Abstract: An optical recording head is provided which includes a slider body having a leading edge. A void is formed in the slider body to receive a sphere of optically transparent material. The sphere is inserted into the void such that a portion of the sphere protrudes from the slider body. The protruding portion is lapped to be coplanar with a surface of the slider body to form a near-field lens. A mesa may be formed onto the lapped portion and may include a coil. The slider body, mesa, near-field lens, and coil may be formed in one batch process.

Abstract: An optical recording head is provided which includes a slider body having a leading edge. A void is formed in the slider body to receive a sphere of optically transparent material. The sphere is inserted into the void such that a portion of the sphere protrudes from the slider body. The protruding portion is lapped to be coplanar with a surface of the slider body to form a near-field lens. A mesa may be formed onto the lapped portion and may include a coil. The slider body, mesa, near-field lens, and coil may be formed in one batch process.

Abstract: An optical recording head is provided which includes a slider body having a leading edge. A void is formed in the slider body to receive a sphere of optically transparent material. The sphere is inserted into the void such that a portion of the sphere protrudes from the slider body. The protruding portion is lapped to be coplanar with a surface of the slider body to form a near-field lens. A mesa may be formed onto the lapped portion and may include a coil. The slider body, mesa, near-field lens, and coil may be formed in one batch process.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head is made with a center-tapped coil structure formed of three layers of coils. The middle coil is configured to be bifilar. When recording data on a magnetic medium, current flows through one-half of the bifilar coil and through one adjacent coil to create positive transitions, and for negative transitions, current flows through the other half of the bifilar coil and through the other adjacent coil. When reading the data that is recorded on a magnetic medium, all turns of the entire coil configuration operate for transducing the data.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for precisely aligning the pole tips of a thin film magnetic head. Two separate metallic layers, such as Permalloy (Ni-Fe alloy) are separated by a layer of insulating material such as silicon dioxide or AL.sub.2 O.sub.3 which will serve as the insulative spacer of the final magnetic head. A photo-resist is applied to the surface of the top metallic layer in an imagewise configuration to establish the shape of the top pole. The top pole is then etched and the photo-resist removed. The top electrode is then encapsulated with a protective metal and is used as a mask during the chemical etching of the insulative layer, the bottom electrode being used as an etch stop. This integral structure is then used as a mask during the chemical etching of the bottom electrode, resulting in pole tips which are precisely aligned.

Abstract: A method of fabricating variable sloped, as well as straight, edges on a permalloy body of a thin film head is disclosed. The process comprises forming a titanium layer on the permalloy body covering at least those areas of the body which are intended to exhibit the variable slope. A photoresist layer is formed atop the titanium layer and the permalloy body and is removed in those areas of the titanium layer and permalloy body which are not to be retained as part of the thin film head after etching. The body is then etched with an etchant containing HF and FeCl.sub.3 to form variable sloped edges in those areas of the permalloy body covered with titanium and photoresist and straight edges in those areas of the permalloy body covered only with photoresist.