An area in which an insulating film is formed over a substrate of a recording/reproducing
separated type head is limited to the vicinity of a GMR film. This enables heat
of Joule heating by a coil to be guided to the substrate without being obstructed
by the insulating film. Electrodes, an upper shield film, a lower shield and a
lower pole that are formed in-between are metallic thin films of high thermal conductivity,
and accordingly have little influence. Similarly, gap films and a separation film
that are positioned in-between, though they are electrically insulating films made
of A12O3, have no great influence because of their thinness.
According to the invention, a rise of the head's own temperature is restrained
by efficiently radiating heat generated by the head itself to the substrate. As
a result, it is thereby made possible to provide a highly reliable recording/reproducing
separated type head whose deformation quantity is smaller and which can avoid coming
into contact with a recording medium.