JPH10233010A - Thin film magnetic head and its manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably form a coil layer to be formed via an insulating layer, etc., on a shield layer and also to stabilize an insulating characteristic between the shield layer and the coil layer by gently slopingly thinning a film of both end parts of the shield layer to be formed via the insulating layer on a magneto- resistance effect element layer. SOLUTION: A lower core layer (the shield layer) 8 is formed to be gradually thinned toward its side end parts, so that the film thickness of a gap layer 9 to be formed on the lower core layer 8 can uniformly be formed. Then, the lower core layer 8 is formed by sputtering, so that a material having an excellent soft magnetic characteristic can be used, and then recording with a high frequency can be carried out.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a combined MR / inductive thin film magnetic head mounted on, for example, a hard disk drive and the like, and more particularly, to a method of forming a lower core layer by sputtering or the like to select a soft magnetic material. And a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view showing a conventional thin-film magnetic head viewed from a side facing a recording medium. In this thin-film magnetic head, for example, a read head h1 utilizing a magnetoresistance effect and an inductive head h2 for writing are laminated on a trailing side end surface of a slider constituting a floating head. In the read head h1, a lower gap layer 2 made of a nonmagnetic material such as Al ₂ O ₃ (alumina) is formed on a lower shield layer 1 made of Sendust or a Ni—Fe alloy (permalloy). Is formed with a magnetoresistive element layer 3. The magnetoresistive element layer 3 is composed of three layers, and is laminated from the bottom in the order of a soft magnetic layer (SAL layer), a nonmagnetic layer (SHUNT layer), and a magnetoresistive layer (MR layer). Usually, the magnetoresistive element layer is made of a Ni—Fe alloy (permalloy).
And the nonmagnetic layer is a Ta (tantalum) layer, and the soft magnetic layer is formed of a Ni—Fe—Nb alloy.

On both sides of the magnetoresistive element layer 3, hard bias layers 4 are formed as vertical bias layers. Further, Cu (copper) is formed on the hard bias layer 4,
A main electrode layer 5 of a non-magnetic conductive material having a small electric resistance such as W (tungsten) is formed. Further, an upper gap layer 6 made of a non-magnetic material such as alumina is further formed thereon.
Is formed. On the upper gap layer 6, a lower core layer 20 is formed by plating with permalloy or the like. In the inductive head h2, the lower core layer 20
Functions as a leading core for applying a recording magnetic field to the recording medium, and functions as an upper shield layer in the read head h1. In the read head h1, the gap length Gl1 is determined by the distance between the lower shield layer 1 and the lower core layer (upper shield layer) 20.

On the lower core layer 20, a gap layer (a non-magnetic material layer) 9 made of alumina or the like and an insulating layer (not shown) formed of polyimide or a resist material are laminated. Is provided with a coil layer 10 patterned in a spiral shape.
The coil layer 10 is formed of a non-magnetic conductive material having low electric resistance such as Cu (copper). The coil layer 10 is surrounded by an insulating layer (not shown) made of polyimide or a resist material, and an upper core layer 11 made of a magnetic material such as permalloy is formed on the insulating layer by plating. The upper core layer 11 functions as a trailing side core of the inductive head h2. As shown in FIG. 5, a tip 11a of the upper core layer 11 is opposed to the lower core layer 20 via the gap layer 9 on the side facing the recording medium, and a magnetic gap length for applying a recording magnetic field to the recording medium. A magnetic gap of Gl2 is formed. A protective layer 12 such as alumina is provided on the upper core layer 11.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing a conventional method of manufacturing the lower core layer 20. As shown in FIG. 6A, first, a base layer 21 made of a magnetic material such as permalloy is formed on the upper gap layer 6 by plating. Then, a resist solution is applied on the underlayer 21 and exposed and developed to form rectangular resist layers 22 and 22 on the underlayer 21. In FIG. 6B, layers 20, 23, 23 of a magnetic material such as permalloy are formed by plating on the underlayer 21 on which the resist layers 22, 22 are not formed. The magnetic material layer 20 formed between the resist layers 22, 22 is left as a lower core layer later.

