Abstract: A method and system for providing a magnetoresistive sensor for reading data from a recording media is disclosed. The method and system include providing a first barrier layer and a second barrier layer and providing a free layer disposed between the first barrier layer and the second barrier layer. The free layer is ferromagnetic. The method and system also include providing a first pinned layer and a second pinned layer. The first pinned layer and the second pinned layer are ferromagnetic. The first barrier layer is disposed between the first pinned layer and one edge of the free layer. The second barrier layer is disposed between the second pinned layer and another edge of the free layer. The method and system also include providing a first antiferromagnetic layer and a second antiferromagnetic layer. The first pinned layer is magnetically coupled to the first antiferromagnetic layer. The second pinned layer is magnetically coupled to the second antiferromagnetic layer.

Abstract: A slider includes an air bearing surface (ABS) including a plurality of separate coplanar pads, a cavity recessed to a certain depth beneath the level of the ABS, and a plurality of steps in which each step is disposed at a level between that of the ABS and that of the cavity. The plurality of steps include a trailing edge step and a leading edge step, and in some embodiments a first side step and a second side step. The leading edge step is provided at a level deeper than that of the trailing edge step. The first side step and the second side step may be provided at the same or different levels to tailor the flight characteristics of the slider. A process is also disclosed for the fabrication of a slider of the present invention. The process includes at least three cycles of masking, etching, and stripping in order to form at least three successively deeper levels, the deepest level being the cavity.

Abstract: Windage proximate to a spinning disk within a disk drive is directed through a plurality of apertures in a ramp situated near the outside diameter of the disk. A tab extending from a load beam that supports a slider rests on the ramp when the drive is not in use. When the drive is started the disk begins to spin and an actuator moves the load beam to bring the slider over the surface of the disk. As the load beam moves, the tab is guided along the ramp and cushioned by the air flow emerging from apertures in the ramp beneath it. When the drive is stopped the actuator brings the load beam back so that the tab engages the ramp. A cushion of air is again provided as the tab is moved along the ramp as the tab is returned to a parked position.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved current perpendicular to the plane thin film read head device and method of fabrication. With the present invention, the lower lead is formed to inhibit accumulation of redeposited lead material on CPP sensor element side walls during CPP sensor formation. In the preferred embodiment, the upper portion of the lower lead, which normally is etched during sensor element formation, is formed of a low sputter yield material to reduce redeposition flux to the sensor side walls. It is also preferred to form the upper portion of a material that also has a low value for the ratio of its sputter yield at the lead milling angle-to-its sputter yield at the side wall milling angle to inhibit redeposition accumulation on the side wall. It is preferred to clad conventional lead material with a low sputter yield ratio, low resistivity material, to inhibit side wall redeposition accumulation while also providing a low resistance lower lead.

Abstract: An inductive write element for use with a magnetic data recording and retrieval system is provided. The write element includes a magnetic yoke having an electrically conductive coil passing there through. The yoke is constructed of first and second magnetic poles, and performance of the write element is improved by the inclusion of a very thin pedestal of a high magnetic moment material on the first pole in the pole tip region. Further performance gains are realized by providing a tapered edge on the pedestal to facilitate magnetic flux flow through the pedestal.

Abstract: Plural carbon-containing overcoats are formed on a media-facing surface of an information storage system head. The plural carbon-containing overcoats can mitigate corrosion without increasing head-media spacing. A first of the overcoats may be formed prior to creation of contact or air bearing features on the media-facing surface, with a second overcoat formed after creation of air bearing features. The first overcoat may be etched back substantially or completely prior to formation of the second overcoat. Laminated carbon-containing overcoats may have greater strength and/or coverage than non-laminated overcoats of the same thickness. The overcoats may be formed of several forms of diamond-like carbon (DLC) or silicon-carbide (SiC).

