer 20a. The lower magnetic pole layer 1
Reference numeral 8 denotes one of the two magnetic layers of the present invention, and the lower pole tip (lower pole tip) 19a corresponds to the magnetic pole portion of the one magnetic layer of the present invention.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, a film made of an insulating material, for example, alumina, having a thickness of 0.2 to
A 0.3 μm recording gap layer 22 is formed. The recording gap layer 22 is made of aluminum nitride (Al) in addition to alumina.
N), a silicon oxide-based material, a silicon nitride-based material, or the like. Subsequently, the recording gap layer 22 is patterned by photolithography to form an opening for connecting the upper magnetic pole and the lower magnetic pole.

Subsequently, an upper pole tip (upper pole tip) 23a for determining the track width of the recording head is formed on the recording gap layer 22 by photolithography. That is, a high saturation magnetic flux density material (Hi-Bs material) is formed on the recording gap layer 22 by, for example, a sputtering method.
For example, NiFe (Ni: 50% by weight, Fe: 50% by weight), NiFe (Ni: 80% by weight, Fe: 20% by weight), FeN, FeZrNP, CoFeN, etc., having a film thickness of 2.5 to 3.5 μm. A pole layer is formed. Subsequently, the magnetic pole layer is selectively removed by ion milling of, for example, Ar (argon) using a photoresist mask to form an upper magnetic pole tip 23a and magnetically connect the upper magnetic pole and the lower magnetic pole. The upper connecting portion 23b for the connection is formed. The upper pole tip portion 23a and the upper connection portion 23b may be etched by using a mask made of an inorganic insulating layer such as alumina instead of a photoresist mask. It may be formed by a plating method, a sputtering method, or the like. Note that the upper magnetic pole tip 23a corresponds to the magnetic pole portion of the other magnetic layer of the present invention.

Here, in the present embodiment, the upper magnetic pole tip 23a is moved backward from the track surface to the lower magnetic pole tip 19a.
It is formed longer than a. Further, the upper connecting portion 23b is formed wider than the lower connecting portion 19b so that the lower connecting portion 19b is brought into contact with the center position of the upper connecting portion 23b.

Subsequently, a first layer for an inductive recording head made of, for example, copper (Cu) is formed in a concave region formed between the lower magnetic pole tip portion 19a and the lower connecting portion 19b by, for example, electrolytic plating. 1.5 to 2.5 of the thin film coil 21 of the eye
It is formed with a thickness of μm.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, an insulating layer 20b made of an insulating material, for example, alumina and having a thickness of 3.0 to 4.0 μm is formed on the entire surface by sputtering, and then the surface is formed by, for example, CMP. And the upper magnetic pole tip 23
a and the surfaces of the upper connection portions 23b are exposed. In addition,
The insulating layer 20b and the insulating layer 20a are not limited to alumina, and may be formed of another insulating material such as silicon dioxide (SiO ₂ ) or silicon nitride (SiN).

Subsequently, using the upper magnetic pole tip 23a as a mask, the surrounding recording gap layer 22 and the lower magnetic pole tip 19a are etched in a self-aligned manner. That is,
Chlorine-based gas (Cl
₂ , RIE (Reac) using CF ₄ , BCl ₂ , SF ₆ etc.
After selective removal of the recording gap layer 22 by tive ion etching, the exposed lower magnetic pole tip 19a is again removed by, for example, Ar ion milling to about 0.3 to
Etching is performed by about 0.6 μm to form a recording track having a trim structure.

Subsequently, the insulating layer 2 is formed by plating, for example.
0b, a second-layer thin film coil 24 for a recording head made of, for example, copper (Cu) is selectively formed, and a photoresist film 20c is formed on the insulating layer 20b and the thin film coil 24 with high precision. Is formed into a predetermined pattern by photolithography. Subsequently, a heat treatment is performed at a predetermined temperature to planarize the photoresist film 20c and insulate the thin film coils 24 from each other.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper magnetic pole layer 25 is formed to a thickness of about 3 to 4 μm by using, for example, the same material as the upper magnetic pole tip 23a, for example, by an electrolytic plating method or a sputtering method. Formed. This upper magnetic pole layer 25
When viewed from the track surface side, at a position behind the thin-film coils 21 and 24, it contacts the lower connection portion 19b via the upper connection portion 23b and is magnetically connected to the lower pole layer 18. Finally, an overcoat layer 26 made of alumina and having a thickness of about 30 μm is formed on the upper magnetic pole layer 25 by, for example, a sputtering method. Then, machining of the slider is performed, and the track surfaces (AB
By forming S), a thin-film magnetic head is completed. Note that the upper magnetic pole layer 25 corresponds to the other magnetic layer of the two magnetic layers of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the thin-film magnetic head according to the present embodiment. This figure shows a state before the slider is machined. In these figures, TH represents the throat height, and the throat height TH is defined by the edge of the insulating layer 20a on the magnetic pole portion side, that is, the edge of the lower magnetic pole tip portion 19a opposite to the track surface. . In this figure, the throat height T
Since H coincides with the GMR height, TH = GMR height.

