JPH11328617A - Thin film magnetic head and fabricating method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve head characteristics by reducing a magnetic path length by a reduction in a width of coil windings in a thin film magnetic head having at least an induction-type magnetic transducer for writing. SOLUTION: An insulating layer 13 is provided on a surface of a helical convex-and-concave structure defined by a first coil 12a. A second coil 14a is embedded in a helical groove of the first coil 12a covered by the insulating layer 13 to directly contact the insulating layer 13. Without significantly improving processing precision in a fabrication process of the first coil 12a, a winding pitch of a thin film coil per single level can be reduced. Furthermore, when the second coil 14a is provided not only in the helical groove-shaped concave portion formed by the first coil 12a and an insulating layer 8 but also partly over the helical ridge-shaped convex portion so as to have a T-shaped cross-section, the cross-sectional area of the second coil 14a is increased, thereby resulting in a decreased electrical resistance as the thin film coil.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

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

[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). An AMR element using the effect and a GMR element using a giant magnetoresistance (hereinafter, referred to as GMR (Giant Magneto Resistive)) effect. A reproducing head using an AMR element is called an AMR head or simply an MR head. A reproducing head using a GMR element is a GMR head.
Called the 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 surface recording density of 3 gigabit / (inch) ^2.
(Inch) Used as a playback head exceeding ² .

An AMR head is an AM head having an AMR effect.
An R film is provided. The GMR head uses the GM
This is replaced with a GMR film having the R effect, and is similar in structure to the AMR head. However, the GMR film has an AM
It shows a larger resistance change when the same external magnetic field is applied than the R film. For this reason, it is said that the GMR head can increase the reproduction output by about 3 to 5 times as compared with the AMR head.

As a method of improving the performance of the reproducing head, there is a method of changing the MR film. Generally, the AMR film is a film made of a magnetic material exhibiting the MR effect, and has a single-layer structure. 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 that cause the GMR effect, and the layer structure of the GMR film changes depending on the mechanism. GMR
As the film, a superlattice GMR film, a granular film, a spin valve film, and the like have been proposed, but the structure is relatively simple, shows a large resistance change even in a weak magnetic field, and is intended for mass production.
As an MR film, a spin valve film is effective. As described above, the reproducing head, for example, converts the MR film from the AMR film to the G film.
By changing to a material with excellent magnetoresistance sensitivity such as MR film,
The purpose of improving performance can be easily achieved.

[0005] Factors that determine the performance of the reproducing head include the pattern width, particularly the MR height, in addition to the above-mentioned material selection. The MR height refers to the length (height) from the end of the MR element on the air bearing surface side to the end on the opposite side, and is controlled by the amount of polishing when processing the air bearing surface. . The air bearing surface referred to 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. To this end, the width of the lower magnetic pole (bottom pole) and 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 narrow track structure, and semiconductor processing technology is used to achieve this.

Another factor that determines the performance of the recording head is the throat height (TH). The throat height refers to the length (height) of the magnetic pole portion from the air bearing surface to the edge of the insulating layer that electrically separates the thin film coil for generating magnetic flux. 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.

Further, in order to improve the performance of the recording head, it has been proposed to reduce the length of a portion of the lower magnetic pole and the upper magnetic pole sandwiching the thin-film coil (hereinafter referred to as a magnetic path length).

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

The structure and method of forming the thin-film coil, which are factors that determine the magnetic path length, will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 24 to 31 show a main part of a manufacturing process of a composite type thin film magnetic head having an MR element as an example of a conventional standard composite type thin film magnetic head.
These figures show cross sections when the main part of the intermediate product in each step is cut by a plane perpendicular to the air bearing surface.
Here, a case of a composite type thin film magnetic head in which an inductive type recording thin film magnetic head is laminated on a magnetoresistive effect type reproducing thin film magnetic head will be exemplified.

First, as shown in FIG. 24, an insulating layer 1 made of, for example, alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ) is formed on a substrate 101 made of, for example, Altic (Al ₂ O ₃ .TiC).
02 is deposited to a thickness of about 5-10 μm. This insulating layer 1
02, a read head MR element (MR film 1 described later)
05) is formed with a thickness of 3 to 4 μm as a lower shield layer 103 constituting a magnetic shield layer for protecting the magnetic shield layer from the influence of an external magnetic field. Next, on the lower shield layer 103, for example, alumina is sputter-deposited with a thickness of 100 to 200 nm to form a shield gap film 104, on which an MR film 105 for constituting an MR element of a reproducing head is formed. It is formed to a thickness of several tens of nm, and is formed into a desired shape by high-precision photolithography. Next, a shield gap film 106 is formed on the shield gap film 104 and the MR layer 105, and the MR film 105 is
It is buried in 6. Next, a magnetic layer 107 made of permalloy (NiFe) is formed on the shield gap film 106 by three.
It is formed to a thickness of 4 μm. The magnetic layer 107 has not only the function of the upper shield layer for magnetically shielding the GMR element of the reproducing head together with the lower shield layer 103 described above, but also the function of the lower magnetic pole of the recording head. Here, for convenience of explanation, it is noted that the magnetic layer 107 is one of the magnetic layers constituting the recording head, and is hereinafter simply referred to as the lower magnetic pole 107.

Next, as shown in FIG.
A recording gap layer 109 made of a non-magnetic material such as alumina is formed to a thickness of about 200 nm on the recording gap layer 107 except for a portion that will later constitute a magnetic pole portion.
09, a photoresist 110 for determining the reference position of the throat height is formed, and copper (C) is formed on the entire surface.
u) or the like and a thin seed layer 11 having a thickness of about 100 nm.
1 is formed by sputtering. This seed layer 111
This serves as a seed when a thin film coil is formed later by electroplating. Next, a thick photoresist 112 of 3 to 4 μm is formed on the seed layer 111,
A spiral opening 113 reaching the seed layer 111 is formed in the photoresist 112 by photolithography. The depth of the opening 113 is equal to the film thickness, and the width is 2 μm.
It is about. The width of the spiral photoresist pattern formed by the opening 113 is also about 2 μm.

Next, as shown in FIG. 26, a copper electroplating process is performed using a plating solution of copper sulfate, and a coil-like structure forming a first-layer thin-film coil is formed in the opening 113 of the photoresist 112. The body 114 is formed. This coil 1
The thickness of the film 14 is preferably smaller than the depth of the opening 113, for example, 2 to 3 μm.

Next, as shown in FIG. 27, after the photoresist 112 is removed, as shown in FIG. 28, milling by an argon ion beam IB (hereinafter referred to as ion milling) is performed to form a seed layer. By removing 111, the windings of the coiled body 114 are separated from each other to form the first-layer coil 114a. In this ion milling, in order to prevent the seed layer 111 at the bottom between the windings of the coil-shaped body 114 from protruding outside the thin-film coil and remaining, the ion milling is performed at 5 to 10 °. Perform at an angle. When the ion milling is performed at an angle close to the vertical as described above, the material constituting the seed layer 111 may be scattered and reattached by the impact of the ion beam, and it may not be possible to completely separate the winding bodies. Therefore, it is necessary to make the interval between the windings of the coil-shaped body 114 relatively wide. This will be described later.

