Thin-film magnetic head having a write shield layer

1. A thin-film magnetic head having a laminated construction comprising a main pole layer having a magnetic pole tip on a side of a medium-opposing surface opposing a recording medium, a write shield layer opposing said magnetic pole tip forming a recording gap layer, on the side of said medium-opposing surface, and a thin-film coil wound around at least a portion of said write shield layer,

and comprising an upper yoke pole layer having a width in a direction along the medium-opposing surface that is larger than a width of said main pole layer in the direction along the medium-opposing surface, wherein said upper yoke pole layer is joined to the side of said main pole layer which is near said thin-film coil,

wherein the upper yoke pole layer is planar across an upper surface,

wherein said write shield layer has a shield tip which opposes said magnetic pole tip on said medium-opposing surface, and formed with a same surface height as said upper yoke pole layer.

2. A thin-film magnetic head according to claim 1 , wherein said main pole layer and said upper yoke pole layer are formed using magnetic materials with different saturated flux densities, and a saturated flux density of said main pole layer is set higher than a saturated flux density of said upper yoke pole layer.

3. A thin-film magnetic head according to claim 1 , which further comprises a high tensile strength film made of Ta, W, Mo, TiW, TiN, Cr, NiCr, Mo, Ru or SiN, in contact with said main pole layer.

4. A thin-film magnetic head according to claim 1 , wherein said shield tip and said upper yoke pole layer are formed using magnetic materials with different saturated flux densities, and a saturated flux density of said shield tip is set lower than a saturated flux density of said upper yoke pole layer.

5. A thin-film magnetic head according to claim 1 , wherein an insulating film by AL-CVD is formed between said shield tip and said upper yoke pole layer.

6. A thin-film magnetic head according to claim 1 , wherein said upper yoke pole layer has formed therein an enlarged region wherein a lateral width is enlarged at a side near said medium-opposing surface.

7. A thin-film magnetic head according to claim 1 ,

wherein said upper yoke pole layer is situated between said thin-film coil and said main pole layer.

8. A thin-film magnetic head according to claim 1 ,

wherein said thin-film coil is formed on said upper yoke pole layer.

9. A thin-film magnetic head according to claim 1 ,

wherein said upper yoke pole layer is joined to said main pole layer in such a manner that a peripheral section is situated outward from said main pole layer.

10. A thin-film magnetic head according to claim 1 ,

wherein said recording gap layer is situated nearer the medium-opposing surface than said thin-film coil excluding a section further away from the medium-opposing surface than said thin-film coil.

11. A thin-film magnetic head according to claim 10 ,

wherein said upper yoke pole layer is situated between said thin-film coil and said main pole layer.

12. A thin-film magnetic head according to claim 10 ,

wherein said thin-film coil is formed on said upper yoke pole layer.

13. A thin-film magnetic head according to claim 10 ,

wherein said upper yoke pole layer is joined to said main pole layer in such a manner that a peripheral section is situated outward from said main pole layer.

14. A head gimbal assembly comprising a thin-film magnetic head formed on a support and a gimbal securing the support,

wherein said thin-film magnetic head has a laminated construction comprising a main pole layer having a magnetic pole tip on a side of a medium-opposing surface opposing a recording medium, a write shield layer opposing said magnetic pole tip forming a recording gap layer, on the side of said medium-opposing surface, and a thin-film coil wound around at least a portion of said write shield layer, and comprising an upper yoke pole layer having a width in a direction along the medium-opposing surface that is larger than a width of said main pole layer in the direction along the medium-opposing surface, wherein said upper yoke pole layer is joined to the side of said main pole layer which is near said thin-film coil,

wherein the upper yoke pole layer is planar across an upper surface,

wherein said write shield layer has a shield tip which opposes said magnetic pole tip on said medium-opposing surface, and formed with a same surface height as said upper yoke pole layer.

15. A hard disk drive comprising a head gimbal assembly having a thin-film magnetic head and a recording medium opposing said thin-film recording head;

wherein said thin-film magnetic head has a laminated construction comprising a main pole layer having a magnetic pole tip on a side of a medium-opposing surface opposing a recording medium, a write shield layer opposing said magnetic pole tip forming a recording gap layer, on the side of said medium-opposing surface, and a thin-film coil wound around at least a portion of said write shield layer, and comprising an upper yoke pole layer having a width in a direction along the medium-opposing surface that is larger than a width of said main pole layer in the direction along the medium-opposing surface, wherein said upper yoke pole layer is joined to the side of said main pole layer which is near said thin-film coil,

wherein the upper yoke pole layer is planar across an upper surface,

wherein said write shield layer has a shield tip which opposes said magnetic pole tip on said medium-opposing surface, and formed with a same surface height as said upper yoke pole layer.