Abstract: A merged thin film read/write head having a read element having a first shield layer, a second shield layer and a magnetoresistive element disposed between the first and second shield layers, a thin spacer layer of nonmagnetic material formed upon the second shield layer and an inductive write element having a first pole pedestal formed upon the spacer layer and a second pole separated from the pedestal by a gap. The pedestal includes a tapered portion for reducing the formation of pinned magnetic domains in the pedestal and providing improved flux passage. In combination with the thin nonmagnetic spacer layer, the tapered feature of the pedestal eliminates popcorn noise in the read element.

Abstract: A method and system for protecting a suspension assembly, such as a flex-on-suspension or trace suspension assembly, is disclosed. The suspension assembly is for use with a magnetoresistive (MR) head including an MR sensor. The MR sensor has a first end and a second end. The method and system include providing a first lead coupled with the first end of the MR sensor and providing a second lead coupled with the second end of the MR sensor. The method and system further include providing an insulating film supporting a first portion of the first lead and a second portion of the second lead. The method and system also include providing a resistor coupled with the first lead, the resistor being sufficiently large to damp a transient current in the MR sensor.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive read sensor fabricated on a substrate includes a ferromagnetic layer that is exchange coupled with an antiferromagnetic layer made of a defined composition of iridium manganese. A tantalum layer is used so that the exchange field and coercivity do not change with variations in annealing temperature. The antiferromagnetic layer is formed with a material composition of Irx Mn100-x, wherein x is in the range of 15<x>23. In an embodiment of a spin valve structure, the tantalum layer is disposed over the substrate and the antiferromagnetic layer is in direct contact with a pinned ferromagnetic layer. In another embodiment, the IrMn layer is formed over a soft active layer. In a third embodiment using exchange pinning, spaced IrMn regions are formed over the active magnetoresistive layer to define the sensor track width.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved bias magnet-to-magnetoresistive element interface and method of fabrication. In a preferred embodiment, the wall/walls of an MR element opposing a bias layer are formed by over etching to provide vertical side walls without taper. In the preferred embodiment, a protective element is formed over the MR element to protect it during etch processes. In some embodiments, a filler layer is deposited prior to bias layer formation. In CIP embodiments, any portion of the filler layer forming on vertical side walls of the MR element is etched to provide an exposed side wall surface for contiguous bias layer formation. In CPP embodiments, the filler layer forms on a vertical back wall and electrically insulates the MR element from the bias layer.

Abstract: The present invention is embodied in an actuator arm which is mounted to a primary actuator. The primary actuator positions the actuator arm, with a read/write head mounted to the actuator arm, across a data storage disk. The actuator arm comprises an inboard portion, an outboard portion and a pair of bimorph actuators. The inboard portion has a longitudinal axis and is attached to the primary actuator. The outboard portion has the read/write head mounted onto it. The pair of bimorph actuators are deflectable together in a common direction and are connected between the inboard and the outboard portions. Upon deflection of the bimorph actuators in the same direction, the outboard portion is translated along an at least nearly straight line transverse to the longitudinal axis of the inboard portion.

Abstract: A dual symmetric spin valve sensor consists of outer ferromagnetic pinned layers which are pinned by a current induced magnetic field. One of the outer pinned layers is magnetically coupled to an inner pinned layer which is pinned so that the magnetization of the other outer and the inner pinned layers are in the same direction. This provides the magnetization for the free layer disposed between the two layers to properly use the spin valve effect. The ferromagnetic layers are separated by conductor layers. The pin layers are synthetic antiferromagnetic layers consisting of the two layers tightly interlayer exchange coupled. The field induced by the sense current pins the pinned layers.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a top pinned spin-dependent tunneling sensor is disclosed. The method and system include providing a free layer, a tunneling barrier, a synthetic pinned layer and an antiferromagnetic layer. The free layer is ferromagnetic. The tunneling barrier is an insulator. The tunneling barrier is disposed between the free layer and the synthetic pinned layer. The synthetic pinned layer is ferromagnetic and includes a ferromagnetic top layer. The synthetic pinned layer is between the tunneling barrier and the antiferromagnetic layer. The ferromagnetic top layer acts as a seed layer for the antiferromagnetic layer.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive write element having a planar coil layer between a first pole and a second pole. The magnetoresistive write element further includes a buildup insulation layer having an upper surface that is substantially coplanar with an upper surface of the first pole. Further, the planar coil layer is disposed above both the first pole and the buildup insulation layer. A method for forming a magnetoresistive write element includes providing a first pole and covering the first pole with an insulating layer. The insulating layer is then planarized, thereby exposing the first pole and defining a buildup insulation layer. This planarization also results in the formation of a substantially planar upper surface of the buildup insulation layer and a substantially planar upper surface of the first pole. More specifically, the first pole upper surface is substantially coplanar with the buildup insulation layer upper surface.