Next, as shown in FIG. 29, after a photoresist 115 is formed so as to cover the first-layer coil 114a and the photoresist 110, the first-layer coil 114a is flattened and described later. For the purpose of determining the apex angle and the like, heat treatment is performed at a temperature of, for example, 250 ° C. Next, as shown in FIG.
By a process similar to the process shown in FIG. 28, a second-layer coil 117a including a seed layer 116 is formed on the photoresist 115, and a photoresist 118 is further formed. Next, as shown in FIG.
After the recording gap layer 109 is selectively etched to form a magnetic path at a position behind (to the right in FIG. 30) the 117a, the upper magnetic pole 119 made of permalloy or the like is formed to a thickness of 3 to 5 μm. . The upper magnetic pole 119 is in contact with the lower magnetic pole 107 at a position behind the coils 114a and 117a and is magnetically coupled.

Next, as shown in FIG.
The recording gap layer 109 and the lower magnetic pole 107 are etched by about 0.5 μm by using the 19 magnetic pole portions 119a as a mask to form a trim structure described later, and as shown in FIG. An overcoat layer 120 made of alumina is formed. FIG. 31 shows a state in which the laminated structure in FIG. 30 is cut along a plane that passes through the MR layer 105 and is parallel to the air bearing surface 122. In this figure, the shield gap layers 104 and 106 that electrically insulate the MR film 105 from other layers and magnetically shield the MR film 105 are shown separately.
Also shown are lead layers 121a and 121b made of a conductive layer for making electrical connection to 05. However, illustration of the overcoat layer 120 is omitted.

Finally, the slider is machined to form the air bearing surfaces 122 of the recording head and the reproducing head as shown in FIG. 30, thereby completing the thin-film magnetic head.

In FIG. 30, TH indicates the throat height, and MR-H indicates the MR height. In addition to the throat height and the MR height, factors that determine the performance of the thin-film magnetic head include an Apex Angle indicated by θ in FIG. The apex angle is determined by the photoresist layers 110, 11
5, 118, which is an angle formed by a straight line S connecting the corners of the side surfaces on the air bearing surface side and the upper surface of the upper magnetic pole 119.

In FIG. 31, P2W represents a magnetic pole width. As shown in this drawing, the magnetic pole portion 119a of the upper magnetic pole 119, the recording gap layer 109, and the lower magnetic pole 10
The structure in which the respective side walls of the portion 107a of 7 are vertically formed in a self-aligned manner is called a trim (Trim) structure. According to this trim structure, it is possible to prevent the effective track width from increasing due to the spread of the magnetic flux generated when writing in a narrow track.

In the actual manufacture of the thin-film magnetic head, the wafer on which the above-described structure is formed is divided into bars on which a large number of thin-film magnetic heads are arranged. (FIG. 30). In the process of forming the air bearing surface 122, the MR film 105 is also polished to obtain a composite thin film magnetic head having desired throat height and MR height. Furthermore, in an actual thin film magnetic head,
Although contact pads for making electrical connection to the thin film coils 114a and 117a and the MR film 105 are formed, they are not shown in the figures described above.

[0022]

The conventional composite thin film magnetic head formed as described above has the following problems, particularly in terms of miniaturization of the recording head.

Generally, by shortening the magnetic path length LM, the magnetic flux rise time (Flux) of the inductive type thin film magnetic head is reduced.
Rise Time) and non-linear transition shift (Non-line
ar Transition Shift: NLTS)
e) It is known that characteristics and the like can be improved. Here, as shown in FIG. 30, the magnetic path length LM is the length of the lower magnetic pole 107 and the upper magnetic pole 119 in a portion surrounding the first layer coil 114a and the second layer coil 117a (that is, Recording gap layer 10 from air bearing surface
9 (the distance to the opening formed in FIG. 9). The magnetic flux rise time is determined by the coil 114a of the first layer and the second layer.
This is the time from when an electric current is applied to the thin-film coil made up of the coil 117a of the layer to when the magnetic flux density in the magnetic circuit made up of the lower magnetic pole 107 and the upper magnetic pole 119 reaches a predetermined level. It is. In addition, the nonlinear transition shift is a phenomenon in which, during data recording, the magnetic flux from the magnetic domain recorded immediately before interacts with the magnetic flux of the recording head, and the position of the transition (portion where the magnetization direction is reversed) to be newly recorded is changed. Is a phenomenon that affects the accuracy of the data recording position and, consequently, the surface density characteristics at the time of recording.

In order to shorten the magnetic path length LM, it is necessary to shorten the coil bundle width LC of the first-layer coil 114a and the second-layer coil 117a surrounded by the lower magnetic pole 107 and the upper magnetic pole 119. is there. This coil bundle width L
In order to shorten C, the width of each winding body of the first-layer coil 114a and the second-layer coil 117a (hereinafter, simply referred to as a thin-film coil unless otherwise specified) is reduced, or each winding is reduced. It is necessary to reduce body spacing. However, in the conventional thin-film magnetic head, it is difficult to make the winding width or the winding interval of the thin-film coil narrower than the current state for the following reasons.

First, since it is necessary to reduce the electric resistance of the thin-film coil, there is naturally a limitation in reducing the width of the winding body. Even if copper having high conductivity is used to lower the resistance of the thin-film coil, a height of about 2 to 3 μm is required to secure the cross-sectional area of the thin-film coil. The reason for forming the width as narrow as 1.5 μm or less is that it is a problem in terms of shape stability. Therefore, it has been difficult to make the winding width of the thin-film coil narrower than this.

On the other hand, it is difficult to reduce the interval between the windings of the thin film coil for the following two reasons.

The first reason is as follows. That is,
Conventionally, a thin-film coil is formed by electroplating as described with reference to FIG. 26. In this case, copper is uniformly deposited over the entire wafer in the opening 113 formed in the photoresist 112. Then, a thin seed layer 111 is formed in advance. Therefore, the coiled body 114 is formed in the opening 113 by electroplating.
Is formed, and an opening 1 is formed to separate the windings.
It is necessary to selectively remove the seed layer 111 in the substrate 13. The removal of the seed layer 111 is performed by ion milling using, for example, argon with the coiled body 114 as a mask, as described with reference to FIG. Here, the ion milling is basically preferably performed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the substrate. However, in this case, the re-adhesion of the etched copper occurs, and the distance between the windings of the thin film coil is increased. In order to avoid such inconvenience, it is necessary to perform ion milling while maintaining a certain angle with respect to a perpendicular line of the substrate. Generally, if the ion milling is performed at a large angle of, for example, 40 to 45 degrees, almost no reattachment of the etching material occurs. However, when ion milling is performed at such a large angle, the coiled body 1
The shadow area 14 is not sufficiently irradiated with ions, and the aperture 1
The seed layer 111 in the substrate 13 remains largely. Therefore, as described in FIG. 28, ion milling is generally performed at an angle of 5 to 10 degrees. However, when an attempt is made to further narrow the interval between the windings of the thin-film coil, even at a small angle of 5 to 10 degrees, the shadow portion of the coil-shaped body 114 is not sufficiently irradiated with ions, and the seed layer 111 is Partially remains, causing a short circuit between the winding bodies. When ion milling is performed at an angle of 5 to 10 degrees or less, a short circuit between the winding bodies also occurs due to the reattachment of the etching material as described above. Therefore, the distance between the windings of the thin film coil is set to 2
It was difficult to reduce the thickness to μ3 μm or less.