In FIG. 6C, the resist layers 22, 22 are removed, and the underlying layer 21 formed thereunder is removed by ion milling. In FIG. 6D, a protective layer 24 made of a resist material is formed so as to cover the magnetic material layer 20 from above the upper gap layer 6 where the resist layers 22, 22 have been removed. And FIG.
In (e), the magnetic material layer 23,
23 and the underlying layer 21 formed thereunder are removed. In FIG. 6F, the protective layer 24 is removed, and only the rectangular lower core layer 20 is left on the upper gap layer 6 with the base layer 21 interposed therebetween.

[0007]

The conventional thin-film magnetic head shown in FIG. 5 has the following problems because the lower core layer 20 is formed by plating with permalloy or the like. (A) Since the lower core layer 20 (upper shield layer) is thick and the cross-sectional shape of the lower core layer 20 is substantially rectangular (rectangular), corners are formed at both ends of the lower core layer 20. A step portion A having a portion is formed. For this reason, it is difficult to form a uniform thickness of the gap layer 9 formed on the lower core layer 20.
The thickness of the gap layer 9 is extremely thin near the corner of the step A at the side end of the lower layer, so that insulation failure between the lower core layer 20 and the coil layer 10 tends to occur. Further, in order to increase the recording density, the gap layer 9 is formed thin and the gap length Gl2 of the magnetic gap is increased.
However, when the gap layer 9 is formed to be thin, a pinhole is easily generated in the gap layer 9 at the step portion A.

(B) Lower core layer 20 (upper shield layer)
Is rectangular in shape, and a step A is formed at both ends, so that a step is also formed on the surface of the gap layer 9 formed on the step A. Therefore, if the area of the lower core layer 20 is made smaller than the area where the coil layer 10 is formed, the coil layer 10 is formed on the step of the gap layer 9, making it difficult to form the coil layer 10. And the coil layer 10 is likely to have defects.

(C) In order to increase the writing density of signals on a recording medium and increase the frequency of magnetic writing, the soft magnetic properties of the lower core layer 20 (upper shield layer) and the upper core layer 11 are improved. It is preferable to have a property of low coercive force and high specific resistance, and it is preferable that the saturation magnetic flux density is high. However, it is preferable that the saturation magnetic flux density of the lower core layer 20 be lower than the saturation magnetic flux density of the upper core layer 11. More preferred. Permalloy, which forms the conventional lower core layer 20 and upper core layer 11, has a high saturation magnetic flux density and a relatively low coercive force, but has a relatively small specific resistance. Electric current was easily generated, and heat loss due to eddy current was likely to increase.

The lower core layer 20 shown in FIG. 5 must have not only a function as a core but also a function as a shield. As the shield layer, it is necessary to select a soft magnetic material having a high initial magnetic permeability in a high-frequency region. However, as the recording frequency is increased, the initial magnetic permeability becomes extremely low when the recording frequency is increased. The shielding function of the upper shield layer (20) was reduced. When the shielding function is deteriorated, there arises a problem that Barkhausen noise occurs in the MR layer.

[0011] JP-A-6-316748 discloses a bc
Fe crystallite phase of c structure, rare earth or Ti, Zr,
A soft magnetic material in which an element selected from Hf, V, Nb, Ta, and W and an amorphous phase containing O are mixed is disclosed. If the composition ratio is properly adjusted, this soft magnetic material will have properties of high saturation magnetic flux density, low coercive force, and high specific resistance. Therefore, if this soft magnetic material is used for the lower core layer 20 and the upper core layer 11, it becomes possible to manufacture a thin film magnetic head having excellent magnetic properties.

Incidentally, this soft magnetic material cannot be formed by plating, but can be formed only by sputtering or vapor deposition. However, it is difficult to form the lower core layer 20 by a sputtering method or a vapor deposition method in a conventional method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head, and the reason will be described below. When the lower core layer 20 is formed by a sputtering method,
A layer of a soft magnetic material is formed directly on the upper gap layer 6 made of alumina or the like. In order to form the layer of the soft magnetic material into a predetermined shape, an unnecessary portion is ion milled (dry). (Etching). However, when the layer of the soft magnetic material is removed by ion milling, there arises a problem that the upper gap layer 6 of alumina formed thereunder is damaged.

