Abstract: Side shield structures magnetically shielding a read sensor to block side reading of tracks on a magnetic media. The read heads include bottom and top magnetic shield layers, a read sensor or magnetically sensitive element between the bottom and top magnetic shield layers, and a side shield assembly formed of magnetically shielding material positioned between the bottom and top magnetic shield layers and adjacent at least a portion of the read sensor. In current-in-plane embodiments, the side shield assembly includes a pair of side shields of magnetically shielding material adjacent a lower portion of the read sensor formed on a lower read gap. In current-perpendicular-to-plane embodiments, the side shield assembly includes a pair of side shields extending from the bottom magnetic shield adjacent lower sides of the read sensor and/or a pair of side shields extending from the top magnetic shield adjacent upper sides of the read sensor.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a thin film recording head are disclosed. The method and system include providing a first pole, providing a second pole and providing a write gap separating the first pole from the second pole. The method and system further include providing at least one coil having a plurality of turns. A portion of each of the plurality of turns is between the first and the second pole. The plurality of turns wind around the second pole.

Abstract: Magnetoresistive (MR) sensors are disclosed that have leads that overlap a MR structure and distribute current to and from the MR structure so that the current is not concentrated in small portions of the leads, alleviating the problems mentioned above. For example, the leads can be formed of a body-centered cubic (bcc) form of tantalum, combined with gold or other highly conductive materials. For the situation in which a thicker bcc tantalum layer covers a highly conductive gold layer, the tantalum layer protects the gold layer during MR structure etching, so that the leads can have broad layers of electrically conductive material for connection to MR structures. The broad leads also conduct heat better than the read gap material that they replace, further reducing the temperature at the connection between the leads and the MR structure.

Abstract: A method and system for actuating a pole tip of a write head is disclosed. The write head includes a first pole and a second pole. The method and system include providing a strain element and providing a coil. The strain element is electrically insulated from the first pole and the second pole. The strain element is further configured to produce a strain for actuating the pole tip in response to a magnetic field. The coil carries a current capable of producing the magnetic field at the strain element.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a recording head is disclosed. The method and system include providing a first pole, a second pole, a write gap and at least one coil. The write cap separates the first pole from the second pole. The coil(s) include a plurality of turns and is between the first and second poles. The first pole includes a pedestal that has a first portion and a second portion. The first portion includes a high moment electroplated material. The second portion includes a hot seed layer that has a high moment sputtered material. The second portion of the first pole is adjacent to the write gap.

Abstract: A method and system for providing head is disclosed. The method and system include providing a first pole, a second pole, a write gap, at least one coil and an Fe3Pt alloy. The write gap separates the first pole from the second pole. The first and second poles are for writing to a medium. The coil(s) have a plurality of turns and reside between the roles. The Fe3Pt alloy is in proximity to the first pole and the second pole. The Fe3Pt alloy is configured to counteract expansion of the first pole and the second pole.

Abstract: A read/write head and method of making the same are used in a data storage system, such as a disk drive, for perpendicular magnetic recording of data. The head employs a two-layer pole design with a main pole made of sputtered high moment magnetic material, and an adjunct pole made of electroplated soft magnetic film. The main pole is used to write data onto the medium, and is formed over the write coil. The adjunct pole is substantially recessed from the air bearing surface and is formed over the main pole. The present head design significantly enhances the magnetic write field, and substantially reduces side-writing that result in accidental erasure of data in adjacent tracks on the magnetic recording medium.

Abstract: A technique for reducing pole tip protrusion (“PTP”) in a magnetic write head and giant magnetoresistive (“GMR”) stripe temperature in an associated read head structure utilizing one or more internal diffuser regions. In a representative embodiment disclosed, this may be effectuated through the appropriate placement of a relatively highly conductive material diffuser region (e.g. gold (Au) or copper (Cu)) above the poles, between the first pole and the coil and/or through the first pole, second and first shields and undercoat layer to the substrate in order to conduct heat away from the write head poles, insulating layers (e.g. photoresist) and shields.

Abstract: A compact write element includes a conductive shield layer, an insulating write gap layer, a pole pedestal, a coil, and a conductive pole layer, and, in some embodiments also includes a backgap. The pole pedestal and the coil, and, in some embodiments the backgap, constitute a self-aligned array of components that may be formed in a single masking operation to allow for very tight tolerances between the components for a shorter yoke length. The pole layer is substantially flat and parallel to the conductive shield layer, providing for a shorter stack height. Also, a compact MR read/write head includes such a write element and a magnetic data storage and retrieval system includes the compact MR read/write head having such a write element.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a magnetoresistive sensor and a read head that includes the magnetoresistive sensor is disclosed. The method and system include providing a pinned layer, a nonmagnetic spacer layer and a composite sensor layer. The pinned layer has a first magnetization that is pinned in a particular direction. The nonmagnetic spacer layer resides between the composite sensor layer and the pinned layer. The composite sensor layer includes a CoFe layer and a composite layer adjacent to the CoFe layer. The composite layer includes CoFe and at least one of Ta, Hf, Ti, Nb, Zr, Au, Ag, Cu, B, C, O2, H2 and N2.