The second reason is as follows. That is,
In order to reduce the interval between the windings of the coiled body 114 to 1 μm or less, as shown in FIG.
It is necessary to narrow (thin) the line width (wall thickness) of the spiral pattern of No. 2. On the other hand, in order to make the height of the thin film coil 2 to 3 μm as described above, the depth of the opening 113, that is, the thickness of the photoresist 112 needs to be 3 to 4 μm. However, when a thin-film coil is formed by electroplating as described with reference to FIG. 26, it is necessary to stir an electrolytic plating solution such as copper sulfate in order to ensure uniformity of the formed film thickness. For this reason, the coiled body 114
If the line width (wall thickness) of the spiral pattern of the photoresist 112 is too small in order to narrow the interval between the winding bodies of
This thin wall collapses due to stirring of the electrolytic plating solution, and a thin film coil cannot be formed accurately. Therefore, it has been difficult to reduce the interval between the windings of the thin film coil.

From the above, it is not easy to make the winding width and the winding interval of the thin film coil narrower than the current state, and as a result, it is difficult to shorten the coil bundle width LC.

In order to improve the NLTS characteristics of the recording head, it is conceivable to increase the number of turns of the thin-film coil. However, in order to increase the number of coil turns without increasing the coil bundle width LC, and without reducing the winding width and the winding interval of the thin film coil,
It is necessary to increase the number of thin film coil layers to four or five. However, when the number of thin-film coil layers is increased, the apex angle θ becomes large, and it is impossible to achieve a narrow track width (a narrowing of the magnetic pole width P2W in FIG. 30). In order to keep the apex angle within a predetermined range, it is desirable that the number of thin-film coil layers be three or less, preferably two or less, but this cannot increase the number of coil turns, and eventually , NLTS
It is difficult to improve the characteristics.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thin film magnetic head capable of improving various characteristics by shortening a magnetic path length by narrowing a coil bundle width and a method of manufacturing the same. Is to provide.

[0032]

According to the present invention, there is provided a thin-film magnetic head comprising at least two magnetic poles including two magnetic poles which are magnetically connected and a part of a side facing a recording medium is opposed via a gap layer. A thin-film magnetic head comprising a layer and a thin-film coil disposed between the at least two magnetic layers or another magnetic layer connected thereto, wherein the thin-film coil is formed in a spiral shape. A first thin film coil;
An insulating film formed so as to cover at least a bottom surface and a side surface of the spiral groove which is a region between the winding bodies of the first thin film coil, and at least an inside of the spiral groove covered with the insulating film, And a second thin-film coil embedded and formed so as to be in contact therewith.

In the thin-film magnetic head of the present invention, at least the inside of the spiral groove covered by the insulating film formed so as to cover the bottom and side surfaces of the spiral groove which is the region between the windings of the first thin-film coil. In addition, a second thin-film coil is formed so as to be buried in direct contact with the insulating film.
Here, "the second thin-film coil is formed so as to be buried in direct contact with the insulating film" means that the internal space of the spiral groove covered with the insulating film is different from that of the other. Directly through the second thin-film coil without any intervening space. With such a configuration, the first thin film coil and the second thin film coil belong to the same layer via the insulating film, and the pitch of the winding body per single layer in the thin film coil portion is reduced.

In the thin-film magnetic head of the present invention, the insulating film may be formed so as to reach the top of the first thin-film coil. In this case, the second thin-film coil can be formed so as to cover a part of the top of the first thin-film coil via the insulating film.

In the thin-film magnetic head of the present invention, the above-mentioned thin-film coil portion is further formed as a separate layer from the first thin-film coil and the second thin-film coil via an interlayer insulating film. A third thin-film coil connecting between the inner peripheral end of the thin-film coil and the outer peripheral end of the second thin-film coil or between the outer peripheral end of the first thin-film coil and the inner peripheral end of the second thin-film coil; It may be included.

In the thin-film magnetic head of the present invention, the first
Or the second thin-film coil may include a thin underlying conductive film and a conductive plating layer formed using the underlying conductive film as a seed layer.

In the thin-film magnetic head of the present invention, the second
May be configured to include a vapor growth conductive layer formed by a vapor growth method. In this case, a chemical vapor deposition method can be used as the vapor deposition method.

In the thin-film magnetic head according to the present invention, the insulating film may be an inorganic insulating film. In this case, aluminum oxide can be used as the inorganic insulating film.

In the thin-film magnetic head of the present invention, the insulating film has a helical shape even when the insulating film covers at least the bottom surface and the side surfaces of the helical groove which is the region between the windings of the first thin-film coil. It is preferable that the groove is formed so as to have such a thickness that a groove shape corresponding to the groove can remain.

Further, in the thin-film magnetic head of the present invention, a plurality of thin-film coil portions may be formed hierarchically via an interlayer insulating film.

The thin-film magnetic head of the present invention may further include a read magneto-resistive element.

The method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to the present invention is characterized in that at least two magnetic layers including two magnetic poles which are magnetically connected and have a part facing the recording medium facing through a gap layer are provided. A thin-film magnetic head having at least two magnetic layers or a thin-film coil disposed between other magnetic layers connected to the at least two magnetic layers, wherein the step of forming the thin-film coil is performed in a spiral shape. Forming a first thin-film coil, forming an insulating film so as to cover at least a bottom surface and a side surface of a spiral groove which is a region between the winding bodies of the first thin-film coil, A second thin-film coil is provided at least inside the spiral groove,
And burying the insulating film in direct contact with the insulating film.

In the method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to the present invention, the insulating film may reach the top of the first thin-film coil. In this case, it is possible that the second thin-film coil also covers a part of the top of the first thin-film coil via the insulating film.

Further, in the method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to the present invention, the method may further comprise the step of: interposing an outer peripheral end of the first thin-film coil between an inner peripheral end of the first thin-film coil and an outer peripheral end of the second thin-film coil. Forming a third thin-film coil for connection between the inner peripheral end of the second thin-film coil and the first thin-film coil and the second thin-film coil via an interlayer insulating film; May be included.

In the method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to the present invention, the step of forming the first thin-film coil or the step of forming the second thin-film coil includes a step of forming a thin underlying conductive film and a step of forming the underlying conductive film. A step of selectively performing plating growth as a seed layer.

In the method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to the present invention, the step of forming the second thin-film coil may include a step of selectively performing vapor phase growth. In this case, the step of selectively performing the vapor phase growth can be performed by a chemical vapor deposition method.

In the method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to the present invention, the insulating film may be an inorganic insulating film. In this case, aluminum oxide can be used as the inorganic insulating film.

In the method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to the present invention, the insulating film covers at least the bottom surface and the side surfaces of the spiral groove which is the region between the windings of the first thin-film coil. It is preferable that the groove is formed so as to have such a thickness that a groove shape corresponding to the spiral groove can remain.

Further, in the method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to the present invention, a plurality of thin-film coil portions may be formed hierarchically via an interlayer insulating film.

Further, the method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to the present invention may further include a step of forming a read magnetoresistive element.

[0051]

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

FIGS. 1 to 12 show the steps of manufacturing a composite type thin film magnetic head as a method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head according to an embodiment of the present invention. In each of these figures, (a) shows a cross section perpendicular to the air bearing surface, and (b) shows a cross section of the magnetic pole portion parallel to the air bearing surface. The thin-film magnetic head according to one embodiment of the present invention is embodied by the method for manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to the present embodiment, and will be described together.

