With Significant Slider/housing Shaping Or Treating Patents (Class 29/603.12)
  • Publication number: 20030026046
    Abstract: A thin-film includes an inductive element and a first and second magneto-resistive effect elements in which the first and second magneto-resistive effect elements are arranged in proximity to each other on a substrate, and one surface of the substrate perpendicular to the surface formed with the first and second magneto-resistive effect elements constitutes a slider surface, thereby providing appropriate hight of the magneto-resistive effect elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2001
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Yamakura, Toshio Tamura, Koji Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20030019095
    Abstract: Methods for adjusting the curvature of a slider may include providing a first slider including an air bearing surface and a back surface opposite the air bearing surface. The camber and crown of the first slider are measured, and a plurality of scribes are made at positions on the back surface of the first slider. The change in camber and crown due to each scribe on the first slider is measured. The scribe position and change in crown and camber per position is recorded in a data structure. A second slider is provided, the second slider including an air bearing surface and a back surface opposite the air bearing surface. The camber and crown of the second slider are measured. A desired amount of change in crown and camber is determined. Scribe positions are selected based on information from the data structure so that the desired amount of change in crown and camber will be obtained. The back surface of the second slider is scribed at the selected scribe positions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2001
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Inventors: Ping-Wei Chang, Chie Ching Poon, Andrew C. Tam
  • Patent number: 6501048
    Abstract: A method of controlling curvature of a disc head slider having a slider body with a bearing surface, a back surface, which is opposite to the bearing surface, a first axis and a second axis, which is perpendicular to the first axis, is provided. The method includes directing a continuous-wave laser beam toward the back surface to form a laser spot on the back surface. The laser spot is scanned along the back surface in a direction parallel to the first axis or the second axis to form a continuous elongated scan line on the back surface such that the back surface melts and then cools along the scan line to induce anisotropic tensile stress in the back surface, which is oriented predominately parallel to the scan line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2002
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventor: Richard A. Strom
  • Patent number: 6497825
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head, includes a first step of forming a second magnetic pole layer (an upper magnetic pole layer) on a magnetic gap layer formed on a first magnetic pole layer (a lower magnetic pole layer) so that the second magnetic pole layer opposes to the first magnetic pole layer via the magnetic gap layer, and a second step of dry etching a part of an upper surface of the first magnetic pole layer surrounding the second magnetic pole layer used as an etching mask to make a width of the dry-etched part of the first magnetic pole layer equal to a width of the second magnetic pole layer. The first step includes shaping at least part of the second magnetic pole layer so that the width of the second magnetic pole layer increases as a throat height becomes large.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2002
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventor: Akifumi Kamijima
  • Publication number: 20020191351
    Abstract: A method of making a magnetic write head includes forming a strip of negative photoresist on a wafer at an ABS site with a width that defines a track width of the write head and which has a height above a desired height of a second pole tip. An alumina layer is formed on the wafer and on the strip with a thickness above the wafer that is equal to or greater than a desired height of the second pole tip. The alumina layer is then mechanically polished until the negative photoresist strip is exposed. The negative photoresist strip is then removed leaving an opening in the alumina layer after which the second pole tip is formed in the opening. In a first embodiment of the invention the second pole tip and the second pole piece yoke are one piece and are planar and in a second embodiment of the invention a P2 yoke is stitched to the second pole tip. In both embodiments the first pole piece of the write head can be notched without damaging the second pole tip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2001
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hugo Alberto Emilio Santini
  • Patent number: 6470565
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a slider includes the steps of forming an air bearing surface of a slider material including a thin-film magnetic head element; and etching a part of the air bearing surface, such that a portion of the air bearing surface corresponding to the head element and the rest of the air bearing surface are located in one plane, or such that this portion of the air bearing surface is located closer to a recording medium than the rest of the air bearing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20020133935
    Abstract: An electrode film and a protective electrode film are formed on an insulating film and a first magnetic film in turn. Then, a first photoresist layer, an intermediate layer and a second photoresist layer are formed on the protective electrode film in turn. The intermediate layer is formed by a sputtering method so that the surface temperature of the intermediate layer is set to 140° C. or below. Then, the first photoresist layer is exposed and developed, to fabricate a photoresist pattern. Then, the intermediate layer is partially etched and removed via the photoresist pattern as a mask by a reactive ion etching method using a chlorine-based gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2002
    Publication date: September 26, 2002
    Applicant: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuya Maekawa, Akio Iijima, Junichi Sato, Hiroyuki Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 6449123
    Abstract: A marking method for a sintered product of the invention includes forming a concave portion on the sintered product by irradiating the sintered product with laser light thereby to write identification information on the sintered product. The depth of the concave portion is adjusted in a range between 0.1 &mgr;m and 5 &mgr;m, inclusive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Sumitomo Special Metals Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinji Tsujimoto, Takayuki Morikawa
  • Patent number: 6441385
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for adjusting curvature of a disc head slider having a bearing surface is provided. The apparatus includes a light source and an apparatus for controlling the light source. The light source is adapted to produce a light beam capable of altering material stresses in a working surface of the slider. The apparatus for controlling the light source is adapted for obtaining a measure of first and second curvature characteristics of the bearing surface and for scanning the light beam across the working surface in a pattern to alter the material stresses in the working surface such that the first and second curvature characteristics move to within predetermined specifications. The pattern is based on the measures of the first and second curvature characteristics and estimates of responses in the first and second curvature characteristics to the pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: Seagate Technology, LLC.
