Abstract: A head gimbal assembly having a suspension and a read/write head is provided. The read write head is attached to a flexure tongue of the suspension. Heating elements on arms of the suspension, set on either side of the suspension tongue, are used to alter flight characteristics of the read/write read such as pitch and roll. Due to differences in the coefficients of thermal expansion of the materials that comprise the arms, the arms bend when heated. Varying the heat output of the heating elements changes the temperatures of the arms, which changes the degree to which the arms are bent. The heating elements can be portions of traces in a trace layer. Control circuitry is provided to control the heating of the heating elements to maintain desired values of the flight characteristics.

Abstract: A horizontal combined head is provided which has both a thin film write and an MR read element located at an air bearing surface (ABS). The read element can be formed with a track width that is independent of the track width of the write element. The MR sensor or the read element is separated from one of the first and second pole pieces of the write element by an insulation layer. Accordingly, the shields for the read element remain more stable after a write operation. In one embodiment of the present invention a single stripe MR sensor is employed while in a second embodiment a dual stripe MR sensor is employed. A method of the invention includes forming the dual MR stripe in a single process step so that the dual MR stripes of the dual MR sensor are near identical for implementing near absolute common mode rejection of noise.

Abstract: A horizontal combined head is provided which has both a thin film write and an MR read element located at an air bearing surface (ABS). The read element can be formed with a track width that is independent of the track width of the write element. The MR sensor or the read element is separated from one of the first and second pole pieces of the write element by an insulation layer. Accordingly, the shields for the read element remain more stable after a write operation. In one embodiment of the present invention a single stripe MR sensor is employed while in a second embodiment a dual stripe MR sensor is employed. A method of the invention includes forming the dual MR stripe in a single process step so that the dual MR stripes of the dual MR sensor are near identical for implementing near absolute common mode rejection of noise.