Abstract: A longitudinal recording head for use with magnetic recording media includes a gapless yoke with a cavity that expels magnetic flux onto a small area of the magnetic recording medium. Longitudinal recording heads incorporating the gapless yoke and flux cavity are capable of improved recording densities.

Abstract: A longitudinal recording head (50, 56, 60) for use with magnetic recording media includes a non-uniform gap (54, 59, 64) between first (51, 57, 61) and second magnetic (52, 58, 62) poles which focuses magnetic flux onto a small area of the magnetic recording medium. The non-uniform gap is preferably in the form of a cavity that is contoured to produce the desired flux pattern. Longitudinal recording heads incorporating the non-uniform gap are capable of improved recording densities.

Abstract: A longitudinal recording head for use with magnetic recording media includes a gapless yoke with a cavity that expels magnetic flux onto a small area of the magnetic recording medium. Longitudinal recording heads incorporating the gapless yoke and flux cavity are capable of improved recording densities.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording medium with antiferromagnetic coupling in a soft magnetic underlayer. The soft magnetic underlayer includes a first magnetic soft layer, a first interface layer on the first magnetic soft layer, a second magnetic soft layer, a second interface layer on the second magnetic soft layer, and a non-magnetic coupling layer between the first interface layer and the second interface layer. The first and second magnetic soft layers are antiferromagnetically exchange coupled to one another through the non-magnetic coupling layer, wherein the first and second interface layers increase the exchange coupling between the first and second magnetic soft layers.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording head includes a perpendicular writing pole and a longitudinal field generator which rotates the magnetization of the perpendicular recording media prior to writing, thereby facilitating magnetization switching. The longitudinal magnetic field may be provided by a narrowed gap between the trailing write pole and the leading return pole of the head. The gap structure is designed to provide a fringing magnetic field between the poles which generates the longitudinal magnetic field in perpendicular recording media as the media travels under the perpendicular writing pole.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording head includes a main write pole and multiple return poles. The size of each return pole is controlled in order to provide substantially the same magnetic reluctance through each return pole. The return poles effectively reduce or eliminate the flux antenna effect caused by stray magnetic fields.

Abstract: A perpendicular recording head for use with magnetic recording media includes a main pole having a concave tip. The concave tip focuses the magnetic flux from the main pole onto a smaller area of the magnetic recording medium than a conventional main pole when the main pole is at its flying height from the magnetic recording medium. Although the most preferred perpendicular recording head includes a concave cavity having an elliptical profile when viewed from the side, any substantially concave cavity may be used advantageously.

Abstract: A read head for perpendicular magnetic recording that reduces side reading. The read head includes a read element and a magnetic shield spaced apart from the read element. The magnetic shield at least partially surrounds the read element at an air-bearing surface of the read element. The ratio of an air-bearing surface area of the magnetic shield to an air-bearing surface area of the read element is from about 1:1 to about 40:1.

Abstract: A main write pole for a perpendicular recording head for use with magnetic recording media includes a main body portion of a material with a low magnetic moments, a trailing edge of a material having a high magnetic moment and a non-magnetic de-coupling layer therebetween. The strong magnetic recording field generated by the high moment magnetic material permits the use of a magnetic recording media having high anisotropy, thereby reducing super paramagnetic instabilities at high recording densities. Additionally, the high magnetic moment of the trailing edge, combined with the low magnetic moments of the remainder of the write pole, results in a highly localized magnetic recording field, thereby reducing the sensitivity of the recording process to the skew angle. Further, the de-coupling between the low and high magnetic moment portions of the write pole minimize the problem of magnetic remanence.

Abstract: A write pole for a magnetic recording head, such as a perpendicular magnetic recording head, includes a first magnetic layer comprising a material having a first saturation magnetic moment and a second magnetic layer adjacent the first magnetic layer wherein the second magnetic layer comprises a material having a second saturation magnetic moment that is greater than the first saturation magnetic moment. The write pole also comprises a non-magnetic layer between a portion of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer. The non-magnetic layer may be formed between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer adjacent an air-bearing surface of the recording head. A disc drive storage system having a recording head with means for reducing skew sensitivity of the recording head is also disclosed.

