International Business Machines Corporation

Andrew C Ting

Robert G Biskeborn

Calvin S Lo

Cherngye Hwang

Son Van Nguyen

Jason Liang

Richard Hsiao

Diana Perez

Robert Dennis Miller

Icko E T Iben

John David Westwood

Pei C Chen

Adel Issa Nazzal

John Wesley Williams

Martin Straub

Eric Keith Wong

Luis H Palacios

Dien LeVan

Gerd Dworschak

Tanya M Zook

Robert Glenn Hadfield

Raymond Bus-Kwoffie

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a module having a substrate, read and write transducers positioned towards a media facing side of the module, and a closure. The write transducers include write poles having media facing sides with zero or near-zero recession from a plane extending along the media facing side of a substrate of the module. The read transducers each have two shields. Media facing sides of the two shields are recessed a same amount from the plane, and are more recessed from the plane than the write poles.

Magnetic recording head having protected reader sensors and near zero recessed write poles

In one general embodiment, an apparatus includes a magnetic sensor structure, a magnetic shield having at least one laminate pair comprising a magnetic layer and an electrically conductive nonmagnetic layer, and a nonmagnetic spacer layer between the sensor structure and the magnetic shield. In another general embodiment, an apparatus includes a magnetic tunnel junction sensor structure, and a magnetic shield having at least two laminate pairs, each pair comprising a magnetic layer and an electrically conductive nonmagnetic layer. A deposition thickness of the nonmagnetic layer in each laminate pair is about 10% or less of a total deposition thickness of the laminate pair.

Electrically conductive magnetic shield laminate structure for contact recording sensor

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a substrate having a media bearing surface, and a first shield above the substrate. The first shield has a media facing side recessed from a plane extending along the media bearing surface of the substrate. A current-perpendicular-to-plane sensor is located above the substrate, the sensor having a media facing side recessed from the plane extending along the media bearing surface of the substrate. An electrically nonconductive first film is positioned on the media facing sides of the first shield and sensor. A second film is positioned on a media facing side of the first film, the second film comprising a refractory metal.

Apparatus having self-healing current-perpendicular-to-plane read head

A plasma sputtering apparatus according to one embodiment includes a chamber and a reservoir in fluidic communication with the chamber. The reservoir stores a vapor source therein, and is configured to release vapor at a predetermined rate. The vapor released by the reservoir is effective to diminish an etch rate of a first magnetic material, the vapor having a smaller effect on an etch rate of a second magnetic material that is different than the first magnetic material. The apparatus also includes a mount for a substrate and a plasma source.

System and method for differential etching

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a module having a substrate, read and write transducers positioned towards a media facing side of the module, and a closure. The write transducers include write poles having media facing sides with negative, zero or near-zero recession from a plane extending along the media facing side of a substrate of the module. The read transducers each have two shields. Media facing sides of the two shields are recessed a same amount from the plane, and are more recessed from the plane than the write poles.

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a magnetic sensor structure, a magnetic shield having at least one laminate pair comprising a magnetic layer and an electrically nonconductive nonmagnetic layer, and a nonmagnetic spacer layer between the sensor structure and the magnetic shield. In one embodiment, a deposition thickness of the nonconductive nonmagnetic layer in each laminate pair is about 10% or less of a total deposition thickness of the laminate pair. In another embodiment, a deposition thickness of the nonconductive nonmagnetic layer in each laminate pair is between about 1 and about 12 nanometers. In yet another embodiment, the magnetic shield has at least one second laminate pair, and a nonlaminated magnetic portion sandwiched between the at least one laminate pair and the at least one second laminate pair.

Electrically non-conductive magnetic shield laminate structure for contact recording sensor

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a module having both read and write transducers positioned towards a media facing side of the module, wherein the read and write transducers are selected from a group consisting of piggyback read-write transducers, merged read-write transducers, interleaved read and write transducers, and an array of write transducers. The write transducers include write poles having media facing sides with negative, zero or near-zero recession from a plane extending along the media facing side of a substrate of the module. The read transducers each have at least one shield. A media facing side of the at least one shield is more recessed from the plane than the write poles.

