Abstract: A magnetic tape head having an array of reader/writer pairs formed on a common substrate, each reader/writer pair being configured in a piggyback configuration such that the writer and reader of each pair are aligned in a direction parallel to a relative direction of media travel thereover. Each reader comprises a first shield, a second shield, a sensor positioned between the shields, and leads coupled to the sensor. Each writer comprises a first pole and a second pole. A charge clamp circuit electrically couples at least one of the reader shields to at least one of the leads. An electrical conductor operatively electrically couples the at least one of the shields to at least one of the poles.

Abstract: A method is provided for providing air-skiving edges of a tape head. A slot is created in an upper face of a substrate of a tape head. The slot includes at least one edge defining an edge of a tape bearing surface (TBS) of the tape head. The surface of the tape head is then formed and finished, such as by lapping. A grind operation is subsequently conducted to form a notch in the upper face of the substrate of the tape head. Such notch extends from the slot to an outside end of the substrate of the tape head.

Abstract: A magnetic head includes a substrate having a first tape bearing surface and a second (outrigger) tape bearing surface, preferably with a slot therebetween. A plurality of elements (readers and/or writers) are coupled to the substrate and positioned towards the first tape bearing surface. The first and second tape bearing surfaces lie along planes, the planes being offset from one another spatially and/or angularly. The second tape bearing surface, like typical flat profile heads, induces a small spacing between a tape passing thereover and its tape bearing surface. The second tape bearing surface is positioned below the plane of the first tape bearing surface, thereby creating the proper wrap angle of the tape relative to the first tape bearing surface.

Abstract: A magnetic head includes a first array of elements associated with a first data format and a second array of elements associated with a second data format, the elements being selected from a group consisting of readers, writers, and combinations thereof. The first and second arrays of elements are adjacent each other in a direction transverse to a direction of travel of a magnetic medium over the head.

Abstract: A magnetic head according to one embodiment includes a first module having a flat profile tape bearing surface, a second module having a flat profile tape bearing surface, and a third module having a flat profile tape bearing surface. The third module is positioned on an opposite side of the second module than the first module. The tape bearing surfaces of the first, second and third modules may lie along substantially parallel planes, may be configured in a tangent (angled) configuration, or may be configured in an overwrap configuration. Data writing and reading functions are usually performed by different modules at a given time.

Abstract: A tape recording head is provided comprising a substrate including a first plane deposited on the substrate comprising a linear array of read transducers spaced apart in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of linear motion of a recording tape relative to the magnetic head, and a second plane deposited on the substrate comprising a linear array of read transducers spaced apart in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of linear motion of the recording tape relative to the magnetic head, the second plane offset relative to the first plane so that the read transducers in the first plane overlap the read transducers of the second plane such that a first read transducer in the first plane and a second read transducer in the second plane together span the width of a written track on the tape. A method is provided for increasing the SNR ratio of readback data from a track recorded on a tape using a magnetic head having overlapping read transducers is provided.

Abstract: A tape recording system is provided comprising slightly convex, or barrel-shaped, flangeless roller guides mounted on actuators to control the transverse position of the tape. Self-centering of the tape on the convex roller guide surface allows the tape to follow actuator driven movement of the roller guides to correct for tape displacement. Surface texture on the roller guide surface promotes tack-down of the tape on the roller guide surface further improving tape response to actuator driven movement of the roller guides to correct tape displacement. A method for correcting transverse displacements of a tape in accordance with the invention is disclosed.

Abstract: A filled-gap magnetic recording head is provided comprising a flat or cylindrical contour head having a row of magnetic transducers in a gap region disposed between a rowbar substrate and a closure. The gap region is intentionally recessed to have a predetermined recess profile below a tape support surface. An electrical insulation layer is deposited on the tape support surface and on the recess profile of the gap region. The insulation layer prevents electrical shorting between the magnetic transducers and other conductive elements in the gap due to accumulations of conductive debris from the magnetic recording tape. A method of making the filled-gap magnetic recording head by intentionally recessing the gap region, cleaning the recessed profile and depositing an insulator layer is provided.

Abstract: A tape recording head is provided comprising a support plate having a contoured surface with an opening in the contoured surface which allows head chips to protrude far enough to allow proper head tape contact for recording. The support plate is fixed on a coarse actuator so that the support plate and coarse actuator move together perpendicular to the motion of the recording tape. The head chips comprising rowbar substrates containing a multiplicity of recording elements are supported on a carrier mounted on a fine actuator and are not fixed to the support plate to allow low mass fine actuation.

Abstract: A lapping system for eliminating crowning in a surface to be lapped includes a first lapping carrier adapted to carry a first workpiece and a second lapping carrier adapted to carry a second workpiece. A stabilizer assembly interconnects the first and second lapping carriers in a mutually stabilizing arrangement that stabilizes the first and second workpieces against rotation. The stabilizer assembly includes first and second stabilizer arms extending between the first lapping carrier and the second lapping carrier. Each lapping carrier and an associated stabilizer arm collectively defines a fixture having a carrier portion and a stabilizer portion, and which may be generally T-shaped. One end of each stabilizer arm is cantilevered from its associated lapping carrier, while the free end of each stabilizer arm is pivotally mounted to the opposite lapping carrier. Downward lapping forces are applied independently to each lapping carrier.

Abstract: A magnetic recording head is provided comprising a flat contour head having a deposited closure. An ion-milled trench or recess is provided near the substrate edge to create a lip or wear zone between the trench edge and the substrate/gap interface. As the tape passes over the head, the lip begins to wear and acquires a bevel. After up to a few hundred hours of runtime, the bevel spans the entire length of the lip after which the bevel length remains constant resulting in a constant rate of head wear. The width of the lip or wear zone is chosen such that head wear chases gap and transducer wear resulting in reduced recession of the transducer from the recording tape.