Abstract: A perpendicular recording head for use with magnetic storage media includes a flux focusing main pole. The main pole includes a layer of material having a high magnetic moment, and a second layer of material having a low magnetic moment. The low moment material is tapered towards the main pole's tip, so that all magnetic flux is channeled into the high moment material before writing to the magnetic storage medium.

Abstract: A perpendicular recording head for use with magnetic storage media includes a flux focusing main pole. The main pole includes a layer of material having a high magnetic moment, and a second layer of material having a low magnetic moment. The low moment material is tapered towards the main pole's tip, so that all magnetic flux is channeled into the high moment material before writing to the magnetic storage medium.

Abstract: The present invention provides a modified perpendicular magnetic recording head which generates a relatively small magnetic field in the soft underlayer of a magnetic recording disk in order to reduce unwanted noise from the underlayer. The noise-suppressing magnetic field is sufficiently strong to effectively drive magnetic domains out of the soft underlayer underneath the head.

Abstract: Magnetic recording media having a biased soft magnetic underlayer are disclosed. The soft magnetic underlayer includes at least two soft magnetic layers separated by a thin non-magnetic layer. Magnetostatic coupling between the soft magnetic layers causes the magnetizations in the layer to be anti-parallel. The biased soft magnetic underlayer is brought into a substantially single-domain state, thereby reducing or eliminating unwanted noise in the soft underlayer. In a preferred embodiment, the recording media includes a perpendicular magnetic recording disk.

Abstract: Materials including alternating magnetic layers and spacer layers for use as hard magnetic recording layers of magnetic recording media are disclosed. The spacer layers and the magnetic layers are treated in an oxygen-containing atmosphere in order to form oxidized boundary layers between adjacent granular columns extending through the layers. The columnar microstructure extends through the entire thickness of the multilayer structure to thereby exchange decouple the magnetic layers as well as the spacer layers. The spacer and magnetic layers may include additives which are present in grain boundary regions throughout the layers. The presence of the additives in the grain boundary regions may facilitate diffusion and oxidization between the adjacent granular columns. In a particular embodiment, the magnetic layers comprise Co, the spacer layers comprise Pd, and the additives comprise Cr, Pt, B, Ta, Nb or combinations thereof.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording head includes a write pole designed to reduce or eliminate problems caused by stray magnetic fields. By positioning a write coil close to the air bearing surface of the recording head, and controlling the geometry of the write pole, the necessity of a return pole to provide a closed magnetic flux path through the write pole and the magnetic recording media is eliminated. The use of an open magnetic path produced by a single write pole reduces or eliminates problems caused by stray magnetic fields which, in conventional perpendicular magnetic recording head designs, travel through the soft magnetic underlayer of the recording media and enter the recording head through the return pole.

Abstract: Magnetic recording disks having a composite soft magnetic layer are provided. The soft magnetic layer includes a relatively thick layer of low saturation moment soft magnetic material and a relatively thin layer of high saturation moment soft magnetic material. In a preferred embodiment, the thin layer of soft magnetic material is deposited over the thick layer, followed by deposition of a magnetically hard perpendicular recording layer.

Abstract: Materials including alternating magnetic layers and spacer layers for use as a hard magnetic recording layer of a magnetic recording media are disclosed. The spacer layers as well as the magnetic layers are exchange decoupled. The spacer and magnetic layers include additives which are present in grain boundary regions throughout the layers. In a particular embodiment, the magnetic layers comprise Co, the spacer layers comprise Pd, and the additives comprise Cr, Pt, B, Ta, Nb or combinations thereof. In addition to forming grain boundaries that exchange decouple the magnetic and spacer layers, the additives may act as grain refiners.

Abstract: Magnetic films are annealed by radio frequency (RF) radiation. During the RF annealing process, the layers may be subjected to a magnetic field in order to control their anisotropy axes. The RF annealed layers are useful for applications such as longitudinal and perpendicular magnetic recording layers of magnetic data storage media.

Abstract: A perpendicular recording head for use with magnetic recording medium has an improved structure permitting an unusually narrow trackwidth to be defined by a simple, cost-efficient manufacturing process. The main pole and opposing pole of the recording head are deposited on the side of the slider, so that the trackwidth is controlled by the thickness of material deposited to form the main pole. The dimension of the main pole along the direction of the track is not critical for permitting a recording head of the present invention to record at high densities. The opposing pole may be located in front of, to the side of, or behind the main pole.