    Inventor: Mohamed-Salah H. Khlif
  • Patent number: 6434814
    Abstract: A method of making a magnetic head that has a read head with a track width includes the steps of depositing a read track width defining material layer on a read sensor material layer; forming a bi-layer photoresist mask on the read track width defining material layer that masks a read track width defining layer portion of the read track width defining material layer; removing by reactive ion etching (RIE) a portion of the read track width defining material layer not masked by the photoresist mask to form the read track width defining layer portion with exposed first and second side edges that are spaced apart a distance equal to the track width; removing by ion milling a first portion of the read sensor material layer not masked by the read track width defining layer portion to form a second portion of the read sensor material layer with exposed first and second side edges that have a width equal to the track width; depositing hard bias and lead material layers on the photoresist mask in contact with the firs
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Henry C. Chang, Cherngye Hwang, Robert Otto Schwenker
  • Patent number: 6427319
    Abstract: A method for protecting magnetic read/write head assembly against electrostatic discharge during disk drive manufacturing are disclosed. The magnetic head assembly is supported on a substrate having a magnetoresistive sensor element disposed in spaced relationship between several magnetic shield elements. Before a focused ion beam fabrication operation, at least a portion of an air bearing surface of the magnetic head assembly is coated with a thin and transparent layer of conductive material. This layer of conductive material is subsequent removed after the focused ion beam fabrication operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jack Dana Cook, Grace Lim Gorman, Cherngye Hwang
  • Patent number: 6421908
    Abstract: A shallow etch at the trailing edge rail that allows the slider to fly closer to the recording medium and exhibit less sensitivity to roll. The slider includes a support structure and at least one rail having side edges and an air bearing surface raised above the support structure. At least one of the rails comprises a magnetic element disposed on the support structure. The edges of the rail adjacent to the magnetic element are etched to minimize the fly height of the magnetic element over the disk while preventing collision of the rail with the disk during roll conditions. The etched features of the rail create relieved trailing edge portions where the edges of the rail adjacent to the magnetic element are lower than the air bearing surface but are higher than the support structure. The shallow etch in the air bearing surface minimizes the difference between the minimum mechanical slider/disk spacing and the magnetic head/disk spacing which in turn allows optimization of transducer spacing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sanford A. Bolasna, Laurence S. Samuelson
  • Patent number: 6419552
    Abstract: In a thin-film magnetic head manufacturing method and apparatus, lapping is continued until the MR height of a magnetoresistive sensor falls into a finish tolerance range and the lapping time from the beginning of lapping exceeds a predetermined time, thereby substantially reducing the recession between an ABS of a slider bar and a surface of a thin-film magnetic element opposing a recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Inventors: Masato Katoh, Shigenobu Miyajima
  • Patent number: 6405426
    Abstract: A first step portion is formed at a portion at which on an outer end portion of a facing surface of a surface of the slider meets the side panel of the slider. Furthermore, a second step portion is formed at the portion at which the outer end portion of the first step portion meets the side panel of the slider. An edge or the like due to machining occurs at an outer end portion of the second step portion. However, even if the magnetic head is steeply inclined, the outer end portion of the second step portion in which the edge or the like due to machining occurs is barely brought into contact with the recording medium because of the formation of the second step portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2002
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuyuki Kondo
  • Publication number: 20020067576
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for manufacturing magnetic head device. In one embodiment, the magnetic head device includes a thin film magnetic head element having a reproduction element part comprised of a magnetoresistance effect element formed by layering on one surface of a slider. The magnetoresistance effect element is exposed on a side to oppose a magnetic recording media. Dry etching is used to remove a degenerated layer produced on the exposed side of the magnetoresistance effect element by polishing the surface of the side opposing the magnetic recording media.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 1999
    Publication date: June 6, 2002
    Inventors: KAZUYOSHI KUBOTA, MASAYUKI HAMAKAWA
  • Patent number: 6399285