The upper gap layer is formed with a thickness of about 1000 Å, while the lower core layer is formed to be considerably thicker than the upper gap layer. It is generally said that when a predetermined thickness is removed by ion milling, a tolerance of about 5% occurs in a removable film thickness. For this reason, when a predetermined portion of the lower core layer is removed by ion milling, the thin upper gap layer formed thereunder is easily damaged due to a tolerance of the removed film thickness of about 5%. . For the above reasons, the lower core layer 2
0 is removed by ion milling, and at the same time, a part of the upper gap layer 6 is also removed. In the worst case, the entire upper gap layer 6 is removed and the main gap layer 6 formed below the upper gap layer 6 is removed. The electrode layer 5 will be affected by ion milling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and is intended to reduce the thickness of both ends of a shield layer formed on a magnetoresistive element layer via an insulating layer. A thin-film magnetic head and a method of manufacturing the same, wherein a coil layer formed on a shield layer via an insulating layer or the like can be formed stably, and the insulation characteristics between the shield layer and the coil layer can be stabilized. It is intended to provide.

Further, according to the present invention, the shield layer can be formed by a vapor phase growth method such as a sputtering method or an evaporation method.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a thin-film magnetic head capable of coping with a high frequency recording and a high recording density by expanding the selectivity of a soft magnetic material to be a shield layer, and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0016]

According to the present invention, there is provided a thin-film magnetic head in which an inductive head comprising a coil layer and a core layer is laminated on a read head having a magnetoresistive element layer. A shield layer formed thereon with an insulating layer interposed therebetween with a substantially uniform film thickness and gradually decreasing in thickness toward both side edges. It is.

It is preferable that a milling prevention layer made of a non-magnetic material is formed on both sides of the shield layer. By providing the milling prevention layer, even if ion milling is used when forming the shield layer, the insulating layer (upper gap layer) formed below the shield layer is not damaged.

It is preferable that the milling rate of the material forming the milling prevention layer is lower than the milling rate of the material forming the shield layer.

In the above, when the shield layer has both a function as a core of the inductive head and a function as an upper shield layer of the read head, the shield layer faces the shield layer and the shield layer via a magnetic gap. The upper core layer is mainly composed of Fe, and is a rare earth element or Al, Si, Ti, Zr, Hf,
1 selected from V, Nb, Ta, W, and Mg
It can be formed of a soft magnetic material including one or more kinds of elements and O.

Alternatively, the shield layer and the upper shield layer contain Fe as a main component and a rare earth element or Al,
One or more elements selected from any of Si, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, W, and Mg, one of B and C, and O Formed of a soft magnetic material.

The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head in which an inductive head comprising a coil layer and a core layer is laminated on a read head having a magnetoresistive element layer. The shield layer formed via an insulating layer

Forming a lift-off resist layer on the insulating layer; and milling a non-magnetic material on the surface of the lift-off resist layer and the insulating layer on which the lift-off resist layer is not formed. A step of forming a blocking layer, a step of removing the lift-off resist layer, and sputtering or a layer of a soft magnetic material on a portion of the insulating layer where the lift-off resist layer is removed and on the milling blocking layer. A step of forming the resist layer via a layer of the soft magnetic material on the insulating layer where the lift-off resist layer is removed, and a step of forming a resist layer under the resist layer. Leaving the layer of magnetic material as a lower core layer and removing the other layer of soft magnetic material by ion milling; and forming a layer on the lower core layer. It is characterized in that the step of removing the resist layer, in the form.

It is preferable that inclined portions are formed on the bottom surfaces at both end portions of the lift-off resist layer.

It is preferable that the milling prevention layer is formed to have a thickness of about 3000 angstroms.

Further, the milling rate by ion milling is preferably slower (smaller) for the material forming the milling prevention layer than for the material forming the shield layer. More preferably, the ratio of the milling rate of the shield layer to the milling prevention layer is 2 or more.