In the present embodiment as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) First, the lower magnetic pole is divided into a lower magnetic pole tip 19a and a lower magnetic pole layer 18, and an insulating layer 20a made of an inorganic material is formed on the lower magnetic pole layer 18. Since the flattening process using the lower magnetic pole 20a is performed, the front end portion 19a of the lower magnetic pole is fixed to the insulating layer 20a.
Can be formed adjacent to the substrate. Therefore, the insulating layer 20
The throat height is defined by the edge of the lower pole tip 19a on the side of the lower pole tip 19a (that is, the edge of the lower pole tip 19a opposite to the track surface). Therefore, unlike the conventional photoresist film, there is no occurrence of edge position fluctuation (pattern shift) and profile deterioration due to heat treatment, and accurate control of the throat height of the recording head can be achieved. Further, accurate control of the GMR height and accurate control of the apex angle are also possible.

(2) In this embodiment, the upper magnetic pole tip 23a is formed to be longer than the lower magnetic pole tip 19a, so that the upper magnetic pole tip 23a has the same length as the lower magnetic pole tip 19a. The contact area between the upper magnetic pole tip portion 23a and the upper magnetic pole layer 25 can be increased as compared with the case where the magnetic pole is provided, and the magnetic coupling at that portion is improved.
In particular, when the upper magnetic pole layer 25 is provided at a position recessed from the track surface (recess structure) as in the present embodiment, such a configuration is effective. That is,
If the upper magnetic pole layer 25 is located closer to the track surface than the throat height TH = zero (the edge of the lower magnetic pole tip 19a opposite to the track surface), for example, at a position near TH = 0.5 μm, Due to the upper magnetic pole layer 25, a side write defect for writing information on an adjacent track occurs. Ideally, the upper magnetic pole layer 25 is desirably formed at a position farther from the track surface than a position where TH is zero. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the lower magnetic pole tip 19a for determining TH is magnetically coupled to the upper magnetic pole layer 25 via the upper magnetic pole tip 23a, and the upper magnetic pole tip 23a is connected to the upper magnetic pole. The layer 25 must be firmly connected in the direction opposite to the track plane from the position where TH is zero. For this reason, the upper magnetic pole tip 2
3a is desirably formed longer than the lower magnetic pole tip 19a.

(3) In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, when each pattern is viewed from directly above, the width of the lower pole tip 19a is wider than the width of the upper pole tip 23a. Therefore, even if the upper magnetic pole tip 23a is a narrow track having a half-micron width, the lower magnetic pole tip 19a
Is not saturated in the vicinity of.

(4) By the way, as the upper magnetic pole tip 23a and the lower magnetic pole tip 19a are miniaturized and narrowed, the contact between the upper magnetic pole and the lower magnetic pole,
That is, the widths of the lower connecting portion 19b and the upper connecting portion 23b are also reduced. When the widths of the lower connection portion 19b and the upper connection portion 23b are reduced in this manner, the lower connection portion 19b
If the angle of the side wall of b with respect to the lower magnetic layer 18 or the angle of the side wall of the upper connection portion 23b with the upper magnetic layer 25 is perpendicular to each other, the magnetic flux may be saturated at that portion. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the area of the upper connecting portion 23b is larger than that of the lower connecting portion 19b, and the lower connecting portion 19b faces the center of the upper connecting portion 23b. , The entire contact portion has a shape having a slope along the inclined surface between the upper and lower coils, that is, the entire contact portion has a funnel-like shape. Therefore, the flow of the magnetic flux from the upper magnetic pole to the lower magnetic pole is smooth, and the magnetic coupling between the two magnetic poles is improved.