In the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, AlTiC (Al ₂ O _3.
On a substrate 1 made of TiC), for example, alumina (Al ₂
An insulating layer 2 made of O ₃ ;
It is deposited with a thickness of about m. Next, as shown in FIG.
Using a photoresist film (not shown) as a mask, a permalloy (NiFe) of about 2
The lower shield layer 3 for a reproducing head is formed by selectively forming a layer having a thickness of about 3 μm.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, alumina is sputter-deposited on the lower shield layer 3 to a thickness of 100 to 200 nm to form a shield gap film 4.
Next, on the shield gap film 4, an MR film 5 for constituting an MR element for reproduction is formed to a thickness of about several tens nm, and is formed into a desired shape by high-precision photolithography.
Next, a shield gap film 6 is formed on the shield gap film 4 and the MR film 5, and the MR film 5 is embedded in the shield gap films 4 and 6. Although not shown,
A pair of lead layers for making an electrical connection to the MR film 5 is also selectively formed. Here, the MR film 5 corresponds to the “magnetic resistance element for reading” in the present invention.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, an upper shield / lower magnetic pole (hereinafter, referred to as a lower magnetic pole) 7 made of permalloy or the like is formed on the shield gap film 6 by, for example, a plating method. It is selectively formed with a thickness of 4 μm.
Here, the lower magnetic pole 7 is the “two magnetic layers” in the present invention.
Corresponding to one of

Next, an inorganic insulating film, for example, a silicon oxide film (SiO ₂ ) having a thickness of about 1 to ₂ μm is formed on the lower magnetic pole 7, and then tapered and selectively patterned. An insulating layer 8 for defining an apex angle and a throat height is formed. The etching at this time is performed by dry etching, particularly RIE (reactive ion etching). In this case, for example, BCl ₃ (boron trichloride), Cl ₂ (chlorine), CF
₄ (carbon tetrafluoride) or a gas such as SF ₆ (sulfur hexafluoride) is preferably performed by the RIE method.
The insulating layer 8 is not limited to a silicon oxide film, but may be another inorganic insulating film such as an alumina film or a silicon nitride film (SiN). Further, a photoresist layer may be used as the insulating layer 8.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, a recording gap layer 9 made of a non-magnetic material such as alumina or aluminum nitride is formed so as to cover the insulating layer 8 and the lower magnetic pole 7.
Is formed to a thickness of about 100 to 300 nm, and an opening 20 is formed in a region (right region in FIG. 5) connecting the lower magnetic pole 7 and an upper magnetic pole described later.

Next, as shown in the figure, a magnetic layer made of, for example, permalloy is formed to a thickness of about 3 to 4 μm, and is patterned by etching.
The upper pole pieces 10a and 10b are formed. At this time, the upper pole piece 10a is formed so as to extend from the side to be the air bearing surface to a part of the insulating layer 8 on the air bearing surface side through one tapered portion of the insulating layer 8, and
0b is formed so as to cover the opening 20 of the recording gap layer 9 and extend to a part of the insulating layer 8 on the side other than the air bearing surface via the other tapered portion of the insulating layer 8. As a result, the upper pole piece 10b comes into contact with the lower pole 7 via the opening 20 of the recording gap layer 9 and is magnetically connected.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, using the upper pole piece 10a as a mask, the recording gap layer 9 and the lower pole 7 are etched by about 0.5 μm to form a trim structure.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, a thin seed layer 11 of, for example, about 50 to 100 nm thick made of, for example, copper is formed on the entire surface by sputtering or the like, and then the same process using a conventional photolithography is performed. Then, copper is selectively formed on the seed layer 11 by electroplating to form the coil-shaped body 12. Here, the seed layer 11
Corresponds to the “underlying conductive film” in the present invention, and the coiled body 12 corresponds to the “conductive plating layer” in the present invention.

Specifically, 3.0 to 3.0 layers are formed on the seed layer 11.
A thick photoresist (not shown) having a thickness of 4.0 μm is formed, and a spiral opening (not shown) reaching the seed layer 11 is formed in the photoresist by photolithography. The depth of the opening is equal to the thickness of the photoresist, and the width of the opening is about 1.5 to 2.0 μm. The width of the spiral photoresist pattern defined by the openings is about 1.5 to 2.5 μm. Next, using such a photoresist pattern as a mask, a copper electroplating process is performed using a plating solution of copper sulfate, and the coil-shaped body 12 constituting the first coil is formed in the opening of the photoresist. To form Thereby, the winding width of the coiled body 12 is about 1.5 to 2.0 μm, and the spacing between the winding bodies is about 1.5 to 2.5 μm. In addition, the coiled body 12
Is smaller than the depth of the opening in the photoresist,
For example, it is set to 2.5 to 3.0 μm.

In this case, the pattern width of the photoresist used for selective electroplating (here, 1.5 to 2.5 μm)
m) is relatively large, about one half of its thickness (here, 3.0 to 4.0 μm) and its shape is stable. Therefore, even if the plating solution is stirred in the electroplating process, the photoresist The risk of collapse is very low.

Next, after the photoresist used for the selective electroplating is removed, as shown in FIG. 7, ion milling is performed by, for example, an argon ion beam IB to remove the space between the windings of the coiled body 12. The seed layer 11 at the bottom of the (concave portion) is removed, and the windings of the coiled body 12 are separated from each other to form the first coil 12a. This ion milling is performed at an angle of, for example, 5 to 10 degrees.
When ion milling is performed at an angle close to vertical in this way,
Although the material constituting the seed layer 11 may be scattered and re-attached by the impact of the ion beam, in the present embodiment, as described above, the interval between the windings of the coiled body 12 is 1.
Since it is relatively large, about 5 to 2.5 μm, there is little risk of short-circuiting between the winding bodies due to reattachment of the scattered seed layer constituent material, and complete separation is possible.
In addition, since the interval between the windings of the coil 12 is large,
The angle of ion milling described above (5 to 10 degrees)
Even in the case described above, the ions are sufficiently irradiated even to the shadow portion of the coil-shaped body 12, so that the seed layer 11 does not partially remain. Here, the first coil 12
a corresponds to the “first thin-film coil” in the present invention.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, after an insulating film 13 made of, for example, alumina having a thickness of about 300 to 500 nm is formed on the entire surface, a copper film is formed so as to cover the unevenness of the entire surface. The conductive layer 14 having a thickness of about 3.0 to 4.0 nm is formed. However, the insulating film 13 may be formed using, for example, a silicon oxide film or an alumina nitride film. At this time, the inside of the spiral groove of the first coil 12 a covered by the insulating film 13 is completely filled with the conductive layer 14. The formation of the conductive layer 14 is preferably performed by a vapor phase growth method, in particular, an MO-CVD (Metal Organic-CVD) method. This method is, for example, copper hexafluoacetylone.
acetonate; hfac) and trimethylvinylsilane (trime
thylvinylsilane; tmvs), about 150-200 °
Perform at a temperature of C. Here, the insulating film 13 corresponds to the “insulating film” in the present invention, and the conductive layer 14 corresponds to the “vapor-growth conductive layer” in the present invention.

However, the conductive layer 1 was replaced with the MO-CVD method.
4 may be formed by a vapor phase growth method such as sputtering or an electroplating method. In this case, after a seed layer made of, for example, copper and having a thickness of about 50 to 100 nm is formed on the entire surface by sputtering, the copper layer is grown in a plating solution such as copper sulfate using the seed layer as a seed.