In the present invention, the shape of the shield layer is configured so that the thickness is gradually reduced at both ends thereof, whereby the lower core layer (shield layer) as in the conventional example shown in FIG. 5 is formed. Steps at both ends can be eliminated, the shape of the coil layer can be stabilized, and the thickness of the gap layer formed on the lower core layer can be made uniform, stabilizing the insulation function of this gap layer. It becomes possible.

Further, since the shield layer can be formed by a vapor phase growth method such as a sputtering method and a vapor deposition method, the selectivity of the soft magnetic material for forming the shield layer can be increased. For example, when the shield layer has both a core function and a shield function, a magnetic layer having properties such as a high saturation magnetic flux density, a low coercive force, and a high specific resistance as described in JP-A-6-316748 is used. By using a soft magnetic material having excellent characteristics, it is possible to manufacture a thin-film magnetic head in which eddy current hardly occurs even when the frequency is increased.

As a method of forming the shield layer, first, a lift-off resist layer is formed on the upper gap layer, and a milling prevention layer such as alumina is formed on both sides of the lift-off resist layer. By providing the milling prevention layer, it is possible to protect the insulating layer (upper gap layer) formed below the milling prevention layer from the ion milling when performing ion milling in a later step.

As shown in FIG. 3 (e), a resist layer 16 is provided on the concave portion 15a of the soft magnetic material layer 15. When directional ion milling is performed from this state, the resist layer 16 moves to the side end. Accordingly, a lower core layer having a gradually reduced thickness and a curved surface at the side end can be formed.

As described above, since the film thickness at both end portions of the shield layer can be gradually reduced, the layer formed on the shield layer can be formed with a substantially uniform width. Is formed on the upper gap layer so that the upper gap layer is not affected by the ion milling and therefore does not damage the upper shield layer.

[0031]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged front view of a thin-film magnetic head according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from a side facing a recording medium. FIG. 2 schematically shows the entire structure of the thin-film magnetic head of the present invention formed on the slider 13. The thin-film magnetic head shown in FIGS.
The read head h is formed at the trailing end 13a of the slider 13 constituting the floating head.
1 and an inductive head h2 for recording are stacked. The read head h1 reads a recording signal by detecting a leakage magnetic field from a recording medium such as a hard disk using the magnetoresistance effect. As shown in the figure, a lower shield layer 1 made of permalloy (Ni-Fe alloy) is provided on the trailing end 13a of the slider 13.
Are formed.

On the lower shield layer 1, a lower gap layer 2 made of a non-magnetic material such as alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ) is formed. On the lower gap layer 2, a magnetoresistive element layer 3 is laminated. The magnetoresistive element layer 3 has a three-layer structure, and a SAL layer made of a soft magnetic material (Co—Zr—Mo alloy or Ni—Fe—Nb alloy) from below.
SHUNT made of non-magnetic material (for example, Ta (tantalum))
Layer, MR layer having a magnetoresistance effect (Ni-Fe alloy)
Is formed. Hard bias layers 4 for applying a bias magnetic field to the MR layer are provided on both sides of the magnetoresistive element layer 3.
And a main electrode layer 5 (W (tungsten) or Cu (copper)) for applying a detection current to the MR layer. Further, an upper gap layer 6 made of alumina or the like is formed thereon. In the read head h1, the gap length Gl1 is determined by the distance between the lower shield layer 1 and a lower core layer (upper shield layer) 8, which will be described later. It is preferable that the upper gap layer 6 is formed as thin as possible.

On top of the upper gap layer 6, a width dimension T
Milling prevention layers 7, 7 made of a non-magnetic material such as alumina are formed in other portions. At the ends of the milling prevention layers 7, 7, inclined portions 7a, 7a are formed.
A lower core layer 8 made of a soft magnetic material is formed on the inclined portions 7a, 7a and on the upper gap layer 6 having a width T by a vapor deposition method such as a sputtering method or a vapor deposition method. The lower core layer 8 is formed to have a constant thickness, and the thickness gradually decreases toward the side end. The upper surfaces 8a, 8a at both end portions of the lower core layer 8 change in a curved shape, and are formed such that the film thickness gradually decreases toward both edge portions. The lower core layer 8 functions as a leading core in the inductive head h2, and functions as an upper shield layer in the read head h1.