(5) Further, in this embodiment, an inorganic insulating layer 20 is provided between the thin-film coil 21 and the lower magnetic pole layer 18.
a and the recording gap film 22, the thickness of the insulating layer 20a is adjusted so that the thin film coil 21
A large withstand voltage can be obtained between the lower magnetic pole layer 18 and the lower magnetic pole layer 18.

(6) In this embodiment, the upper magnetic pole is divided into an upper magnetic pole tip portion 23a and an upper magnetic pole layer 25, and the upper magnetic pole tip portion 23a is divided into a lower portion with the recording gap layer 22 therebetween. Since the upper pole tip 19a is formed on the flat surface of the pole tip 19a, the upper pole tip 23a for regulating the recording track width can be formed with submicron accuracy. In addition, in the present embodiment, the first-layer thin-film coil 21 is embedded in the recessed region adjacent to the top pole tip 23a by the insulating layer 20b, and the insulating layer 20b
Is flattened to such an extent that the surface of the upper surface forms the same plane as the surface of the upper magnetic pole tip 23a. That is, the step in the apex portion including the second-layer thin-film coil 24 is lower than that of the conventional structure by the amount of the first-layer thin-film coil 21. Therefore, when the upper magnetic pole layer 25 that partially contacts the upper magnetic pole tip 23a is formed by photolithography, the difference in the thickness of the photoresist film between the upper and lower portions of the apex portion is reduced. The pole layer 25 can be miniaturized to submicron dimensions. Therefore, in the thin-film magnetic head obtained according to the present embodiment,
High area density recording by the recording head becomes possible, and the performance of the recording head can be further improved by laminating the coils in two or three layers. In addition, at the time of photolithography of the upper magnetic pole tip 23a and the upper magnetic pole layer 25, by using an inorganic insulating layer as a mask instead of a photoresist, the upper magnetic pole tip 23a and the upper magnetic pole layer 25 can be miniaturized. Higher accuracy can be achieved. Also,
Even when the upper magnetic pole tip 23a and the upper magnetic pole layer 25 are formed by sputtering or the like other than photolithography, similarly, the influence of the step of the apex portion is reduced, so that the upper magnetic pole tip 23a and the upper magnetic pole layer 25 are formed.
Can be miniaturized. Further, the upper magnetic pole (the upper magnetic pole tip portion 23a or the upper magnetic pole layer 25) expands due to heat generated during operation on the hard disk, and A
The phenomenon (Protrusion) protruding into the BS can be greatly suppressed.

(7) Further, in this embodiment, there is no inclined portion of the photoresist pattern under the first and second layers of the thin film coils 21 and 24 unlike the conventional example. , 24 can be formed in a flat portion, and the distance between the end of the outer peripheral portion of the coil and the position of the throat height of zero due to the inclined portion does not hinder the reduction of the magnetic path length.
Therefore, in this embodiment, the magnetic path length can be shortened, and the high frequency characteristics of the recording head can be significantly improved.

(8) In this embodiment, since the magnetic layers such as the upper magnetic pole tip 23a and the upper magnetic pole layer 25 are formed of a high saturation magnetic flux density (Hi-Bs) material, the track width is narrow. Even so, the magnetism generated in the thin film coils 21 and 24 effectively reaches the upper magnetic pole tip 23a and the lower magnetic pole tip 19a without being saturated on the way, thereby realizing a recording head without magnetic loss.

(9) Further, in the present embodiment, the upper magnetic pole layer 25 formed on the upper magnetic pole tip 23a for determining the track width is not exposed on the track surface. There is no side light.

[Second Embodiment] FIGS. 9A and 9B
14A to 14B show the steps of manufacturing the composite thin-film magnetic head according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will be appropriately simplified.

In this embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ) is formed on a substrate 11 made of, for example, AlTiC (Al ₂ O ₃ .TiC) by a sputtering method. Insulating layer 12 of about 3 to 5 μm.
It is formed with a thickness of about m. Next, using a photoresist film as a mask, permalloy (NiFe) is selectively formed to a thickness of about 3 μm on the insulating layer 12 by plating.
A lower shield layer 13 for a reproducing head is formed. Subsequently, for example, about 4 to 6 μm by sputtering or CVD.
An alumina film (not shown) having a thickness of 3 mm is formed and planarized by CMP.