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a magnetic sensor structure, a magnetic shield having at least one laminate pair comprising a magnetic layer and an electrically nonconductive nonmagnetic layer, and a nonmagnetic spacer layer between the sensor structure and the magnetic shield. An apparatus according to another embodiment includes a sensor structure and a magnetic shield having a conductive portion and a nonconductive portion, the nonconductive portion having at least one laminate pair comprising a magnetic layer and an electrically nonconductive nonmagnetic layer.

A method according to one embodiment includes placing a substrate in a chamber; and plasma sputtering the substrate in a presence of a non-zero pressure of a vapor, wherein the vapor at the non-zero pressure is effective to diminish an etch rate of a first material of the substrate. A plasma sputtering apparatus according to one embodiment includes a chamber; a reservoir in the chamber for releasing a vapor at an established rate; a mount for a substrate; and a plasma source.

A magnetic head according to one embodiment includes a module, the module having both read and write transducers positioned towards a media facing side of the module, wherein the read and write transducers are selected from a group consisting of piggyback read-write transducers, merged read-write transducers, interleaved read and write transducers, and an array of write transducers flanked by servo read transducers; wherein the write transducers include write poles having media facing sides with negative, zero or near-zero recession from a plane extending along the media facing side of a substrate of the module; wherein the read transducers each have at least one shield, wherein a media facing side of the at least one shield is more recessed from the plane than the write poles.

A structure according to one embodiment includes a substrate having a media facing side; and a thin film stack formed on the substrate, the thin film stack including magnetic films and insulating films, wherein the thin film stack is recessed from a plane extending along the media facing side of the substrate, wherein the magnetic films are recessed more than the insulating films, wherein the magnetic films each have a substantially flat media facing surface, wherein the insulating films each have a substantially flat media facing surface.

Magnetic heads having magnetic films that are more recessed than insulating films, and systems having such heads

A magnetic head produced at low ambient temperatures that comprise a crystalline alumina layer for increasing the durability of the head is provided. According to one embodiment, a magnetic head for at least one of reading and writing data on to a magnetic data storage media. The magnetic head comprises a substrate, an at least partially crystalline alumina layer formed on the substrate, at least one of a write transducer and a read transducer formed on the substrate, and a surface for engaging the magnetic data storage media. In another embodiment, a method for forming an at least partially crystalline alumina film. The method comprises providing a substrate, and depositing alumina onto the substrate at an ambient temperature to form the at least partially crystalline alumina film.

Head comprising a crystalline alumina layer

A read/write head for magnetic tapes configured with an in situ radio frequency (RF) shield is provided. The RF shield of the invention inhibits device elements reading data from reading RF radiation irradiated by other device elements writing data. The RF shield may be situated between the device elements of one module and the device elements of a second module. The dimensions and materials of the RF shield may be selected depending upon the operating frequencies of the head and skin depth of materials comprising the RF shield. The data cable may be bonded to device element pads of a module using ACF bonding. AFC bonding the cable to the module may allow a metal ground plane on the cable to be extended to provide additional RF shielding.

In situ radio frequency shield for a magnetic linear recording media head

A method according to one embodiment includes ion milling at a first angle of greater than about 25 degrees from normal relative to a media facing side of a thin film region of a magnetic head or component thereof for recessing the thin film region at about a constant rate for films of interest of the thin film region, planes of deposition of the films being oriented about perpendicular to the media facing side; and ion milling or plasma sputtering at a second angle of less than about 25 degrees from normal relative to the media facing side of the thin film region for recessing magnetic films therein faster than insulating films therein, the second angle being smaller than the first angle.

Growing community of inventors

El Prado, NM, United States of America

Andrew C Ting