A gap layer (non-magnetic material layer) 9 is formed on the lower core layer 8, and has a spiral shape in a plane via an insulating layer (not shown) made of polyimide or a resist material. Layer 10 patterned as described above
Is provided. The coil layer 10 is formed of a non-magnetic conductive material having a small electric resistance such as Cu (copper). As described above, the lower core layer 8 is formed to have a constant thickness, and the thickness gradually decreases toward both end portions. Therefore, the gap layer 9 formed on the lower core layer 8 is formed smoothly while maintaining a substantially uniform film thickness. Therefore, the step shown in FIG. 5 is not formed in the gap layer 9, and the coil layer 10 formed on the gap layer 9 via an insulating layer is formed.
Defects are unlikely to occur.

The coil layer 10 is surrounded by an insulating layer (not shown) made of polyimide or a resist material.
An upper core layer 1 made of a soft magnetic material and functioning as a trailing side core of the inductive head h2 on the insulating layer.
1 is formed. As shown in FIG.
Of the gap layer 9 above the lower core layer 8.
2, a magnetic gap having a magnetic gap length G12 for applying a recording magnetic field to the recording medium is formed. The base end 11b of the upper core layer 11 is magnetically connected to the lower core layer 8 as shown in FIG. It is connected to the. Also, the upper core layer 11
On top of this, a protective layer 12 of alumina or the like is provided. In the inductive head h2, a recording current is applied to the coil layer 10, and a recording magnetic field is induced from the coil layer 10 to the lower core layer 8 and the upper core layer 11. Then, the lower core layer 8 and the upper core layer 1 at the portion of the magnetic gap length Gl2.
A magnetic signal is recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk due to a leakage magnetic field between the magnetic head and the tip 11a.

In the present invention, as described above, the lower core layer 8
Can be formed by a vapor phase growth method such as a sputtering method or a vapor deposition method, so that the selectivity of the soft magnetic material for forming the lower core layer 8 can be increased. In the present invention, a soft magnetic material having a lower saturation magnetic flux density, a lower coercive force, a higher specific resistance, and a lower magnetostriction constant than the upper core layer 11 is used for the lower core layer 8 to function as a core and as a shield. Both have improved.

In the present invention, any of the following two types of soft magnetic materials can be used as the lower core layer 8. (1) The composition ratio is represented by Fe _a M _b O _c , where M is Al, S
A soft magnetic material comprising one or more of i, Hf, Zr, Ti, V, Nb, Ta, W, Mg, or a rare earth element. (2) The composition ratio is represented by Fe _a M _b (T + O) _c , where M is A
1, Si, Hf, Zr, Ti, V, Nb, Ta, W, M
A soft magnetic material characterized in that one or more of g or rare earth elements, and T is composed of one of B and C.

Fe is a main component and is an element that has magnetism. If the composition ratio (atomic%) of Fe is increased, a low magnetostriction constant can be obtained, but if the composition ratio (atomic%) of Fe is too large, the specific resistance decreases. The element M is necessary for forming an amorphous phase and obtaining soft magnetic properties. These combine with oxygen to form an oxide-like high-resistance amorphous phase. Further, a microcrystalline phase of Fe having a bcc structure and an amorphous phase containing elements M and O at a higher concentration than the microcrystalline phase are mixed, and the ratio of the microcrystalline phase may be 70% or less. More preferred.

[0039] Fe _a M _b O _c alloy and Fe _a M _b (T +
O) The composition ratios a, b, and c of the _c- based alloy are appropriately adjusted so that the coercive force in the hard axis direction is 1.0 Oe (Oersted) or less and the absolute value of the magnetostriction constant is 1.0 × 10 ⁻⁶ or less. To Coercive force in the hard axis direction of 1.0 Oe or less and 1.0 ×
Fe _a M _b O _c alloy having an absolute value of 10 ^-6 or less magnetostriction constant, and _{Fe a M b (T + O} ) c based alloy, the saturation magnetic flux density of 0.7 T (tesla) or more, the resistivity 100μΩ・ C
m or more. Further, Fe _a M _b O _c alloy, and _{Fe a M b (T + O} ) may be _c based alloy is used in the upper core layer 11, in which case, even the hard-axis direction only in the saturation magnetic flux density of more than 1.3T , The composition ratios a, b, and c must be appropriately adjusted so that the coercive force becomes 1.0 Oe or less.
Fe _a M _b O _c alloy, and Fe _a having the above saturation magnetic flux density and 1.0Oe following the coercivity in the hard axis direction 1.3T
The _Mb (T + O) _c- based alloy has a specific resistance of 100 μΩ · cm or more.

