Abstract: A magnetic head assembly has an open yoke type write head constructed on top of a read head so that the write head can be constructed with a very narrow track width without restraint by the requirements of the read head. The write head has first and second pole piece portions wherein the second pole piece portion has separate front and back layer portions. A coil layer is wrapped around only the first pole piece portion and the back layer portion so that the front layer portion can be constructed separately to provide a narrow track width. Further, in a preferred embodiment the front layer portion has a reduced thickness and a higher magnetic moment than the thickness and magnetic moment of the first pole piece portion and the back layer portion. Still further, in a preferred embodiment the first pole piece portion and the back layer portion are planar due to planarization of underlying layers.

Abstract: A magnetic head assembly has an open yoke type write head constructed on top of a read head so that the write head can be constructed with a very narrow track width without restraint by the requirements of the read head. The write head has first and second pole piece portions wherein the second pole piece portion has separate front and back layer portions. A coil layer is wrapped around only the first pole piece portion and the back layer portion so that the front layer portion can be constructed separately to provide a narrow track width. Further, in a preferred embodiment the front layer portion has a reduced thickness and a higher magnetic moment than the thickness and magnetic moment of the first pole piece portion and the back layer portion. Still further, in a preferred embodiment the first pole piece portion and the back layer portion are planar due to planarization of underlying layers.

Abstract: A magneto-resistive read head having a “parasitic shield” provides an alternative path for currents associated with sparkovers, thus preventing such currents from damaging the read head. The parasitic shield is provided in close proximity to a conventional magnetic shield. The electrical potential of parasitic shield is held essentially equal to the electrical potential of the sensor element. If charges accumulate on the conventional shield, current will flow to the parasitic shield at a lower potential than would be required for current to flow between the conventional shield and the sensor element. Alternatively, conductive spark gap devices are electrically coupled to sensor element leads and to each magnetic shield. Each spark gap device is brought within very close proximity of the substrate to provide an alternative path for charge that builds up between the sensor element and the substrate to be discharged.

Abstract: A method is provided for providing extra insulation between lead layers and first and second shield layers of a read head so as to prevent electrical shorting therebetween. A sensor layer is partially formed with a capping layer of a first oxidizable metallic layer. A lead layer is formed with a second oxidizable metallic capping layer thereon. A rear edge of the partially completed sensor is then formed followed by formation of an insulation layer which seals the rear edge. The wafer, upon which the components are constructed, is then subjected to an oxygen-based plasma which oxidizes the oxidizable layers with the second oxidizable metallic layers oxidizing at a faster rate than the first oxidizable metallic layer. The second oxidized layer then provides the desired extra insulation between the lead layers and the second shield layer. The read head produced by the method includes a sensor layer and first and second lead layers.

Abstract: A magneto-resistive read head having a "parasitic shield" provides an alternative path for currents associated with sparkovers, thus preventing such currents from damaging the read head. The parasitic shield is provided in close proximity to a conventional magnetic shield. The electrical potential of parasitic shield is held essentially equal to the electrical potential of the sensor element. If charges accumulate on the conventional shield, current will flow to the parasitic shield at a lower potential than would be required for current to flow between the conventional shield and the sensor element. Alternatively, conductive spark gap devices are electrically coupled to sensor element leads and to each magnetic shield. Each spark gap device is brought within very close proximity of the substrate to provide an alternative path for charge that builds up between the sensor element and the substrate to be discharged.

Abstract: A thin film conductive line is formed between MR pads on an MR head for protecting an MR sensor from electrostatic discharge (ESD) during assembly steps between row level fabrication of the head and prior to merge of a head stack assembly with a disk stack assembly. The conductive line may have a reduced thickness delete pad. A laser beam having a fluence sufficient to sever the conductive line at the delete pad but insufficient to damage or cause debris from structure underlying or surrounding the conductive line is used to sever the conductive line. The method traverses minimum energy, short laser pulses at a high pulse rate across the line, the melted material withdrawing from the melted area and being heaped on top of adjacent portions of the delete pad by surface tension and the melted material cooling to room temperature before the next pulse so that there is no cumulative heating and therefore no damage to or debris from the underlying structure.