    Abstract: An optical transparent film is formed so as to cover a first thin film element and a marker, and flattened. A resist-cover is formed on the part of the optical transparent film above the marker. A plate underfilm is formed on the optical transparent film and the resist-cover. The resist-cover is removed from the optical transparent film. A resistframe is fabricated on the part of the optical transparent film including the plate underfilm above the first thin film element on the basis of the marker which is visible via the optical transparent film from the removed part of the resist-cover. Then, a plate film is formed on the part of the plate underfilm enclosed by the resistframe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventor: Akifumi Kamijima
  • Publication number: 20020054459
    Abstract: The use of a Nd-YAG laser or excimer laser enables easy formation of protrusions on a protecting layer and a portion of an opposite surface near the trailing side end thereof and a thin film element. It is thus possible to avoid direct contact between the thin film element and the disk surface, and thus prevent damage to the thin film element and wearing thereof even if a slider and the disk surface repeatedly slide on each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 1999
    Publication date: May 9, 2002
    Inventors: HIROHISA ISHIHARA, TAKAO SOMA, TADASHI OTAGIRI, SOICHIRO MATSUZAWA
  • Patent number: 6381833
    Abstract: A method for forming a top magnetic pole of an inductive magnetic head being begins with the step of forming a photolithographic material over a layer of insulating material at a hill region and gap region of the inductive magnetic head formed on a wafer and over a waste region of the wafer. Second, a mask is patterned on the photolithographic material defining a paddle region over the hill region, a feeder region over the waste region, and a trench region between the feeder region and the paddle region. The trench region extends over the gap region. Third solvent is admitted into the feeder region to flow in a laminar flow through the trench region to the paddle region to form the mask and expose a surface of the layer of insulating material in the paddle and trench regions of the mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Steven A. Mastain, Wallace A. Peck, Diana M. Simplair, Kurt A. Rothstein
  • Patent number: 6374479
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to manufacture sliders having excellent properties with accuracy and to improve the production efficiency and the cleaning property. In a method of the invention to manufacture a bar in which a row of slider sections are aligned, a wafer block is made from a wafer in which rows of slider sections are aligned. The wafer block is bonded to a dummy block on a support plate. Next, a processing step and a cutting step are repeated. The processing step is to perform a specific processing on the medium facing surfaces of a row of slider sections in the medium facing surface of the wafer block bonded to the support plate. The cutting step is to cut the wafer block together with the support plate such that the row of slider sections whose medium facing surfaces have received the specific processing are separated from the wafer block to be the bar. A tape is affixed to the medium facing surfaces to protect the medium facing surfaces in the cutting step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Sasaki, Tatsuya Harada, Kunimasa Nakata
  • Patent number: 6360428
    Abstract: An improved glide head has an air bearing surface with a flatness of less than about 1 &mgr;inch. The air bearing surfaces are formed from the very smooth and flat surface of a wafer, preferably prior to slicing the glide heads from the wafer. Thus, a wafer is formed having a flat surface with a plurality of air bearing surface contoured onto the surface. To form a glide head, a transducer can be mounted on the air bearing surface or the surface opposite the air bearing surface, preferably at the wafer level before slicing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2002
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Ramesh Sundaram, Wei Yao
  • Publication number: 20020026704
    Abstract: A process of forming a two-piece pole for an inductive write head involves first forming a first pole piece having a width between opposite side surfaces defining a gap width of a transducing gap at an air bearing surface of the head. The process next involves forming a second pole piece having a first region remote from the air bearing surface and a second region extending from the first region toward the air bearing surface. The first region is wider than the width of the first pole piece. The second pole piece is formed so that at least a portion of the second region is contiguous a portion of the first pole piece and so that no sharp external corners exist between the first pole tip piece and the second pole piece within a pole tip region of the head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2001
    Publication date: March 7, 2002
    Inventors: Frank E. Stageberg, Kenneth P. Ash, James K. Price, Feng Wang, Elzbieta J. Haftek, Allan E. Schultz, Richard P. Larson
  • Publication number: 20020026705
    Abstract: In the present invention a second pole yoke component of a second pole piece is connected (stitched) to a small top surface of a second pole tip component of the second pole piece as well as to a back edge and first and second side edges of the second pole tip component. The extra stitching at the back and side edges provides the required magnetic coupling between the components for transferring flux to and from a second pole tip at an air bearing surface. This arrangement shortens the length of the top stitched area so that one or more coil layers in an insulation stack can be located closer to the ABS for increasing the data rate of the head. Further, this arrangement reduces the amount of material of the second pole piece layer in close proximity to the first pole piece layer so as to minimize flux leakage therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2001