By appropriately adjusting the composition ratio of the two types of soft magnetic materials described above in detail, the lower core layer 8 and the upper core layer 11 are adjusted.
If used, the saturation magnetic flux density of the lower core layer 8 and the upper core layer 11 is increased, and the coercive force in the hard axis direction is reduced.
Further, since the specific resistance can be increased, even if the recording frequency is increased, eddy current is hardly generated, and a decrease in the magnetic permeability at a high frequency is suppressed. Further, by making the saturation magnetic flux density of the lower core layer 8 lower than the saturation magnetic flux density of the upper core layer 11, magnetization reversal of the leakage magnetic field between the lower core layer 8 and the upper core layer 11 is easily caused.

Further, the coercive force in the hard axis direction and the absolute value of the magnetostriction constant of the lower core layer 8 which serves both the core function and the shielding function are reduced, and the initial magnetic permeability is increased even if the recording frequency is increased as described above. Is not extremely reduced, so that even if the magnetic gap length Gl1 between the lower shield layer 1 and the lower core layer 8 is shortened, the shielding of the lower core layer 8 in which the MR film of the magnetoresistive element layer 3 should be shielded from recording noise. The function is not deteriorated, so that the occurrence of Barkhausen noise due to recording noise can be prevented.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing a method of manufacturing the lower core layer 8. In FIG. 3A, a lift-off resist layer 14 is formed on the upper gap layer 6 by applying a lift-off resist solution on the upper gap layer 6 and performing exposure and development. The lift-off resist layer 14 is formed with a constant thickness in the width dimension T. And it has the shape which protruded in the shape of a protrusion toward the both ends, and the slope part 14a, 14a is formed in the low surface of both ends. As shown in FIG. 3B, on the lift-off resist layer 14 and on both sides of the lift-off resist layer 14, a non-magnetic material layer 7 'made of a non-magnetic material such as alumina and the milling prevention layers 7, 7 are sputtered. To form a film. As shown in the figure,
The thickness of the milling prevention layers 7, 7 formed below the inclined portions 14a, 14a is gradually reduced, and inclined portions 7a, 7a are formed at the ends of the milling prevention layers 7, 7. I have.

It is preferable that the thickness of the milling prevention layers 7, 7 is about 3000 angstroms. Further, it is preferable that the milling rate of the milling prevention layers 7, 7 is smaller (slower) than the milling rate of the soft magnetic material layers 15, 15 shown in FIG. More preferably, the ratio of the milling rate of the soft magnetic material layers 15 to the milling blocking layers 7 is 2 or more.

[0044] a milling rate about 150 Å / min, for example alumina (Al ₂ O _3), permalloy or the aforementioned Fe _a M _b O _c and Fe _a M _b (T +
O) Milling rate of _c is 300 Å / m
in. For this reason, the milling prevention layers 7, 7
There is formed of alumina, the soft magnetic material layer 15, 15 permalloy, if it is formed by Fe _a M _b O _c or _{Fe a M b (T + O} ) c, soft magnetic material layer with respect to the milling blocking layer 7,7 The ratio of the milling rates of 15, 15 is about 2. In addition, as a milling prevention layer, S
It may be formed of a non-magnetic ceramic material such as iO ₂ , Ta ₃ O ₅ , Si ₃ N ₄ , SiC, and AlN. These are materials having a low milling rate and excellent electrical insulation.

In FIG. 3C, the nonmagnetic material layer 7 'and the lift-off resist layer 14 are removed, and the milling prevention layers 7, 7 are left on the upper gap layer 6. Then, as shown in FIG. 3D, the soft magnetic material (1) or (2) described above is formed on the milling blocking layers 7, 7 and on the upper gap layer 6 having the width T by sputtering. Filmed,
A soft magnetic material layer 15 is formed. As shown in the figure,
On the upper surface of the soft magnetic material layer 15, a concave portion 15a is formed.