Abstract: A method is provided for providing extra insulation between lead layers and first and second shield layers of a read head so as to prevent electrical shorting therebetween. A sensor layer is partially formed with a capping layer of a first oxidizable metallic layer. A lead layer is formed with a second oxidizable metallic capping layer thereon. A rear edge of the partially completed sensor is then formed followed by formation of an insulation layer which seals the rear edge. The wafer, upon which the components are constructed, is then subjected to an oxygen-based plasma which oxidizes the oxidizable layers with the second oxidizable metallic layers oxidizing at a faster rate than the first oxidizable metallic layer. The second oxidized layer then provides the desired extra insulation between the lead layers and the second shield layer. The read head produced by the method includes a sensor layer and first and second lead layers.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive (MR) sensor having passive end regions separated by a central active region in which an MR sensing element is formed over substantially only the central active region. The MR sensor is defined by forming a resist pattern over both the end regions and the MR sensing element followed by an etching step where the duration of the etching is controlled by the time it takes to remove the exposed end regions' material and not by the time it takes to remove the excess MR material in the center active region. This creates an MR sensor having planar sides along the circumference of the end regions where the planar sides have no thinned edges or shoulders. The MR sensor further has no remnant MR material along the inner planar side of the end regions behind the MR sensor's trackwidth edge and adjacent to the MR sensor's back side.

Abstract: A method for making a merged thin film read/write head, where the first pole piece includes a pedestal or pole tip portion that extends up from the first pole piece layer, uses electroplating to form the gap so that the gap layer does not have to be removed later. After the first pole piece is deposited, the coil insulation structure is built over the first pole piece. Afterwards an electrically conductive seed layer of the same ferromagnetic material as the first pole piece is formed over the wafer to provide an electrically conductive path for subsequent electroplating. After the seed layer deposition, a photoresist pattern is then formed to define the shape of the second pole piece. Nonmagnetic nickel-phosphorous is then electroplated onto the seed layer in the region not covered by the photoresist pattern to form the gap layer. The second ferromagnetic layer is then electroplated onto the gap layer to define the shape of the second pole piece.

Abstract: A method for providing a thin film metallization area on a substrate is disclosed comprising the steps of: depositing a Ta adhesion layer on the surface of the substrate seed layer, conducting a photo resist process on the Ta adhesion layer to define the thin film metallization area, including a remnant removal process to remove remnant photo resist process material in the thin film metallization area to the Ta adhesion layer, the Ta adhesion layer preventing the remnant removal from reaching the seed layer, conducting a Ta removal reactive-ion-etch process to remove the Ta adhesion layer in the thin film metallization area, so that the seed layer is exposed in the metallization area. A metal material may then be deposited in the metallization area.

Abstract: A method is described for making a merged thin film read/write head where a common layer serves as both a magnetic shield for the magentoresistive read element and the first pole piece for the inductive write element, and where the first pole piece thus includes a pedestal pole tip portion that extends up from the first pole piece layer. During fabrication a nonmagnetic spacer layer is deposited over the second pole tip and the gap layer, and then reactive ion etching (RIE) removes the spacer layer from the top of the second pole tip and the gap layer not beneath the second pole piece, but leaves the spacer layer on the sidewalls of the second pole tip. The ion bombardment of the RIE process is perpendicular to the gap layer and is continued after removal of the spacer layer to also remove the gap layer in the region not beneath the second pole piece so that the first pole piece layer is exposed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel high magnetic moment material for the pole pieces as well as a metal-in-gap configuration for the pole tips of either an inductive magnetic head only or the inductive portion of a MR head. The novel material is Ni.sub.45 Fe.sub.55. In the MIG configuration each pole piece of the inductive head or the inductive head portion of a MR head has a combination of layers, each combination of layers including a first layer of high magnetic moment material Ni.sub.45 Fe.sub.55 adjacent to a transducing gap and a second layer of low magnetic moment material such as Permalloy (Ni.sub.81 Fe.sub.19) further away from the gap. Since both layers are made of NiFe all the desirable properties of this type of material can be employed as well as simplifying its construction with similar plating baths. The saturation of the first layers is 50 to 60 percent higher than the saturation of the second layers.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel high magnetic moment material for the pole pieces as well as a metal-in-gap configuration for the pole tips of either an inductive magnetic head only or the inductive portion of a MR head. The novel material is Ni.sub.45 Fe.sub.55. In the MIG configuration each pole piece of the inductive head or the inductive head portion of a MR head has a combination of layers, each combination of layers including a first layer of high magnetic moment material Ni.sub.45 Fe.sub.55 adjacent to a transducing gap and a second layer of low magnetic moment material such as Permalloy (Ni.sub.81 Fe.sub.19) further away from the gap. Since both layers are made of NiFe all the desirable properties of this type of material can be employed as well as simplifying its construction with similar plating baths. The saturation of the first layers is 50 to 60 percent higher than the saturation of the second layers.