Before the conductive layer 14 is formed, titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiN), tantalum nitride (TaN), The underlayer made of, for example, may be formed by CVD or sputtering.

Next, as shown in FIG.
The entire surface is polished by a predetermined amount by a (chemical mechanical polishing) method. The amount of polishing at this time is as shown in FIG.
The conductive layer 14 on the upper portion 2a slightly remains, and the upper pole piece 10a and the upper pole piece 10b are partially exposed.

Next, as shown in the figure, a spiral photoresist pattern 15 is formed by photolithography on the conductive layer 14 in the region where the first coil 12a is formed. This photoresist pattern 1
5 is a first coil 12a covered with an insulating film 13.
Is formed so as to pass right above the spiral groove 22a and reach a part of the spiral ridge (winding body) 22b.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10, using the photoresist pattern 15 as a mask, the conductive layer 14 is formed on the insulating film 13 by ion milling or sputter etching.
Is etched until is exposed to form the second coil 14a. After that, the photoresist pattern 15 is removed. Thereby, a spiral ridge (winding body) is formed from inside the spiral groove of the first coil 12a covered by the insulating film 13.
A second coil 1 having a T-shaped cross section toward the top
4a is formed. As described above, by adopting the T-shaped cross-sectional shape, a large cross-sectional area of the second coil 14a can be ensured. Here, the second coil 14a corresponds to the "second thin-film coil" in the present invention.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11, a photoresist layer 16 is selectively formed mainly by photolithography on a region where the first coil 12a and the second coil 14a are formed. Next, as shown in the figure, the upper magnetic pole 17 having a thickness of about 3 to 5 μm made of permalloy or the like is selectively formed by, for example, a plating method.
The upper pole 17 contacts and magnetically connects to the upper pole piece 10a in the front end region of the insulating layer 8, and contacts and magnetically connects to the upper pole piece 10b in the rear end region of the insulating layer 8. I do. Thus, a magnetic path is formed by the upper magnetic pole piece 10a, the upper magnetic pole 17, the upper magnetic pole piece 10b, and the lower magnetic pole 7. Here, the upper magnetic pole piece 10a corresponds to the other of the “two magnetic layers” in the present invention, and the upper magnetic pole 17 corresponds to “the other magnetic layer” in the present invention.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12, an overcoat layer 18 made of, for example, alumina is formed so as to cover the entire surface. Finally, the slider is machined to form the air bearing surfaces of the recording head and the reproducing head, thereby completing the composite thin-film magnetic head.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a composite type thin film magnetic head manufactured by the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment. In this figure, only the main layers are shown, and illustration of the overcoat layer 18 and other layers is omitted. In this figure, the symbol TH represents the throat height defined by the edge of the insulating layer 8 on the air bearing surface side. The lower magnetic pole 7 and the upper magnetic pole 17 are connected via an opening 20 (see FIG. 5) formed in the recording gap layer 9 (not shown in this drawing).

FIG. 14 is a diagram schematically illustrating the winding direction and connection of the first coil 12a and the second coil 14a. In an actual thin-film magnetic head, these coils 12a and 14a are formed so as to surround a portion connecting the lower magnetic pole 7 and the upper magnetic pole 17 (the opening 20 shown in FIG. 13). The illustration of the parts is omitted. As shown in this figure, the first coil 12a and the second coil 14a are formed so as to be combined with each other. Although the winding direction of each coil is always the same when the winding radius of the winding body of each coil is reduced, the winding direction is referred to as right-handed winding here. .

In FIG. 14, a contact pad P1 formed on the outer end of the first coil 12a is connected to a first external terminal (not shown) by a lead (not shown).
The contact pad P2 formed on the inner end of the first coil 12a is connected to the first coil 12a and the second coil 14a.
The second relay 14a is connected to a contact pad P3 formed on the outer end of the second coil 14a by a linear relay lead 21 selectively formed in a different layer from that of the second coil 14a. This second coil 1
The contact pad P4 formed on the inner end of 4a is connected to a second external terminal (not shown) by another lead (not shown). That is, the first coil 12a and the second
Are connected in series via a relay lead 21 so that they are both clockwise. Then, by applying a voltage between the first and second external terminals, a current can flow in the same direction through the first coil 12a and the second coil 14a. As a result, a magnetic flux is generated in a magnetic path including the upper pole piece 10a, the upper pole piece 17, the upper pole piece 10b, and the lower magnetic pole 7, and the upper magnetic pole piece 10a and the lower magnetic pole piece 7 opposed to each other with the recording gap layer 9 interposed therebetween.
The magnetic recording on a recording medium (not shown) is performed by the magnetic flux generated during the above operation.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the second coil 14a is placed in the spiral groove-shaped concave portion of the first coil 12a covered by the insulating film 13.
Since the first coil 12a is embedded so as to be in direct contact with the first coil 12a, it is possible to reduce the winding pitch of the thin-film coil without particularly increasing the processing accuracy in each forming step of the first coil 12a. However, the “winding body pitch of the thin film coil” here means a winding body pitch when focusing on a single layer, that is, a winding body pitch per single layer.

That is, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 30, in order to increase the number of turns of the thin film coil, the first
Although the coil 114a of the second layer and the coil 117a of the second layer are respectively formed as different layers, if these are to be formed as a single layer, the coils 11a of the second layer
7a are arranged in the lateral direction of the coil 114a of the first layer, so that the coil bundle width LC becomes considerably long.
The magnetic path length LM also becomes long. In this case, the above-mentioned coil pitch per single layer is CP1, which is the formation pitch of the first-layer coil 114a or the second-layer coil 117a itself, as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the second coil 14a is embedded in the spiral groove of the first coil 12a covered by the insulating film 13. Since the first coil 12a is formed in the first coil 12a
The coil pitch CP2 per single layer of the thin film coil including both the first coil 14a and the second coil 14a is about one half of the conventional coil pitch CP1 per single layer (FIG. 30).
For this reason, it is possible to increase the number of turns of the winding body without increasing the number of layers of the thin film coil and without increasing the coil bundle width LC. In other words, under the condition that the number of layers of the thin-film coil and the number of turns of the winding body are the same, the coil bundle width LC can be reduced without reducing the spacing between the winding bodies of the first coil 12a and the second coil 14a themselves. Can be further reduced. This reduction in the coil bundle width LC means that the magnetic path length LM can be reduced, and as a result,
It is possible to improve the magnetic flux rise time, non-linear transition shift (NLTS) characteristics, overwrite characteristics, and the like of the recording head. Further, the size of the thin-film magnetic head itself can be reduced by reducing the magnetic path length LM. Further, under the condition that the number of turns of the winding body and the coil bundle width LC are the same, the number of layers of the thin film coil can be further reduced, so that the apex angle θ can be further reduced. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the effective track width from increasing due to the spread of the magnetic flux generated when writing in a narrow track.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the second coil 14a is not limited to the inside of the spiral groove of the first coil 12a covered with the insulating film 13, but also the spiral ridge (wound body). ) As it reaches the upper part, its cross-sectional shape is T-shaped, so that the cross-sectional area can be increased, and the electric resistance of the second coil 14a, and thus the first coil 12a and the It is possible to further reduce the electric resistance of the entire thin film coil including the two coils 14a.