Next, in FIG. 3E, the soft magnetic material layer 1
By applying a resist solution on the upper surface of the resist 5 and performing exposure and development, a resist layer 16 as shown in the figure is formed on the concave portion 15a. The resist layer 16 is preferably formed at the center of the width dimension T, and the width dimension T ′ of the resist layer is preferably smaller than the width dimension T. Then, as shown in FIG. 3 (f), the soft magnetic material layers 15 ', 15' are removed by ion milling.

In the ion milling, a neutral ionized Ar (argon) gas is used, and the soft magnetic material layers 15 ′ and 15 ′ are irradiated with ions from oblique arrows R and S directions, and are caused by physical action. , Soft magnetic material layer 15 ', 1
5 'is removed. The soft magnetic material layer 15 "is not affected by ion milling because the resist layer 16 is formed thereon, and the soft magnetic material layer 15" is left. Further, as shown in FIG.
The upper surfaces 15 "a, 15" a of the both end portions of each of them have a curved surface shape, and are formed such that the film thickness gradually decreases toward both edge portions.

The soft magnetic material layer 1 is formed by ion milling.
When 5 'and 15' are removed, the soft magnetic material layer 1 is removed.
Milling blocking layers 7 formed under 5 'and 15',
7 is directly affected by ion milling. As described above, the milling prevention layers 7, 7 are formed with a thickness of about 3000 Å, and when formed with such a thickness, the milling prevention layers 7, 7 are all removed by ion milling. There is no. Therefore, the upper gap layer 6 formed under the milling prevention layers 7, 7 is not affected by ion milling at all. In FIG. 3G, the resist layer 16 formed on the soft magnetic material layer 15 ″ (the lower core layer 8) is removed.

As shown in the figure, the lower core layer 8 formed on the upper gap layer 6 is formed to have a constant thickness, and is formed such that the thickness gradually decreases toward both end portions. I have. Milling prevention layers 7, 7 are formed on both sides of the lower core layer 8. Since the milling prevention layers 7, 7 are formed of a non-magnetic material such as alumina, the function of the lower core layer 8 is reduced. Has no effect. As described above, in the present invention, the lower core layer 8 can be formed by a vapor phase growth method such as a sputtering method or a vapor deposition method, and as shown in FIG. 3 (f), the lower core layer 8 (the nonmagnetic material layer 15 ″) can be formed. 2), the upper gap layer 6 is not directly affected by ion milling.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of a thin-film magnetic head according to a second embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the side facing the recording medium. In the thin-film magnetic head shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, an upper shield layer 17 is formed on the upper gap layer 6, and a milling prevention layer 7 is formed on both sides of the upper shield layer 17. On the upper shield layer 17, a separation layer 18 made of a nonmagnetic conductive material having a small electric resistance such as Cu is formed. The separation layer 18 is provided for the purpose of completely separating the read head h1 and the inductive head h2, and a multilayer film laminated under the separation layer 18 is formed on the read head h1 and the separation layer 18. The multi-layer film is an inductive head h2.

As shown in the figure, the upper shield layer 17 is formed with a constant thickness, and is formed so as to gradually decrease in thickness toward both end portions. For this reason, the separation layer 18 formed on the upper shield layer 17 can be formed smoothly, and the lower core layer 8 can be easily formed on the separation layer 18. The upper shield layer 1
7 is formed by exactly the same method as the method of manufacturing the lower core layer 8 shown in FIG.

In FIG. 4B, the lower core layer 8 is formed together with the upper shield layer 6 by the manufacturing method shown in FIG. For this reason, milling prevention layers 7, 7 are formed on both sides of the lower core layer 8, and the lower core layer 8 is formed so as to become gradually thinner toward both end portions.
The thin-film magnetic head shown in FIG. 4B is easier to form the coil layer 10 than the thin-film magnetic head shown in FIG. The cross section of the upper core layer 11 shown in FIGS. 1 and 4A and 4B is rectangular. This upper core layer 11 may be formed by a sputtering method or may be formed by a plating method.