    Publication date: March 7, 2002
    Inventor: Hugo Alberto Emilio Santini
  • Publication number: 20020023338
    Abstract: A method for making a magnetic sensor for a disk drive read head comprises the steps of fabricating a giant magnetoresistive stack on a surface of a layer of bottom shield material, the giant magnetoresistive stack including an etch stop layer positioned on an end of the giant magnetoresistive stack opposite the surface and a buffer layer positioned on the etch stop layer, depositing an insulating material on the giant magnetoresistive stack and the surface of the layer of bottom shield material, planarizing the insulating material to form a top surface of the insulating material lying in a plane adjacent to or passing through the buffer layer, vacuum etching the buffer layer, and depositing a top shield layer on the insulating material and the giant magnetoresistive stack. A self-planarizing material can also be deposited on the insulating material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2001
    Publication date: February 28, 2002
    Inventors: Michael Allen Seigler, Petrus Antonius van der Heijden, Andrew Robert Eckert
  • Publication number: 20020013996
    Abstract: Disclosed is a magnetic disk apparatus including a magnetic reproducing head portion, and a magnetic recording head including an upper magnetic core having a end portion and a rear portion. As a resist for a frame which is used for forming the rear portion, a negative resist or an electron beam resist is used, whereby the frame is formed without any adverse effect of halation from a coil insulating film. That is, it is possible to manufacture a magnetic recording head in which the rear portion of an upper magnetic core is not emerged at the face opposed to a medium, and hence to obtain a magnetic disk apparatus exhibiting an areal recording density of 5 Gbit/in2 or more by mounting a magnetic recording/reproducing head including such a magnetic recording head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2001
    Publication date: February 7, 2002
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Okada, Tetsuya Okai, Shinobu Sasaki, Tadayuki Iwakura, Naoki Koyama, Harunobu Saito, Makoto Morijiri
  • Patent number: 6341416
    Abstract: A dimple magnetic recording head in a transducer assembly for linear tape drives haviang a flat transducing surface extending laterally a partial width of the magnetic recording tape is mass produced by lapping a row of transducers on a substrate to form a flat transducing surface. The row of substrate elements is then diced into separate substrate elements. Two parallel, spaced apart tape support surfaces are provided extending laterally the full width of the tape, and one of the diced substrate elements is mounted intermediate the tape support surfaces with the flat transducing surface exposed for forming a tape facing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Glenn Biskeborn, James Howard Eaton
  • Publication number: 20020007553
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to manufacture sliders having excellent properties with accuracy and to improve the production efficiency and facilitate handling of intermediate products during slider manufacturing steps.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2001
    Publication date: January 24, 2002
    Applicant: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Itoh, Kazuo Ishizaki
  • Patent number: 6332264
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to manufacture sliders having excellent properties with accuracy and to improve the production efficiency and facilitate handling of intermediate products during slider manufacturing steps. In a method of the invention to manufacture a bar in which a row of slider sections are aligned, a wafer block is made from a wafer in which rows of slider sections are aligned. The wafer block is bonded to a dummy block on a support plate. Next, a processing step and a cutting step are repeated. The processing step is to perform specific processing on the medium facing surfaces of a row of slider sections in the medium facing surface of the wafer block bonded to the support plate. The cutting step is to cut the wafer block together with the support plate such that the row of slider sections whose medium facing surfaces have received the specific processing are separated from the wafer block to be the bar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Itoh, Kazuo Ishizaki
  • Patent number: 6324747
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a magnetoresistive (MR) proximity head slider having substantial immunity to thermal asperities includes providing the head slider having an inductive write transducer and an MR read transducer each extending to a first region of an air bearing surface (ABS) of the head slider. The method further includes removing a portion of the first region of the ABS corresponding to the MR read transducer to form a cavity in the ABS. The cavity in the ABS provides a second region of the ABS such that after removal of the portion of the first region the MR read transducer extends only to the second region of the ABS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Zine-Eddine Boutaghou, Dallas Wayne Meyer, Steven Barclay Slade