Abstract: In at least one embodiment, the method of the present invention is embodied in a method for fabricating a magnetoresistive head structure which includes obtaining a lead and magnetic bias layer, applying a photoresist layer over the lead and magnetic bias layer and about a desired position of a sensor such that the desired position of the sensor is substantially free of the photoresist layer, etching the lead and magnetic bias material substantially at the desired position of the sensor, depositing a sensor at the desired position of the sensor; and removing the photoresist. Obtaining the lead and magnetic bias layers can be done by depositing them.

Abstract: A preferred method of the present invention provides an improved thin film for carrying magnetic flux. With the preferred method, the magnetic thin film may be formed by depositing Fe by reactive sputtering using N2 to form a thin film comprising &agr;-Fe and &ggr;-Fe4N. With this method, the relative percentage of &ggr;-Fe4N in the deposited film is increased to provide expanding lattice constants for both the &agr;-Fe and the &ggr;-Fe4N. Increasing &ggr;-Fe4N increases resistivity while expanding lattice constants to provide improved coercivity at higher resistivity. Increasing the percentage of &ggr;-Fe4N to provide expanding lattice constants for both the &agr;-Fe and the &ggr;-Fe4N may be accomplished by adjusting sputtering power, N2 gas percentage, a flow rate of N2, and substrate bias.

Abstract: The present invention is embodied in an actuator arm which is mounted to a primary actuator. The primary actuator positions the actuator arm, with a read/write head mounted to the actuator arm, across a data storage disk. The actuator arm comprises an inboard portion, an outboard portion and a pair of bimorph actuators. The inboard portion has a longitudinal axis and is attached to the primary actuator. The outboard portion has the read/write head mounted onto it. The pair of bimorph actuators are deflectable together in a common direction and are connected between the inboard and the outboard portions. Upon deflection of the bimorph actuators in the same direction, the outboard portion is translated along an at least nearly straight line transverse to the longitudinal axis of the inboard portion.

Abstract: A magnetic head has an exchange isolated poletip located between a shield of an MR sensor and a write pole of an inductive sensor. The poletip is preferably made of high Bs material, allowing the flux that travels through the much larger pole layer to funnel through the poletip without saturation. The poletip is isolated from the shield layer in order to decouple the shield layer from unfavorable domain patterns that may occur in the poletip, which in turn reduces noise in the sensor, while the shield layer serves to complete the inductive circuit. Despite having a poletip isolated by nonmagnetic material, heads built according to this invention have demonstrated high overwrite as well as remarkably low noise.

Abstract: A head gimbal assembly includes a magneto-resistive read element integrated with a thermally assisted write element. The head gimbal assembly includes an optical waveguide positioned between two write poles to transmit a laser beam to a recording medium. The laser beam heats the medium sufficiently and lowers its coercivity in order to facilitate writing. A laser assembly is attached to a suspension for achieving direct coupling of the laser beam to an input end of the optical waveguide. The laser assembly is produced using cost effective wafer processing techniques. The use of silicon for the mounting block allows it to be used as a heat sink, for conducting heat away from the laser diode and into the suspension.

Abstract: A write element for recording data on a magnetic medium is provided having an impedance designed to substantially match the impedance of an electrical interconnection between it and a pre-amp chip located nearby on the load beam. Additional embodiments are directed to incorporating a read element with the write element to form a read/write head, and to further incorporate the read/write head into a magnetic disk drive. Further embodiments are directed towards the fabrication of the write element.