[0053]

According to the present invention described in detail above, since there is no step at both end portions of the shield layer formed on the upper gap layer, the coil layer can be formed stably, and The change in the thickness of the nonmagnetic material layer can be reduced, and the occurrence of pinholes can be prevented.

In the present invention, since the shield layer can be formed by a sputtering method or the like, the selectivity of the soft magnetic material to be the shield layer can be increased. For example, when the shield layer has both a core function and a shield function, the write frequency is increased if the shield layer is formed of a soft magnetic material having high saturation magnetic flux density, low coercive force, and high specific resistance. It is possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged front view of a thin-film magnetic head showing a structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a half-sectional inclined view showing shapes of a lower core layer and an upper core layer in the thin-film magnetic head;

3 (a) to 3 (g) are enlarged cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing a lower core layer according to the present invention for each step.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are enlarged front views of a thin-film magnetic head showing a structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view showing the structure of a conventional thin-film magnetic head.

6 (a) to 6 (f) are enlarged cross-sectional views showing a conventional method of manufacturing a lower core layer by process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lower shield layer 2 Lower gap layer 3 Magnetoresistive element layer 4 Hard bias layer 5 Main electrode layer 6 Upper gap layer 7 Milling prevention layer 8 Lower core layer 9 Gap layer (nonmagnetic material layer) 10 Coil layer 11 Upper core layer 14 Resist layer for lift-off 17 Upper shield layer 18 Separation layer

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A thin-film magnetic head in which an inductive head including a coil layer and a core layer is stacked on a read head having a magnetoresistive element layer, wherein an insulating layer is interposed on the magnetoresistive element layer. A thin-film magnetic head, wherein the formed shield layer is formed to have a substantially uniform thickness, and is formed so that the thickness gradually decreases toward both end portions. 2. The thin-film magnetic head according to claim 1, wherein a milling prevention layer made of a non-magnetic material is formed on both sides of the shield layer. 3. The thin-film magnetic head according to claim 2, wherein a milling rate of a material forming the milling prevention layer is lower than a milling rate of a material forming the shield layer. 4. When the shield layer has both a function as a core of an inductive head and a function as an upper shield layer of a read head, an upper portion opposing the shield layer and the shield layer via a magnetic gap. The core layer is mainly composed of Fe, and is a rare earth element or Al, Si, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta,
4. The thin-film magnetic head according to claim 1, wherein the thin-film magnetic head is formed of a soft magnetic material comprising O and one or more elements selected from W and Mg. 5. When the shield layer has both a function as a core of an inductive head and a function as an upper shield layer of a read head, an upper portion opposed to the shield layer and the shield layer via a magnetic gap. The core layer is mainly composed of Fe, and is a rare earth element or Al, Si, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta,
4. A soft magnetic material comprising one or more elements selected from the group consisting of W and Mg, one of the elements B and C, and O. The thin-film magnetic head as described in the above. 6. A method for manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head in which an inductive head including a coil layer and a core layer is stacked on a read head having a magnetoresistive element layer, wherein an insulating layer is provided on the magnetoresistive element layer. Forming a lift-off resist layer on the insulating layer, and a surface of the lift-off resist layer and the insulating layer on which the lift-off resist layer is not formed. Forming a milling prevention layer made of a non-magnetic material on the insulating layer; removing the lift-off resist layer; softening the insulating layer and the milling prevention layer on the portion where the lift-off resist layer has been removed. Forming a layer of a magnetic material by sputtering or vapor deposition; and forming the soft magnetic layer on the insulating layer where the lift-off resist layer has been removed. Forming a resist layer through a layer of a material, leaving a layer of the soft magnetic material formed under the resist layer as a shield layer, and removing other layers of the soft magnetic material by ion milling And a step of removing a resist layer formed on the lower core layer. 7. The method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to claim 6, wherein an inclined portion is formed on a bottom surface at both end portions of the lift-off resist layer. 8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the milling prevention layer is formed to a thickness of about 3000 Å. 9. The method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to claim 6, wherein a milling rate by ion milling is lower in a material forming the milling prevention layer than in a material forming the shield layer. .