Abstract: A method is provided for making a thin film magnetic write head with a notch structure located on top of one of two pole layers. The notch structure is a generally U-shaped thin film layer which forms a trench inside the U for the containment of one or more pole tip layers in the pole tip region of the head. The notch structure has front surfaces at the tips of the legs of the U which lie in a plane that forms a part of the air bearing surface. The thickness of the notch layer is substantially equal to the thickness or thicknesses of the one or more pole tip layers located in the trench. A method of manufacturing the write head includes forming a very thin photoresist layer for defining the notch structure. The notch structure is well-defined which in turn allows the one or more pole tip layers to be well-defined with a very narrow trackwidth in the trench.

Abstract: A thin film conductive line is formed between MR pads on an MR head for protecting an MR sensor from electrostatic discharge (ESD) during assembly steps between row level fabrication of the head and prior to merge of a head stack assembly with a disk stack assembly. The conductive line may have a reduced thickness delete pad. A laser beam having a fluence sufficient to sever the conductive line at the delete pad but insufficient to damage or cause debris from structure underlying or surrounding the conductive line is used to sever the conductive line.

Abstract: A magneto-resistive read head having a "parasitic shield" provides an alternative path for currents associated with sparkovers, thus preventing such currents from damaging the read head. The parasitic shield is provided in close proximity to a conventional magnetic shield. The electrical potential of parasitic shield is held essentially equal to the electrical potential of the sensor element. If charges accumulate on the conventional shield, current will flow to the parasitic shield at a lower potential than would be required for current to flow between the conventional shield and the sensor element. Alternatively, conductive spark gap devices are electrically coupled to sensor element leads and to each magnetic shield. Each spark gap device is brought within very close proximity of the substrate to provide an alternative path for charge that builds up between the sensor element and the substrate to be discharged.

Abstract: A method is provided for constructing well defined plated miniature metallic structures. A seedlayer may be formed over an insulative layer such as a gap layer of a write head. A protective layer, such as alumina or silicon dioxide, is formed on top of the seedlayer to protect it from a subsequent reactive ion etching (RIE) step. A relatively thick layer of material, such as polymeric photoresist, is formed on top of the protective layer, the thick layer being of a type of material which can be patterned by reactive ion etching. By photolithography, an RIE mask, such as a thin layer of patterned metal, is formed on top of the relatively thick resist layer. The pattern of the mask corresponds to the desired shape of the metallic structure to be formed by plating. After masking the relatively thick layer the relatively thick layer is anisotropically etched by RIE.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic write head is provided with a notch structure located on top of one of two pole layers. The notch structure is a generally U-shaped thin film layer which forms a trench inside the U for the containment of one or more pole tip layers in the pole tip region of the head. The notch structure has front surfaces at the tips of the legs of the U which lie in a plane that forms a part of the air bearing surface. The thickness of the notch layer is substantially equal to the thickness or thicknesses of the one or more pole tip layers located in the trench. A method of manufacturing the write head includes forming a very thin photoresist layer for defining the notch structure. The notch structure is well-defined which in turn allows the one or more pole tip layers to be well-defined with a very narrow trackwidth in the trench.