  • Patent number: 6321440
    Abstract: A method for adjusting the curvature of an air bearing surface (ABS) of a slider having a back surface opposite the ABS. The method includes steps of repeatedly measuring the curvature of the ABS and scribing lines (e.g. with a laser scribing tool) on the back surface to partially adjust the curvature of the ABS. In each measuring/scribing installment, the curvature of the ABS is measured and compared with a final target curvature to determine a curvature difference between the measured curvature and final target curvature. Each installment of scribing lines corrects for a predetermined percentage of the curvature difference. The predetermined percentage may be different in succeeding installments. Alternatively, each installment changes the curvature of the slider to match an intermediate target curvature. In a three-installment process, for example, there will be two intermediate target curvatures and a final target curvature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Linden James Crawforth, Chie Ching Poon, Andrew Ching Tam
  • Patent number: 6311388
    Abstract: An air bearing slider for a disc drive includes an air bearing surface defined on the disc opposing face at least in part by a first step or cavity. An additional corner step is defined in bar processing, deeper than the first cavity. With the corner step, the first cavity does not extend quite all the way to the corner of the slider. The corner of the slider, formed on one face by dicing of the bar into individual sliders, is at an additional depth due to the corner step. The corner steps are preferably narrow, such as nominally one to two times the tolerance value on the dice cut. If a shock event occurs which causes the air bearing slider to contact the disc at certain roll and pitch angles, the corner step edge will contact the disc rather than the dice cut corner. The corner step thus lessens the probability of contact between the disc and the corners of the air bearing slider, and contact with a dice cut edge of the slider is avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2001
    Assignee: Seagate Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Lowell J. Berg, Zine-Eddine Boutaglou
  • Publication number: 20010028539
    Abstract: First and second embodiments of thin-film magnetic heads each including a magnetoresistive element for reading out information as a result of moving relative to a magnetic recording medium. Each thin-film magnetic head includes a base, a lower shield layer that is formed on the base, a lower insulating layer, the magnetoresistive element, an upper insulating layer which is formed on the magnetoresistive element, and an upper shield layer. In order to make uniform the separation between each upper shield layer and its corresponding lower shield layer in the vicinity of its corresponding magnetoresistive element, a middle insulating layer is formed in the same film plane as its corresponding magnetoresistive element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2001
    Publication date: October 11, 2001
    Applicant: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Katsuya Kikuiri
  • Patent number: 6299507
    Abstract: In a thin-film magnetic head manufacturing method and apparatus, lapping is continued until the MR height of a magnetoresistive sensor falls into a finish tolerance range and the lapping time from the beginning of lapping exceeds a predetermined time, thereby substantially reducing the recession between an ABS of a slider bar and a surface of a thin-film magnetic element opposing a recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2001
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masato Katoh, Shigenobu Miyajima
  • Patent number: 6295719
    Abstract: A method of controlling curvature of hydrodynamic bearing slider. The method includes adding a preselected amount of compressive surface stress to the slider to change curvature of the slider and then removing a portion of the added compressive stress to adjust the curvature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventor: Richard A. Strom
  • Patent number: 6289564
    Abstract: A slider assembly for selectively altering a position of a transducing head with respect to a track of a rotatable disc having a plurality of concentric tracks includes a slider body having a main portion and a head portion separated by a gap. The head portion carries the transducing head. The slider body is arranged to be supported by a support structure over a surface of the rotatable disc. A pair of structural elements are disposed on opposite side surfaces of the slider body between the main portion and the head portion across the gap. At least one of the structural elements is a microactuator responsive to electrical control signals to selectively bend to alter the position of the head portion with respect to the main portion of the slider body. The structural elements may be complementary microactuators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventor: Vlad Joseph Novotny
  • Patent number: 6286200