Abstract: A magnetic memory fabricated on a semiconductor substrate is disclosed. The method and system include a plurality of magnetic tunneling junctions and a plurality of shields for magnetically shielding the plurality of magnetic tunneling junctions. Each of the plurality of magnetic tunneling junctions includes a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer and an insulating layer between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer. At least a portion of the plurality of shields have a high moment and a high permeability and are conductive. The plurality of shields are electrically isolated from the plurality of magnetic tunneling junctions. The plurality of magnetic tunneling junctions are between the plurality of shields.

Abstract: An air bearing surface for read/write head of a magnetic disk drive is disclosed. The air bearing surface includes a trailing edge pad and a leading edge pad with trailing portions. A cavity is defined between the trailing edge pad and the trailing portions of the leading edge pad. A cavity patch is disposed within the cavity. The cavity patch can be disposed within the cavity towards one side of the read/write head.

Abstract: A slider is disclosed for use with a magnetic data recording system such as that used in computer systems. The slider has an improved air bearing design which allows placement of the read and write elements at an edge of the slider, while maintaining stable fly height at the location of the read and write sensors. Placing the read and write elements allows more of the surface area of the disk to be used by allowing the head to perform correctly while reading and writing data right up to the edge of the disk. Stable fly height of the slider is achieved by using a single pad at a corner of the trailing edge, the pad having the read and write elements therein. A stable flight profile is maintained through use of asymmetrical rails disposed longitudinally along lateral sides of the slider.

Abstract: An inductive write head structure incorporating a high moment film in conjunction with at least one pole (e.g., the bottom pole) for use with magnetic storage media and a process for producing the same in which a lift-off photoresist mask is used prior to the deposition of the high moment sputtered film. Following the lift-off process, the high moment film remains on the bottom pole (“P1”) pedestal (in the case of a PDZT type write head) or on the P1 itself (in the case of a Stitched Pole write head). The edge of the lift-off sputtered film is then covered by cured photoresist insulation which is placed at a distance away from the air bearing surface (“ABS”). The coverage of insulation at the edge of the sputtered film is desirable in order to avoid forming a topographic step which may have undesired consequences in the subsequent top pole formation processes.

Abstract: A disk drive write head (10) having a bottom pole (60), a first insulation layer (64) formed on the bottom pole (60), a coil (38) formed on the first insulation layer (64), a second insulation layer (66) formed on the coil (38), a write gap layer (76) formed on the second insulation layer (66), and a top pole (12) formed on the write gap layer (76), where the top pole (12) is substantially flat. A second embodiment (100) is described which is produced by a damascene process.

Abstract: An enhanced inductive coil design for use in data storage magnetic disk drives with areal density over 35 Gb/in2, features a double wound twin coil that is able to achieve a yoke length of 15 ?m or less by reducing the insulation spacing between the two coils. The coil further presents improved reliability by reducing the possibility of occurrence of electrical shorting. The coil is made by forming two interleafing conductors on the same layer with a demesne process. A tri-level process is implemented in the layout of the first conductor to ensure that the coil width and spacing are uniform and even, in order for the second conductor to be wound therebetween. A conformal dielectric layer of approximately 0.1 to 0.2 ?m in thickness is deposited between the two conductors and serves as insulation. The two conductors are formed by a copper seed layer plating process that eliminates potential damage to the conductors during production.

Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic write element for use in a magnetic data recording system such as a disk drive. The invention provides a method of manufacturing a well defined coil, which avoids the problem of shallow wall angle problems exhibited by prior art methods due to coil mask shrinkage during high temperature bake. A series of trenches are provided in the coil mask, the trenches being shallower than the coil pattern, and not extending completely through the coil pattern. During the high temperature baking process shrinkage of the coil mask will be absorbed by the trenches and not transferred to the coil pattern, preventing deformation of the coil wall portion of the mask.

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: A read/write head and method of making the same are used in a data storage system, such as a disk drive, for perpendicular magnetic recording of data. The head employs a two-layer pole design with a main pole made of sputtered high moment magnetic material, and an adjunct pole made of electroplated soft magnetic film. The main pole is used to write data onto the medium, and is formed over the write coil. The adjunct pole is substantially recessed from the air bearing surface and is formed over the main pole. The present head design significantly enhances the magnetic write field, and substantially reduces side-writing that result in accidental erasure of data in adjacent tracks on the magnetic recording medium.

Abstract: An MRAM storage device includes temperature dependent current sources that adjust their outputs as temperature varies. Temperature dependent current sources include one or more diodes connected to a transistor. As temperature varies so does the voltage drop across the diodes. In addition, the MRAM data storage device includes at least one digit line, at least one bit line, and at least one MRAM cell disposed proximate to a junction of a digit line and a bit line. Each end of each digit line is connected to temperature dependent current sources and current sinks. One end of each bit line is connected to a temperature dependent current source while the other end of each bit line is connected to a current sink. Two logic signals R and D are used to activate a write operation and determine the direction of the write current in the digit line.