In the present embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 6, the spacing between the windings of the first coil 12a may be increased, so that the processing of the photoresist pattern used for selective plating is easy. In addition, since the ratio of the resist width to the resist height in the photoresist pattern can be increased, the photoresist pattern is less likely to collapse in the electroplating solution. Furthermore, since the distance between the windings of the first coil 12a can be increased, the ion beam irradiation angle should be relatively large when removing the seed layer between the windings by ion milling after film formation by electroplating. Therefore, there is little danger that a seed layer portion that cannot be removed due to the shadow of the winding body will occur, and the seed layer material scattered by the ion milling will not easily adhere again. For this reason, the occurrence of a short circuit between the winding bodies of the first coil 12a can be avoided.

In a conventional thin film magnetic head,
As shown in FIG. 30, the throat height TH is defined by the photoresist 110. The photoresist 110 has a seed layer 111 as shown in FIG.
Was removed by etching to remove the front edge (the left end in FIG. 28), and the throat height as designed could not be obtained accurately in the completed thin-film magnetic head.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the insulating layer 8 defining the throat height is formed of an inorganic insulating film, the end of the insulating layer 8 at the time of etching the seed layer 11 shown in FIG. No edge position variation (pattern shift) occurs. Therefore, the throat height can be accurately controlled. In addition, precise control of MR height,
Accurate control of the Apex angle is also possible.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
It is possible to manufacture a high-performance thin-film magnetic head in which the magnetic pole width, the throat height, the MR height, and the apex angle are accurately controlled and a narrow track can be realized.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the conductive layer 14 is slightly left above the first coil 12a when the conductive layer 14 and the like are polished by the CMP method.
Thereafter, by performing selective etching using a photolithography method, the second coil 14a is
3 so as to reach not only the inside of the spiral groove of the first coil 12a but also a part on the spiral ridge (winding body), so that the cross-sectional shape is T-shaped. But,
In addition, it may be formed, for example, as shown in FIGS. Here, FIG. 15 shows a modification of the step following the step shown in FIG. 8, and FIG. 16 shows another step corresponding to FIG. In the formation method according to this modification, as shown in FIG. 15, the conductive layer 14 is not left above the first coil 12a during polishing by the CMP method. That is, only the polishing step by the CMP method separates the windings of the first coil 12a. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 16, a photoresist layer 16 and an upper magnetic pole 17 are sequentially and selectively formed, and an overcoat layer 18 is formed on the entire surface.
According to this method, the step of forming the photoresist pattern 15 and the step of etching the conductive layer 14 using the photoresist pattern 15 as a mask, which are performed in FIG. Can be.

Further, in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, only the first coil 12a and the second coil 14a are formed as thin-film coils, and the space between these coils is shown in FIG. As described above, the connection is made by the linear relay lead 21 selectively formed in another layer, but instead of the relay lead 21, a third coil is formed in another layer, and The first coil 12a and the second coil 14a may be connected in series by three coils. That is, as shown in FIG. 17, the first coil 12a and the second coil 14a
After the photoresist layer 16 is formed so as to cover the substrate, a seed layer 23 is formed thereon, and a coil-like body is formed thereon by selective electroplating. Then, the seed layer 23 between the windings of the coil is removed to form the third coil 24. Subsequent steps are the same as those in the above-described embodiment. After selectively forming a photoresist layer 25 so as to cover the third coil 24, the upper magnetic pole 17 is formed on the photoresist layer 25.
Is selectively formed, and the overcoat layer 18 is further formed on the entire surface. Here, the third coil 24 corresponds to the “third thin-film coil” in the present invention.

In this modification, as shown in FIG. 18, the connection between the contact pad P2 at the inner end of the first coil 12a and the contact pad P2 'at the inner end of the third coil 24 is made. The contact pad P on the outer end of the third coil 24
3 'and the contact pad P3 at the outer end of the second coil 14a. A contact pad P1 formed on the outer end of the first coil 12a and a contact pad P4 formed on the inner end of the second coil 14a are connected to first and second external terminals (not shown), respectively. FIG. 18A shows the winding direction and connection mode of the first coil 12a and the second coil 14a, and FIG.
In the winding direction are simplified in a diagrammatic manner. As shown in these figures, the first coil 12a and the second coil 14a are connected in series by a third coil 24 also serving as a relay lead, and all winding directions are clockwise. Becomes Therefore, by applying a voltage between the first and second external terminals, a current can be caused to flow in the same winding direction through the first coil 12a, the third coil 24, and the second coil 14a. . More specifically, P1-P2-P
Current flows in the order of 2'-P3'-P3-P4 or vice versa. Therefore, under the condition that the coil bundle width LC is equal, the number of turns of the thin film coil can be further increased as compared with the case of the above embodiment. Conversely, under the condition that the number of turns of the thin film coil is equal, the coil bundle width LC can be further reduced. In the example shown in FIG. 18, the first coil 12a
The third coil connects between the contact pad P2 at the inner end of the first coil 12a and the contact pad P3 at the outer end of the second coil 14a. In addition, the contact pad P1 at the outer end of the first coil 12a is connected. The third coil 24 may be used to connect between the second coil 14a and the contact pad P4 at the inner end of the second coil 14a. In this case, the contact pad P
2 and P3 are connected to the first and second external terminals, respectively.

For example, as shown in FIG.
In addition to the coil 24, a fourth coil may be formed. The step of forming the fourth coil in this case is the same as the case of forming the second coil 14a.
That is, the insulating layer 2 is formed so as to cover the third coil 24.
7, a conductive layer is formed thereon by MO-CVD or the like, and this is selectively etched by a photolithography method, so that the inside of the spiral groove of the third coil 24 covered with the insulating layer 27 is formed. To form a fourth coil 28 embedded therein. Also in this case, the second coil 14a
Similarly to the above, the fourth coil 28 may be formed so as to reach onto the spiral ridge (winding body), and the cross section may be T-shaped. In FIG. 19, the photoresist layer 16 corresponds to the “interlayer insulating film” in the present invention.

In this modification, as shown in FIG. 20, the contact pad P4 on the inner end of the second coil 14a is connected to the contact pad P4 'on the inner end of the fourth coil 28, and The contact pad P5 on the outer end of the coil 28 is connected to a second external terminal (not shown). Other connection relationships are the same as those in FIG. FIG. 20A shows the winding direction and connection mode of the first coil 12a and the second coil 14a, and FIG.
The winding direction and the connection mode of the fourth coil 28 are schematically illustrated in a simplified manner. As shown in these figures, the first coil 12a, the third coil 24, the second coil 14a, and the fourth coil 28
Are connected in series in this order, and the winding directions are all clockwise. Therefore, by applying a voltage between the first and second external terminals, a current can be passed through these coils in the same winding direction. More specifically, P1-P2-P2'-P3'-P3-P4
The current flows in the order of -P4'-P5 and vice versa. Therefore, under the condition that the coil bundle widths LC are equal, the number of turns of the thin film coil can be further increased as compared with the case of the above-described modification (FIGS. 17 and 18). Conversely, under the condition that the number of turns of the thin film coil is equal, the coil bundle width LC can be further reduced.