    Abstract: A method of making a second pole piece layer that has a yoke portion between a pole tip portion and a back gap portion comprising the steps of forming a first photoresist layer that is sensitive to a first bandwidth of light, forming a second photoresist layer on the first photoresist layer that is sensitive to a second bandwidth of light that is different from the first bandwidth of light, after forming the first and second photoresist layers, photopatterning the second photoresist layer with the second bandwidth of light to provide an opening at pole tip, yoke and back gap sites wherein the pole tip, yoke and back gap sites define perimeters for the pole tip, yoke and back gap portions respectively, after photopatterning the second photoresist layer, photopatterning the first photoresist layer with the first bandwidth of light to provide openings at the pole tip, yoke and back gap sites and then plating the pole tip, yoke and back gap portions of the second pole piece layer in the openings of the first and
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Bin Huang, Edward Hinpong Lee
  • Patent number: 6278582
    Abstract: For removing re-deposited particulates produced during an etching process of a magnetic head slider and forming a minute chamfered portion, a polishing process is carried out by using polishing cloth such as non-woven polyester fabric after having formed rails of non-linear shape on a floating surface by the etching process. Thus, the re-deposited particulates produced during the etching process are removed, whereby the reliability of the floating characteristic of magnetic head is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2001
    Assignee: Hiatchi, LTD
    Inventors: Atsuko Okawa, Yasuo Hira, Hirotaka Imayama, Masayasu Fujisawa, Saburou Suzuki, Eisei Togawa, Noriyuki Saiki, Nobuo Suzuki, Hiroshi Agari, Kiyoshi Akamatsu, Hiromu Chiba
  • Patent number: 6266868
    Abstract: In a method of efficiently and promptly mass-producing a combination type thin film magnetic head having accurately defined short throat height, apex angle, and MR height or the like and capable of reducing the saturation and leakage of magnetic flux even if a magnetic pole portion is miniaturized, a recessed portion is formed in a surface of a substrate, while a first magnetic layer constituting a lower shield for the GMR element is used as a mask. A second magnetic layer is formed along an inner wall of the recessed portion. A thin film coil is formed thereon in an isolated state, and a surface is flattened to constitute a common unit for manufacturing combination type thin film magnetic heads. A number of common units are manufactured and stocked without any relationship to users' specifications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2001
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Sasaki
  • Patent number: 6260256
    Abstract: A thin film magnetic head having a short magnetic path length by reducing a spacing between successive coil windings of a thin film coil to improve flux rising time, NLTS and overwrite characteristics, is efficiently manufactured on a mass scale by forming a write gap layer on a first magnetic layer having a pole portion of the thin film magnetic head opposing to a magnetic record medium, forming, on the write gap layer, a seed layer made of a material which can be easily removed by a reactive ion etching such as Ti—TiN, Mo, W, Al, Ti—TiW, MoSi2 and WSi2, forming coil windings of the thin film coil by electroplating a copper after forming a photoresist having coil-shaped openings formed therein, removing the photoresist, removing selectively the exposed seed layer by the reactive ion etching using a fluorine or chlorine gas, and covering the coil windings with a photoresist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20010003862
    Abstract: A thin film magnetic recording head utilizing a timing based servo pattern is fabricated using a focused ion beam (FIB). The recording head is fabricated by sputtering a magnetically permeable thin film onto a substrate. A gap pattern, preferably a timing based pattern, is defined on the thin film and the FIB cuts a gap through the thin film based on that pattern. Once completed, the recording head is used to write a servo track onto magnetic tape. The timing based servo track then allows for the precise alignment of data read heads based on the positional information obtained by a servo read head which scans the continuously variable servo track.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 1999
    Publication date: June 21, 2001
    Inventor: MATTHEW P. DUGAS
  • Publication number: 20010001894
    Abstract: Manufacturing method of a magnetic head slider comprising a ferrite core having read/write gap and a housing of non-magnetic material having a rail on a surface opposite to a magnetic recording medium, the ferrite core and the housing being bonded to each other, a core bond bar constituted by continuation of two or more cores and a stick for the housing are bonded to each other and fine machining is applied thereto, and then the magnetic head slider is separated into individual sliders.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 1997
    Publication date: May 31, 2001
    Inventors: NAOMI KAERIYAMA, AKINOBU SANO
  • Patent number: 6230389
    Abstract: A method for forming a magnetoresistive (MR) lapping monitor, and a magnetoresistive (MR) lapping monitor formed employing the method. To practice the method, there is first provided a substrate. There is then formed over the substrate a patterned magnetoresistive (MR) layer, where the patterned magnetoresistive (MR) layer has a concavity at an edge of the patterned magnetoresistive (MR) layer opposite an air bearing surface (ABS) edge of the patterned magnetoresistive (MR) layer. There is then formed covering the edge of the patterned magnetoresistive (MR) layer opposite the air bearing surface edge of the patterned magnetoresistive (MR) layer and separated by the concavity a pair of patterned conductor lead layers, where neither patterned conductor lead layer within the pair of patterned conductor lead layers reaches a plane defined by the air bearing surface (ABS) edge of the patterned magnetoresistive (MR) layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: Headway Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Li-Yan Zhu