Subsequently, on the lower shield layer 13, for example, alumina is deposited with a thickness of 100 to 200 nm by a sputtering method to form a shield gap layer 14. Subsequently, a GMR film 15 for forming a reproducing GMR element or the like is formed on the shield gap layer 14 to have a thickness of several tens of nm, and is formed into a desired shape by high-precision photolithography. Subsequently, the lead terminal layer 1 for the GMR film 15 is formed.
5a is formed by a lift-off method. Next, the shield gap layer 14, the GMR film 15, and the lead terminal layer 15
a, a shield gap layer 17 is formed on the GMR film 1
5 and the lead terminal layer 15a to the shield gap layer 1
It is buried in 4,17. Subsequently, on the shield gap film 17, a lower magnetic pole layer (lower pole) 18 made of, for example, permalloy (NiFe) and also serving as an upper shield is formed with a thickness of about 1.0 to 1.5 μm. The above is the same as in the first embodiment.

In the present embodiment, next, as shown in FIG. 10, an insulating layer 20d made of an insulating material, for example, alumina is formed by, for example, a sputtering method or a CVD method. Subsequently, a first-layer thin-film coil 21 made of, for example, copper (Cu) is formed on the insulating layer 20d by, for example, an electrolytic plating method with a thickness of, for example, 1.5 to 2.5 μm. Here, a wide connecting portion 21a is formed in a part of the thin film coil 21 for connection with the thin film coil 24 of the second layer. Next, an insulating layer 20e made of an insulating material, for example, alumina is formed on the thin-film coil 21 and the insulating layer 20d by, for example, a sputtering method or a CVD method. Next, the insulating layer 22e and the insulating layer 22d are patterned by photolithography to form openings corresponding to a lower pole tip portion (lower pole tip) 19a and a lower connecting portion 19b (described later (FIG. 12)). Here, the tip of the insulating layers 20d and 20e on the track side is located at the throat height of zero.
This is the same as the first embodiment. Note that the insulating layer 20d is the insulating layer or the first insulating layer of the present invention,
e corresponds to the insulating layer or the second insulating layer of the present invention, respectively.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG.
The magnetic layer 19 is formed on the lower magnetic pole layer 18 and the lower magnetic pole layer 18.

Next, as shown in FIG.
The magnetic layer 19 is planarized by the P method to expose the surface of the insulating layer 20e. As a result, a lower magnetic pole tip (lower pole tip) 19a and a lower connecting portion 19b are formed on the lower magnetic pole layer 18, respectively. Subsequently, an insulating material such as alumina having a thickness of 0.2 to
A 0.3 μm recording gap layer 22 is formed. Next, the recording gap layer 22 is patterned by photolithography to form an opening 2 for connecting an upper magnetic pole and a lower magnetic pole.
2a and the connecting portion 21a of the thin film coil 21
An opening 22b for connection between the coils is formed to face this.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 13, an upper magnetic pole tip (pole tip) 23a for determining the track width of the recording head, and an upper magnetic pole and a lower magnetic pole are magnetically formed on the recording gap layer 22. The upper connection part 23b for connecting to the first electrode is formed. Here, also in the present embodiment, the upper magnetic pole tip portion 23a is formed longer than the lower magnetic pole tip portion 19a on the back side from the track surface, and the upper connecting portion 23b is formed wider than the lower connecting portion 19b. In addition, the lower connection portion 19b is brought into contact with the center position of the upper connection portion 23b.

Subsequently, a second-layer thin-film coil 24 made of, for example, copper (Cu) is formed in a concave region formed between the lower magnetic pole tip portion 19a and the lower connecting portion 19b by, for example, electrolytic plating. It is formed with a thickness of 0.5 to 2.5 μm.
At this time, a part (the wide portion 24a) of the thin-film coil 24 is connected to the wide portion 21a of the first-layer thin-film coil 21.

Next, after an insulating layer 20f made of an insulating material, for example, alumina is formed on the entire surface by a sputtering method, the surface is flattened by, for example, a CMP method, and the surfaces of the upper pole tip portion 23a and the upper connecting portion 23b are exposed. Let it. Subsequently, the recording gap layer 22 and the lower magnetic pole tip 19 around the upper pole tip 23a are used as a mask.
a is etched in a self-aligned manner to form a recording track having a trim structure.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the upper magnetic pole layer 25 is formed using, for example, the same material as the upper magnetic pole tip 23a by a method such as an electrolytic plating method or a sputtering method. The upper magnetic pole layer 25 is located at a position behind the thin-film coils 21 and 24 when viewed from the track surface side.
The upper connection portion 23b is in contact with the lower connection portion 19b via the upper connection portion 23b, and is magnetically connected to the lower magnetic layer 18. Finally, an overcoat layer 26 made of alumina and having a thickness of about 30 μm is formed on the upper magnetic pole layer 25 by, for example, a sputtering method. Thereafter, the slider is machined to form the track surfaces (ABS) of the recording head and the reproducing head, thereby completing the thin-film magnetic head of the present embodiment.