FIG. 21 shows the comparison between the magnetic path lengths of the conventional thin film magnetic head and the thin film magnetic head according to one embodiment of the present invention. (A) of FIG.
0 shows a plane configuration of the conventional thin film magnetic head shown in FIG.
(B) shows a plan configuration of the thin-film magnetic head according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. Each of these thin film heads is formed as a two-layer structure as shown in FIG. 30 and FIG. 19, and the intervals between the winding bodies of each coil and the number of turns are substantially equal. However, in the embodiment of the present invention, the winding pitch CP of the thin-film coil when all the coils of two layers are considered is reduced to half or less of the conventional one. For this reason,
Magnetic path length LM of thin-film magnetic head according to embodiment of the present invention
2 (FIG. 21 (b)) is reduced to about two-thirds of the magnetic path length LM1 (FIG. 21 (a)) of the conventional thin film magnetic head. In such a thin film magnetic head, the magnetic flux rise time and NLT
Various characteristics such as S and overwriting characteristics are further improved.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to some embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, in FIG.
In the modification shown in FIG. 20, the first coil 12a
Although the second coil 14a and the second coil 14a are formed on the same layer, and the third coil 24 and the fourth coil 28 are formed on the layer above the two layers, a two-layer structure may be used. In this case, it is more efficient and preferable to form the total number of coils as an even number. In the example shown in FIG. 20, the interlayer insulating film for insulating and separating between the first layer and the second layer is the photoresist layer 16 which is an organic film. It may be performed by an inorganic insulating layer such as an oxide film.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments and the modifications thereof, the surface of the base made of the substrate 1 and the insulating layer 2 is formed flat. In addition, a concave portion is formed in the substrate 1 or the insulating layer 2 in advance. After formation, the layers from the lower shield layer 3 to the recording gap layer 9 may be laminated, and thin-film coils such as the first coil 12a and the second coil 14a may be sequentially formed in the recessed region. In this case, it is possible to further reduce the apex angle θ.

In the above embodiment and its modifications, the lower magnetic pole 7 is formed on the side of the base composed of the substrate 1 and the insulating layer 2, and the upper magnetic pole piece 10 is formed via the recording gap layer 9.
However, conversely, a magnetic layer having the same function as the upper magnetic pole in the above embodiment is formed on the side of the substrate, and the recording layer is formed via the recording gap layer 9. A magnetic layer having the same function as the lower magnetic pole may be formed. Specifically, the lower pole 7 and the upper pole piece 10 in the trim structure shown in FIG.
a may be reversed. For this purpose, for example, a groove corresponding to the magnetic pole width P2W is formed on the base side, and a lower magnetic pole piece having a shape and a function corresponding to the upper magnetic pole piece 10a in FIG. In addition, an upper magnetic pole having a shape and a function corresponding to the lower magnetic pole 7 in FIG. 12B may be formed thereon via the recording gap layer 9. That is, the magnetic pole width P2W is mainly defined by the lower magnetic pole, and the magnetic pole width P
It is formed so as to be 2W.

In the above-described embodiment and its modifications, as shown in FIG. 19, for example, the upper magnetic pole piece 10a and the upper magnetic pole 17, which constitute the upper magnetic layer, define a plane substantially parallel to the base surface as the boundary surface. 22. In addition, as shown in FIG. 22, for example, as shown in FIG.
Not only the upper surface but also the end surface thereof may be brought into contact with the upper magnetic pole 17 'so that the upper magnetic pole 17' holds the upper magnetic pole piece 10a '. In the case of such a configuration, the contact area between the upper magnetic pole 17 'and the upper magnetic pole piece 10a' can be made larger, and therefore, the saturation of the magnetic flux at this contact portion can be suppressed. These effects are
In particular, when the width (that is, the magnetic pole width P2W) of the upper magnetic pole piece 10a constituting the pole tip is reduced to, for example, 1 μm or less, the overwrite characteristics can be improved. Note that FIG.
, The same components as those shown in FIG. 19 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the example shown in FIG. 22, the recording gap layer 9 is formed after the formation of the photoresist layer 16.
Is formed, and the recording gap layer 9 is arranged between the first-layer thin-film coil and the second-layer thin-film coil.

In the above-described embodiment and its modifications, as shown in FIG. 19, for example, the upper magnetic pole facing the lower magnetic pole 7 via the recording gap layer 9 is the upper magnetic pole 17.
Although the case where the upper magnetic pole piece is divided into the upper magnetic pole piece 10a and the upper magnetic pole piece 10a is described, the present invention is not limited to this, and the entire upper magnetic pole may be integrally formed. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 23, after the photoresist layer 25 is formed, an integral upper magnetic pole 37 instead of the upper magnetic pole 17 and the upper magnetic pole piece 10a may be selectively formed. In FIG. 23, FIG.
The same reference numerals are given to the same components as those shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 23, a photoresist layer 30 is formed as an insulating layer below the thin film coil portion instead of the insulating layer 8 made of an inorganic material in FIG. 19, and the recording gap layer 9 is replaced with a photoresist layer. It has a structure formed before forming 30.

In the above-described embodiments and the modifications thereof, the method of manufacturing the composite type thin-film magnetic head has been described. However, the present invention relates to a recording-only thin-film magnetic head having an inductive magnetic transducer for writing. The present invention can also be applied to a recording / reproducing thin film magnetic head. Further, the present invention can also be applied to a thin film magnetic head having a structure in which the order of lamination of a write element and a read element is changed.

[0095]

As described above, claims 1 to 13 are described.
According to the method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head described in any one of the above, or the method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to any one of claims 14 to 26, Since the second thin-film coil is embedded and formed so as to be in direct contact with the insulating film, at least inside the spiral groove covered by the insulating film formed to cover the side surface. The first thin-film coil and the second thin-film coil belong to the same layer via the insulating film, so that a single layer in the thin-film coil portion can be formed without increasing the processing accuracy in the forming process of the first thin-film coil. Can be reduced. For this reason, it is possible to increase the number of coil turns without increasing the number of layers of the thin film coil portion and the total bundle width of the thin film coil portion. In other words, under the condition that the number of layers of the thin film coil portion and the number of turns of the winding body are the same, the total bundle width of the thin film coil portion can be further reduced, and as a result, the magnetic circuit formed by the two magnetic layers The length of the magnetic path, which is the length, can be reduced. Therefore, according to the present invention, various characteristics of the thin-film magnetic head can be improved, and the size of the thin-film magnetic head itself can be reduced.

According to the method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head of the third aspect or the thin-film magnetic head of the sixteenth aspect, the insulating film is formed so as to reach the top of the first thin-film coil, and Of the first thin film coil through the insulating film
Is formed so as to cover a part of the top portion of the thin-film coil. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of the second thin-film coil can be increased, and the electric resistance of the thin-film coil portion can be reduced. To play.