  • Patent number: 6226859
    Abstract: A slider air bearing surface design which significantly reduces the fly height sensitivity to contamination in the crossbar area. A structural feature at the leading edge provides contamination protection to the air bearing surface. The slider includes a slider body having an air bearing surface formed on a lower surface, wherein the air bearing surface comprises a crossrail and a central rail extending from the crossrail toward a leading edge for diverting debris from the air bearing surface to prevent accumulation thereon. The leading central rail includes a flared edge connecting the central rail to the crossrail, wherein the flared edge expands the width of the central rail toward the crossrail. A trailing center rail extends from the crossbar toward the trailing edge, and is narrower than the leading central rail. Further, the trailing center rail may be skewed relative to the sides of the slider body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lee Kevin Dorius, Paul R. Peck
  • Patent number: 6212761
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head includes a step of cutting a wafer into bars, each bar having a plurality of thin-film magnetic head sliders which are sequentially coupled with each other, a step of identifying the bar to be worked to generate an identification signal which indicates identity of the bar, a step of obtaining data of the bar in a unit of bar depending upon the identification signal, and a step of processing at least one working of the bar on the basis of the obtained data of the bar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Yoshida, Noritsugu Kakegawa
  • Patent number: 6202289
    Abstract: A manufacturing method that can manufacture small thin film magnetic head sliders with high dimensional accuracy and high manufacturing yield is disclosed. This manufacturing method uses 5 inch- or 6 inch-dia. substrate wafers having a thickness sufficient to keep wafer bending to a minimum level even after thin film magnetic head elements have been formed on it. On the front side surface of the substrate wafer formed are thin film magnetic elements. After a protective layer covered on the surface of the thin film magnetic head elements has been ground and/or lapped, the back side surface of the substrate wafer is ground and/or lapped to a thickness equal to a desired slider length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Hitachi Metals, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kuniaki Yoshimura, Shinji Furuichi, Takeo Sasaki
  • Patent number: 6199267
    Abstract: A method for the production of a magnetic head, where first a lower magnetic pole is formed on a wafer. Next, a nonmagnetic write gap layer is formed on the lower magnetic pole. A coil is then formed to be sandwiched between nonmagnetic insulating layers on the nonmagnetic write gap layer. Finally, an upper magnetic pole, provided with a pole tip, is formed to contact the write gap layer on the nonmagnetic write gap layer. After formation, a focused ion beam is irradiated in the direction from a thickness of the pole tip to the lateral parts of the pole tip, the nonmagnetic write gap layer lying directly thereunder. The lower magnetic pole thereby trims the lateral parts of the pole tip while consequently decreasing the width of the pole tip. At the same time, depressed parts are formed in the lower magnetic pole in the areas extending outward from directly below the lateral parts of the pole tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2001
    Assignee: Fujitsu, Limited
    Inventors: Takao Koshikawa, Atsuhiko Nagai
  • Patent number: 6195871
    Abstract: In this method of manufacturing magnetic head elements, the width of the ELG elements can be narrower and the number of magnetic head elements manufactured can be increased. The method includes the steps of: lapping a bar-shaped member in which magnetic head element sections and ELG elements are alternately formed; monitoring resistance of the ELG elements; and removing the ELG elements so as to divide the bar-shaped member into a plurality of the magnetic head element sections. A lead layer of each ELG element is connected to the nearest inner lead layer of the adjacent magnetic head element section, and a connecting pad is connected to a pad for monitoring the ELG element. Terminal pillars in the lead layers act as a common terminal pillar of the magnetic head element section and the ELG element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Motoichi Watanuki
  • Patent number: 6170150
    Abstract: A method for producing a magnetic head with reduced cross talk. A position of a projection for forming a magnetic gap on each of two magnetic core half bodies is adjusted by forming first and second position adjusting projections for having sidewall surfaces that are vertical relative to surfaces for forming track width adjusting grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Seiichi Ogata, Tadashi Saito, Kazuhiro Hoshi