Abstract: A thermally-assisted magnetic recording head includes a main pole and a plasmon generator. The plasmon generator includes a first material portion and a second material portion formed of different materials. The first material portion is located away from the medium facing surface. The second material portion includes a near-field light generating surface. The main pole has a front end face including a first end face portion and a second end face portion. The near-field light generating surface, the first end face portion and the second end face portion are arranged in this order along the direction of travel of a recording medium.

Abstract: A magnetic head includes a coil, a main pole, a write shield, a gap section, and a return path section. The main pole has a top surface including an inclined portion and a flat portion. The coil includes a specific coil element. The specific coil element has a front end portion, and an inclined surface contiguous with the front end portion. The write shield includes a top shield layer located on the front side in the direction of travel of a recording medium relative to the main pole, and located closer to a medium facing surface than the specific coil element. The top shield layer is located on the rear side in the direction of travel of the recording medium relative to an imaginary plane including the inclined surface of the specific coil element.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording writer is disclosed with a side shield separated from a write pole side by a gap layer at an air bearing surface (ABS) where the side shield has a first sidewall facing the write pole with an end at height (h1) from the ABS, and a second sidewall at height h1 that is parallel to the ABS. The write pole side is curved such that a first portion proximate to the ABS is at an angle of 0 to 40 degrees with respect to a center plane formed orthogonal to the ABS, and a second section proximate to a corner where the curved side connects with a flared main pole side is formed substantially parallel to the second sidewall. When h1 is 30-80 nm, and the corner is 80-150 nm from the ABS, overwrite is improved while cross-track field gradient is enhanced.

Abstract: A magnetic head includes a coil, a main pole and a return path section. The return path section is located on the trailing side relative to the main pole so that a space is defined between the main pole and itself. The coil includes a first winding portion and a second winding portion connected in series. The first winding portion extends to pass through the aforementioned space, and extends once around the entire perimeter of the main pole as viewed from the medium facing surface. The second winding portion does not pass through the aforementioned space, and surrounds only a part of the entire perimeter of the main pole as viewed from the medium facing surface.

Abstract: Bits per inch (BPI) is increased, and faster risetime is achieved while adjacent track erasure (ATE) is maintained at an acceptable level by inserting a 10-12 kG magnetic (TS0) layer between a 19-24 kG hot seed layer and 16-19 kG magnetic layer in a trailing shield structure at the ABS. A back portion (TY0) of the 10-12 kG magnetic layer is formed in a back gap connection between a back portion of the 16-19 kG magnetic layer and a trailing side of the main pole layer. A front side of the TY0 layer is 1-2 microns from the ABS and thereby improves BPI and writer speed. Accordingly, throat height in the write head may be reduced to less than 500 nm and thereby enables better bit error rate (BER). The TS0 layer is responsible for maintaining clean ATE near a far side of the writer track.

Abstract: A memory device has a laminated chip package and a controller chip. In the laminated chip package, a plurality of memory chips are laminated. An interposed chip is laminated between the laminated chip package and the controller chip. The memory chips have a plurality of first wiring electrodes. The interposed chip has a plurality of second wiring electrodes. The second wiring electrodes are formed with a common arrangement pattern common with an arrangement pattern of a plurality of wiring electrodes for controller which are formed in the controller chip. The controller chip is laid on the interposed chip.

Abstract: A seed layer stack with a smooth top surface having a peak to peak roughness of about 0.5 nm over a range of 100 nm is formed by sputter depositing an X layer such as Mo on a Ni layer where the X layer has one or both of a larger bond energy and a greater atomic number than Ni. A (Ni/X)m laminate is formed and then an uppermost NiCr seed layer is deposited to enhance perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in an overlying ferromagnetic layer. A <111> NiCr crystal structure promotes <111> texture in the ferromagnetic layer. X layers serve as a diffusion barrier to Ta migration from a bottom electrode and have good lattice matching with the adjoining Ni layer and uppermost NiCr layer. As a result of the smooth seed layer stack in a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), MTJ properties are improved and more reproducible.

Abstract: Presented herein is a method and devices for identifying biological molecules and cells labeled by small magnetic particles and by optically active dyes. The labeled molecules are typically presented in a biological fluid but are then magnetically guided into narrow channels by a sequential process of magnetically trapping and releasing the magnetic labels that is implemented by sequential synchronized reversing the magnetic fields of a regular array of patterned magnetic devices that exert forces on the magnetic particles. These devices, which may be bonded to a substrate, can be formed as parallel magnetic strips adjacent to current carrying lines or can be substantially of identical structure to trilayered MTJ cells. Once the magnetically labeled molecules have been guided into the appropriate channels, their optical labels can be detected by a process of optical excitation and de-excitation. The molecules are thereby identified and counted.

Abstract: An improved method for etching a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) structure is achieved. A stack of MTJ layers is provided on a bottom electrode. The MTJ stack is patterned to form a MTJ device wherein sidewall damage or sidewall redeposition is formed on sidewalls of the MTJ device. A dielectric layer is deposited on the MTJ device and the bottom electrode. The dielectric layer is etched away using ion beam etching at an angle relative to vertical of greater than 50 degrees wherein the dielectric layer on the sidewalls is etched away and wherein sidewall damage or sidewall redeposition is also removed and wherein some of the dielectric layer remains on horizontal surfaces of the bottom electrode.

Abstract: A main pole has a front end face including a first end face portion and a second end face portion. A plasmon generator has a near-field light generating surface. A surrounding layer has a first surrounding layer end face and a second surrounding layer end face located on opposite sides of the first end face portion in the track width direction. A gap film has a first gap film end face and a second gap film end face located on opposite sides of the near-field light generating surface in the track width direction. Each of the first and second gap film end faces includes a portion located between the first and second surrounding layer end faces, but does not include any portion interposed between the first surrounding layer end face and the first end face portion or between the second surrounding layer end face and the first end face portion.