According to the method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head of the fourth aspect or the thin-film magnetic head of the seventeenth aspect, the thin-film coil portion is further separated from the first thin-film coil and the second thin-film coil. Between the inner peripheral edge of the first thin-film coil and the outer peripheral edge of the second thin-film coil, or between the outer peripheral edge of the first thin-film coil and the inner peripheral edge of the second thin-film coil; The first thin-film coil, the third thin-film coil, and the second thin-film coil are connected in series in this order, and all the thin-film coils are connected in series. The winding direction of the thin-film coil becomes the same, and the total number of turns as the thin-film coil portion can be further increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view for explaining one step in a method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to an 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 cross-sectional view for explaining a step following the step shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step following the step shown in FIG. 8;

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 plan view of a thin-film magnetic head manufactured by a manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

14 is a plan view schematically illustrating a planar structure and a connection relationship of a first coil and a second coil of the thin-film magnetic head shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a manufacturing process of the thin-film magnetic head according to a modification of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross section of a thin-film magnetic head according to a modification of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross section of a thin-film magnetic head according to another modification of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a plan view schematically illustrating a planar structure and a connection relation of first to third coils of the thin-film magnetic head shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross section of a thin-film magnetic head according to still another modification of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a simplified plan view showing the planar structure and connection relationship of first to fourth coils of the thin-film magnetic head shown in FIG. 19;

21 is a diagram for comparing and explaining the magnetic path length of the conventional thin film magnetic head shown in FIG. 30 and the magnetic path length of the thin film magnetic head shown in FIG. 19 according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a plan view of each thin-film magnetic head.

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross section of a thin-film magnetic head according to still another modification of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross section of a thin-film magnetic head according to still another modification of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view for explaining one step in a conventional method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head.

FIG. 25 is a sectional view for illustrating a step following the step shown in FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a sectional view for illustrating a step following the step shown in FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 is a sectional view for illustrating a step following the step shown in FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 is a sectional view for illustrating a step following the step shown in FIG. 27;

FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step following the step shown in FIG. 28.

FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step following the step shown in FIG. 29.

FIG. 31 is a sectional view showing a section parallel to the air bearing surface in the thin-film magnetic head shown in FIG. 30;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Substrate, 2 ... Insulating layer, 3 ... Lower shield layer, 4, 6 ...
Shield gap film, 5: MR film, 7: lower magnetic pole, 8,
13, 27: insulating layer, 9: recording gap layer, 10a, 1
0a ': Upper pole piece, 10b, 10b': Upper pole piece,
11, 23: seed layer, 12: coiled body, 12a: first coil, 14: conductive layer, 14a: second coil, 1
5 ... photoresist pattern, 16, 25, 30 ... photoresist layer, 17, 17 ', 37 ... upper magnetic pole, 18 ...
Overcoat layer, 21: relay lead, 24: third coil, 28: fourth coil, P1 to P5, P1 'to P
4 ': Contact pad.

Claims (26)

[Claims] At least two magnetic layers including two magnetic poles which are magnetically connected and a part of a side facing a recording medium is opposed via a gap layer, and at least two magnetic layers or at least two of these magnetic layers. A thin-film magnetic head having a thin-film coil portion disposed between the other connected magnetic layers, wherein the thin-film coil portion comprises: a first thin-film coil formed in a spiral shape; An insulating film formed so as to cover at least the bottom surface and side surfaces of the spiral groove which is the region between the winding bodies of the thin film coil; and at least inside the spiral groove covered by the insulating film, directly on the insulating film. And a second thin-film coil embedded so as to be in contact with the second thin-film coil. 2. The thin-film magnetic head according to claim 1, wherein said insulating film is formed so as to reach a top of said first thin-film coil. 3. The thin film according to claim 2, wherein the second thin film coil is formed so as to cover a part of the top of the first thin film coil via the insulating film. Magnetic head. 4. The thin-film coil portion is further formed as a layer separate from the first thin-film coil and the second thin-film coil via an interlayer insulating film, and has an inner peripheral end of the first thin-film coil. And a third thin-film coil connecting between the outer peripheral end of the second thin-film coil and the outer peripheral end of the first thin-film coil and the inner peripheral end of the second thin-film coil. Item 4. The thin film magnetic head according to any one of Items 1 to 3. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first thin-film coil includes a thin underlying conductive film, and a conductive plating layer selectively formed using the underlying conductive film as a seed layer. Item 5. The thin film magnetic head according to any one of Items 1 to 4. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second thin-film coil includes a thin underlying conductive film and a conductive plating layer selectively formed using the underlying conductive film as a seed layer. Item 6. A thin-film magnetic head according to any one of Items 1 to 5. 7. The thin film according to claim 1, wherein the second thin film coil is configured to include a vapor growth conductive layer formed by a vapor growth method. Magnetic head. 8. The thin-film magnetic head according to claim 7, wherein the vapor deposition method is a chemical vapor deposition method. 9. The thin-film magnetic head according to claim 1, wherein the insulating film is an inorganic insulating film. 10. The thin film magnetic head according to claim 9, wherein said inorganic insulating film is made of aluminum oxide. 11. The insulating film has a groove shape corresponding to the spiral groove even when the insulating film covers at least a bottom surface and a side surface of the spiral groove which is a region between the winding bodies of the first thin film coil. 11. The thin-film magnetic head according to claim 1, wherein the thin-film magnetic head is formed so as to have a thickness that can remain. 12. The thin-film magnetic head according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said thin-film coil portions are formed hierarchically via an interlayer insulating film. 13. The thin-film magnetic head according to claim 1, further comprising a read magnetoresistive element. 14. At least two magnetic layers including two magnetic poles which are magnetically coupled and a part of the side facing the recording medium is opposed via a gap layer, and at least two magnetic layers or A method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head having a thin-film coil portion disposed between other connected magnetic layers, wherein the step of forming the thin-film coil portion comprises forming a spiral first thin-film coil. Forming an insulating film so as to cover at least a bottom surface and a side surface of the spiral groove which is a region between the winding bodies of the first thin-film coil; and at least the inside of the spiral groove covered by the insulating film. And burying the second thin-film coil in direct contact with the insulating film. 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the insulating film is formed so as to reach a top of the first thin-film coil. 16. The thin film magnetic device according to claim 15, wherein the second thin film coil is formed so as to cover a part of the top of the first thin film coil via the insulating film. Head manufacturing method. 17. Further, between an inner peripheral end of the first thin-film coil and an outer peripheral end of the second thin-film coil, or between an outer peripheral end of the first thin-film coil and an inner peripheral end of the second thin-film coil. Forming a third thin-film coil for connecting the first thin-film coil and the first thin-film coil via an interlayer insulating film as a separate layer from the first thin-film coil and the second thin-film coil. 17. The method for manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to any one of items 16. 18. A method for forming a first thin-film coil, comprising: forming a thin underlying conductive film; and selectively performing plating growth using the underlying conductive film as a seed layer. A method for manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to any one of claims 14 to 17. 19. The step of forming a second thin-film coil includes a step of forming a thin underlying conductive film and a step of selectively performing plating growth using the underlying conductive film as a seed layer. A method for manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to claim 14. 20. The step of forming the second thin-film coil,
20. The method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to claim 14, further comprising a step of selectively performing vapor phase growth. 21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the step of selectively performing the vapor phase growth is performed by a chemical vapor deposition method. 22. The method according to claim 14, wherein the insulating film is an inorganic insulating film. 23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the inorganic insulating film is made of aluminum oxide. 24. The insulating film has a groove shape corresponding to the spiral groove even in a state where the insulating film covers at least the bottom surface and the side surface of the spiral groove which is the region between the winding bodies of the first thin film coil. 24. The method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to claim 14, wherein the thin-film magnetic head is formed so as to have a thickness that can remain. 25. The thin-film coil unit according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the thin-film coil portions are formed hierarchically with an interlayer insulating film interposed therebetween.
25. The method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to any one of 4 to 24. 26. The method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head according to claim 14, further comprising the step of forming a read magnetoresistive element.