Abstract: A tape recording system is provided for coupling the angular velocities of a pair of roller guides disposed one on either side of a head assembly. In one embodiment, the roller guides each comprise cylindrical first and second surfaces wherein the first surfaces guide a tape over the head assembly. An idler bearing comprising a cylindrical ring having an inside diameter surface engages in rolling contact the second surfaces of the pair of roller guides, thereby coupling the angular velocities of the pair of roller guides. In another embodiment, an idler bearing comprises a roller having an outside diameter surface that engages the surfaces of a pair of roller guides on each side of the head to couple the angular velocities of the pair of roller guides.

Abstract: A tape recording system is provided having an improved load/unload path, the system comprising a first pair of guides and a second pair of guides movable from an unloaded position to a loaded position. In the unloaded position, a gap between the first pair of guides and the second pair of guides provides a path for loading a tape from a supply reel to a take-up reel without contacting any of the first pair of guides, the second pair of guides and the head assembly to prevent contamination and damage of these components. The tape loader path is isolated from the head by the first pair of guides providing protection of the head from possible contact damage by the loader mechanism and tape leader.

Abstract: A planar servo verifier head is provided comprising a plurality of magnetic head elements optimized for the readback process. The plurality of magnetic head elements are fabricated in a planar two-dimensional array in which individual elements can be used to read servo format tracks spaced across the width of a magnetic tape. In one embodiment, the magnetic head element comprises a read transducer formed of one or more turns of a sense wire inductively coupled to a magnetic yoke in a trench formed on the transducing surface of a substrate. In another embodiment, the magnetic head element comprises a read transducer formed of a thin film magnetoresistive sensor coupled to a magnetic flux guide in a trench formed on the transducing surface of a substrate. According to the method for manufacturing an embodiment of the servo verifier read head for magnetic tape recording, a plurality of trenches are formed in a nonmagnetic substrate wafer, preferably, a ceramic wafer.

Abstract: A system, a method, and article of manufacture are employed to clean the input/output transducers on tape drives, verified by the tape drives reading alphanumeric information from data tracks and servo tracks of a cleaner tape. An aggressive cleaning frontcoat section of the cleaner tape can be used to provide additional cleaning action, and the cleanliness of the data read elements, data write elements, and the servo heads. A less-abrasive cleaning section may be used to clean less difficult types of contaminants. In this manner, the cleanliness of the data read elements, the data write elements, and the servo heads can be verified. A cleaning section may also be used as a leader section of a self-characterization section. Alternatively, a magnetic data tape section may be included for self-characterization.

Abstract: A tape recording head is provided comprising a multiple plane transducer row having a plurality of planes of transducer arrays fabricated on a substrate and which may be staggered or offset relative to one another in a direction perpendicular to the direction of linear motion of the recording tape over the recording head. The multiple plane recording head provides a significant advantage over a head having a single transducer plane by allowing simultaneous reading (or writing) of data tracks on a magnetic recording tape that are more closely spaced apart with respect to one another than the spacing of the read (or write) transducers in a single plane.

Abstract: A wear gauge is provided for simulating the wear of a magnetic recording component at its interface with a magnetic storage medium comprising a wear gauge block having a wear surface that substantially approximates the geometrical dimensions and contour of the working surface of the magnetic recording component, wherein the wear surface has a coating of transparent material. A test method comprises mounting the wear gauge in a test fixture, positioning a tape and adjusting the overwrap angle at edges of the wear surface, choosing the desired tape tension, speed and runtime, and running the tape, preferably unidirectionally, in operational contact with the wear surface for the desired runtime. The wear surface is inspected under white light illumination to observe and record locations of interferometric color changes on the wear surface. The color changes are correlated to thickness changes of the transparent coating on the wear surface.

Abstract: A magnetic write head and method for bulk fabrication of the same are provided. A trench is formed in a nonmagnetic substrate. A first magnetically permeable layer is deposited in the trench of the substrate. An optional first insulating layer is deposited in the trench. A conducting circuit is defined in the trench. The conducting circuit creates the magnetic flux. An optional second insulating layer is deposited in the trench. Writer gaps are patterned and then a second magnetic layer is added over the second insulating layer. The substrate is divided to form individual write heads.

Abstract: A method for adjusting a tape wrap angle is described comprising the steps of operating the tape system to generate or regenerate an electrical signal in the head from the tape, either increasing or reducing the tape wrap angle as appropriate until a signal from the tape head reappears or goes to zero, then increasing the wrap angle until the desired angle is achieved as measured by the signal from the head or by moving the tape support a fixed amount. A tape recording and/or reading system with adjustable wrap angles is described which can be used with a method of the invention. The system includes one or more rollers mounted on an adjustable shaft with an eccentric or axially offset portion supporting the roller. Preferably for a magentic head, an adjustable shaft and roller are located on the tape-in and tape-out side of the tape head. The angular orientation of the eccentric shaft is adjustable, thereby, allowing precise adjustment of the position of the roller with respect to the tape head.

Abstract: A magnetic head having a magnetic shield and/or pole layer that is fabricated as a plurality of laminated layers, in which each layer includes a sublayer thickness of Fe(N) and a sublayer thickness of NiFe(N), and where the relative thickness of these two sublayers is graduated. Particularly, the initially deposited laminations include sublayers of NiFe(N) having a thickness that is substantially greater than the thickness of the Fe(N) sublayers, whereas the finally deposited laminations include sublayers having an Fe(N) thickness that is substantially greater than the thickness of the NiFe(N) sublayers.