In this embodiment, the first-layer thin-film coil 21 is formed on the lower magnetic pole layer 18 also serving as the upper shield via the insulating layer 20d, and the insulating layer 20e is formed so as to cover the thin-film coil 21. Is formed, and the lower magnetic pole tip portion 19a and the lower connecting portion 19b are formed by a flattening process using the insulating layer 20e.
The same effect as that of the embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore,
In the present embodiment, the first-layer thin-film coil 21 is provided in the insulating layer 20e adjacent to the lower magnetic pole tip 19a,
Since the second-layer thin-film coil 24 is embedded in the insulating layer 20f adjacent to the upper magnetic pole tip 23a, the upper magnetic pole layer 25 can be formed on a flat surface.
Therefore, the upper pole layer 25 can be further miniaturized.

In the present embodiment, as described in the step of FIG. 13, after the upper pole tip 23a and the upper connecting portion 23b are formed on the recording gap layer 22, these upper pole tip 23a are formed. Upper connection part 23b
The second layer of the thin film coil 2 is formed in the concave region formed between
4. The insulating layer 20f is further formed, and then the surface is flattened by the CMP method. The upper magnetic pole tip 23a and the upper connecting part 23b are similar to the lower magnetic pole tip 19a and the lower connecting part 19b. It may be formed by any suitable method. Hereinafter, this method will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 12, the recording gap layer 22 is patterned by photolithography to form an opening 22 a for connection between the upper magnetic pole and the lower magnetic pole, and to face the connecting portion 21 a of the thin-film coil 21. After forming the opening 22b for connecting the coils, the second-layer thin-film coil 24 is formed. Next, the thin film coil 2
After forming an insulating layer 20f on the recording gap layer 4 and the recording gap layer 22, the insulating layer 22f is patterned by photolithography to form an opening corresponding to the top end of the upper pole and the upper connecting portion. Subsequently, the insulating layer 20f
Then, a magnetic layer is formed on the recording gap layer 22, and the magnetic layer is planarized by a CMP method to expose the surface of the insulating layer 20f. As a result, an upper pole tip (pole tip) 23a is formed on the recording gap layer 22, and an upper connection portion 23b connected to the lower connection portion 19b is formed.

[Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Note that, in the present embodiment, the steps up to the step of manufacturing the second-layer thin-film coil 24 in FIG. 13 in the second embodiment are the same as those in the second embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. . Thereafter, in the present embodiment, a photoresist film 20g is formed in a predetermined pattern on the thin film coil 24 and the recording gap layer 22 by high-precision photolithography. Subsequently, a heat treatment is performed at a predetermined temperature to planarize the photoresist film 20g and to insulate the thin film coil 24 from each other. Next, the upper magnetic pole layer 30 is formed using, for example, the same material as the upper magnetic pole tip 23a by a method such as an electrolytic plating method or a sputtering method. This upper pole layer 3
0 is the top pole tip 23a in the second embodiment,
This corresponds to a structure in which the upper connection part 23b and the upper pole layer 25 are integrated, but the tip is exposed on the track surface. Subsequent steps are the same as in the second embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the lower pole layer 18
After the insulating layer 20a is formed thereon, the lower pole tip 19a is formed by a planarization process using the insulating layer 20a.
Is formed adjacent to the insulating layer 20a as in the second embodiment. Therefore, the description of the effect is omitted.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be variously modified. For example, in the above embodiment, the magnetic layers such as the top pole tip 23a and the top pole layer 25 are made of NiFe (Ni: 50% by weight, Fe: 50% by weight), NiFe (Ni: 80% by weight, Fe: 20%). Weight%), an example using a high saturation magnetic flux density material such as FeN or FeCoZr has been described, but a structure in which two or more of these materials are stacked may be used.