Abstract: Dynamic fly height (DFH) control is obtained for a read/write head by use of a heating element having two laterally separated heat sources symmetrically spaced around the track center line of the head. The two heating sources create a protrusion profile relative to the undistorted ABS that recesses the read element and main write pole at the track center line relative to off-track positions. The resulting DFH control also protects the head from HDI (head-disk interference) events that are either the result of calibration procedures or normal HDD (hard disk drive) operation.

Abstract: A magnetic head includes a coil, a main pole, a write shield, and a return path section. The coil includes a coil element located on the trailing side of the main pole. The coil element has a front end face facing toward the medium facing surface. The return path section includes a first portion, a second portion, and an intermediate film interposed between the first portion and the second portion. Part of the first portion is interposed between the medium facing surface and the front end face of the coil element. Part of the second portion is interposed between the first portion and the front end face of the coil element.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) writer is disclosed wherein a hybrid side shield (hSS) has an inner 15-24 kG hot seed layer formed between a gap layer and an outer hSS layer to improve tracks per inch capability while maintaining acceptable adjacent track interference (ATI). The outer hSS layer has a magnetization saturation (Ms) value from 10-19 kG and less than that of the inner hot seed layer. The inner hot seed layer has a far side that is 100 to 500 nm from a center of the main pole and may be coplanar with the sidewalls of an overlying write gap and 19-24 kG trailing shield layer. As a result, the side shield return field is substantially improved over a full side shield made of 12-16 kG material. Meanwhile, the trailing shield return field is substantially the same to enable better area density capability (ADC).

Abstract: A magnetic head includes a coil, a main pole, a write shield, and a return path section. The coil includes a coil element located on the trailing side of the main pole. The coil element has a front end face facing toward the medium facing surface. The return path section includes a first portion, a second portion, and an intermediate film interposed between the first portion and the second portion. Part of the first portion is interposed between the medium facing surface and the front end face of the coil element. Part of the second portion is interposed between the first portion and the front end face of the coil element.

Abstract: A magnetic head includes a coil, a main pole and a return path section. The return path section is located on the trailing side relative to the main pole so that a space is defined between the main pole and itself. The coil includes a first winding portion and a second winding portion connected in series. The first winding portion extends to pass through the aforementioned space, and extends once around the entire perimeter of the main pole as viewed from the medium facing surface. The second winding portion does not pass through the aforementioned space, and surrounds only a part of the entire perimeter of the main pole as viewed from the medium facing surface.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a plasmon generator includes the steps of: forming an initial film made of a metal polycrystal and including a pre-plasmon-generator portion that later becomes the plasmon generator; heating the initial film with heating light so that a plurality of crystal grains constituting the metal polycrystal grow at least in the pre-plasmon-generator portion; stopping the heating of the initial film; and forming the plasmon generator by processing the initial film after the step of stopping the heating. The step of forming the plasmon generator includes the step of providing the pre-plasmon-generator portion with a front end face that generates near-field light.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording writer with an all wrap around (AWA) shield design wherein one or more of the leading shield, trailing shield, and side shields comprises a magnetic hot seed layer made of a >19 kG to 24 kG material that adjoins a gap layer, and a side of the hot seed layer opposite the gap layer adjoins a high damping magnetic layer made of a 10-16 kG material (or a 16-19 kG material in the trailing shield) having a Gilbert damping parameter a >0.04. In one embodiment, the high damping magnetic layer is FeNiRe with a Re content of 3 to 15 atomic %. The main pole leading and trailing sides may be tapered. Side shields may have a single taper or dual taper structure. Higher writer speed with greater areal density capability is achieved.

Abstract: A magnetic head includes a coil, a main pole, a write shield and first and second yokes. The first and second yokes are connected to the write shield. The coil includes a main coil portion for driving the main pole, a first sub-coil portion for driving the first yoke, and a second sub-coil portion for driving the second yoke. A magnetic field produced in the main pole by the main coil portion and a magnetic field produced in each of the first and second yokes by the first and second sub-coil portions are in directions opposite to each other.

Abstract: A hard mask stack for etching a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) structure is described. The hard mask stack is formed on a stack of MTJ layers on a bottom electrode and comprises an electrode layer on the MTJ stack, a buffer metal layer on the electrode layer, a metal hard mask layer on the buffer metal layer, and a dielectric layer on the metal hard mask layer wherein a dielectric mask is defined in the dielectric layer by a photoresist mask, a metal hard mask is defined in the metal hard mask layer by the dielectric mask, a buffer metal mask is defined in the buffer metal layer by the metal hard mask, an electrode mask is defined in the electrode layer by the buffer metal mask, and the MTJ structure is defined by the electrode mask wherein the electrode mask remaining acts as a top electrode.

Abstract: A method of forming a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor with a composite tunnel barrier comprised primarily of magnesium oxynitride and having a MR ratio of at least 70%, resistance x area (RA) product <1 ohm-?m2, and fewer pinholes than a conventional MgO layer is disclosed. The method involves forming a Mg/MgON/Mg, Mg/MgON/MgN, MgN/MgON/MgN, or MgN/MgON/Mg intermediate tunnel barrier stack and then annealing to drive loosely bound oxygen into adjacent layers thereby forming MgO/MgON/Mg, MgO/MgON/MgON, MgON/MgON/MgON, and MgON/MgON/MgO composite tunnel barriers, respectively, wherein oxygen content in the middle MgON layer is greater than in upper and lower MgON layers. The MgON layer in the intermediate tunnel barrier may be formed by a sputtering process followed by a natural oxidation step and has a thickness greater than the Mg and MgN layers.