In the second and third embodiments, one thin-film coil is embedded in the insulating layer 20e adjacent to the lower pole tip 19a. However, a laminated structure of two or more layers may be used. Further, in the above embodiment, the insulating layer 20
The b, 20e, and 20f are formed using alumina, silicon dioxide, or silicon nitride. For example, after covering a thin film coil with a thin film of alumina, a concave portion on the surface is embedded with a SOG (Spin On Glass) film. , May be flattened.

In the above embodiment, the lower magnetic pole side is described as one magnetic layer of the present invention and the upper magnetic pole side is described as the other magnetic layer. Conversely, the upper magnetic pole side is described as one magnetic layer of the present invention. Alternatively, the lower magnetic pole side may be used as the other magnetic layer. Further, in each of the embodiments described above, the method of manufacturing the composite type thin film magnetic head has been described. However, the present invention provides a thin film magnetic head dedicated for recording having an inductive magnetic transducer for writing, The present invention can also be applied to the manufacture of a thin-film magnetic head. Further, the present invention can be applied to the manufacture of a thin-film magnetic head having a structure in which the order of lamination of the element for writing and the element for reproduction is changed.

[0081]

As described above, according to the method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to the first or second aspect, an insulating layer is first formed on a magnetic layer, and this insulating layer is used. Since the magnetic layer is flattened, the magnetic pole portion adjacent to the insulating layer can be easily formed. Therefore, by making the distance between the end face of the insulating layer and the surface of the magnetic pole portion facing the recording medium equal to the length of the throat height of the recording head, the throat height can be accurately defined. Obtainable.

According to the method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to the third or fourth aspect, the thin-film coil is embedded in the second insulating layer in advance. Can be further flattened, and effects such as the fineness of the upper magnetic layer can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a manufacturing process of a thin-film magnetic head according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step following the step shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step following the step shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step following the step shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step following the step shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step following the step shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step following the step shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a main part of the thin-film magnetic head manufactured according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a thin-film magnetic head according to a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step following the step shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step following the step shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step following the step shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step following the step shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view for illustrating a step following the step shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a sectional view illustrating a configuration of a thin-film magnetic head according to a third embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a manufacturing process of a conventional thin-film magnetic head.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view for illustrating a step following the step shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a sectional view for illustrating a step following the step shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a sectional view for illustrating a step following the step shown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step following the step shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step following the step shown in FIG. 20.

[Explanation of symbols]

11: substrate, 18: upper shield and lower magnetic pole (lower magnetic pole layer), 19a: lower magnetic pole tip, 22: recording gap layer, 23a: upper magnetic pole tip, 20a to 20f: insulating layer, 21, 24: thin film coil , 25 ... Upper pole layer

Claims (4)

[Claims] At least two magnetic layers including two magnetic pole portions which are magnetically coupled and a part of a side facing a recording medium is opposed via a recording gap layer, and one layer for generating magnetic flux or A method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head having two or more thin-film coils, comprising: forming a flat magnetic layer, and selectively forming an insulating layer having a pattern opposite to that of the magnetic pole portion on the magnetic layer. Forming a magnetic pole portion magnetically coupled to a partial region of the magnetic layer using the pattern of the insulating layer. . 2. An insulating layer having a pattern opposite to that of the magnetic pole portion is selectively formed on the magnetic layer, and a magnetic material is deposited on the magnetic layer and the insulating layer. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a magnetic pole portion magnetically coupled to a partial region of the magnetic layer is formed by flattening the surface of the magnetic layer so as to be flush with the magnetic layer. 3. At least two magnetic layers including two magnetic pole portions which are magnetically connected and a part of a side facing the recording medium is opposed via a recording gap layer, and one layer for generating magnetic flux or A method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head having two or more thin-film coils, comprising: forming a magnetic layer flat, and then forming a first insulating layer on the magnetic layer; Forming a thin-film coil on the layer and forming a second insulating layer so as to cover the thin-film coil; and forming the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer in a pattern having a pattern opposite to that of the magnetic pole portion. Patterning to form a magnetic pole portion that is magnetically coupled to a partial region of the magnetic layer using the patterns of the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer. Manufacture of a thin film magnetic head characterized by including Law. 4. After patterning the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer, a magnetic material is deposited on the magnetic layer and the second insulating layer, and the magnetic material is deposited on the same surface as the second insulating layer. 4. The method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to claim 3, wherein a magnetic pole portion magnetically coupled to a partial region of the magnetic layer is formed by flattening the magnetic layer.