Storage Technology Corporation

Oracle America, Inc.

Edward Virgil Denison

Carl Anthony Helms

Carl Stephen Arnold

John P Nibarger

Mark Lee Watson

Joseph M Schmalhorst

Jing He

Steven Gregory Trabert

Mark Hennecken

Kevin Dale McKinstry

April Lynn Alstrin

Herman C Kluge

Stein Klevdal

A linear tape drive system includes a tape having a path direction, a data track having data transitions at an azimuthal orientation relative to the path direction, and a servo track having servo positioning transitions. A linear tape drive module is configured to read and/or write to the data track at the azimuthal orientation and read the servo positioning transitions.

Linear tape drive module for a linear tape drive system

A magneto-resistive sensor head and a method of manufacturing the magneto-resistive sensor head. The magneto-resistive sensor head includes a first lead and a second lead. A magneto-resistive layer and a biasing layer are disposed between the first lead and the second lead. A grating is disposed in the magneto-resistive layer. The topography of the biasing layer is unaffected by the presence of the grating.

Top formed grating stabilizer

A method and system are provided for implementing discrete step stabilization of AMR read sensors in tape or disk drives. In one implementation, a plurality of discrete step stabilizers and AMR read sensor elements are arranged with a rotational symmetry coupled with a plane inversion for an odd number of steps, and no inversion for an even number of steps. Preferably, the steps are oriented at 45 degrees, or approximately parallel to the desired bias direction. For relatively narrow track widths (e.g., approximately 5 microns), the edges of the sensor element nearest the permanent magnets are especially important to stabilize. Therefore, in one implementation, an edge of a stabilizer preferably intersects the edge of the sensor element at one half of the stripe height. Also, the rising and falling edges of the stabilizers do not always have the same slope. In order to compensate for the different slopes of a stabilizer's edges, the rising and falling edges of a stabilizer's pattern are interchanged by a 'stabilizer phase' transformation to produce the complement (phase conjugate) of the stabilizer pattern. As such, if a single rising edge of a stabilizer pattern intersects the center of a sensor element, the 'stabilizer phase' transformation changes this structure to a single falling edge that intersects the center of the sensor element.

Discrete step stabilization of narrow-track AMR read sensors

A dual-stripe element magnetroresistive read head for reading information from a magnetic tape. The read head includes a first insulating layer, a first active magnetoresistive layer formed on the first insulating layer, a second insulating layer formed on the first active magnetoresistive layer, a second active magnetoresistive layer formed on the second insulating layer, and a third insulating layer formed on the second active magnetoresistive layer. The second active magnetoresistive layer is magnetostatically coupled to the first active magnetoresistive layer. A periodic structure is formed on a surface of the first insulator layer. As the remaining layers are formed on the first insulating layer, the periodic structure is replicated throughout the read head. Thus, the periodic structure formed on the first insulator layer stabilizes both the first and second active layers via magnetic domain pinning for both layers along the edges of the periodic structure.

Method and system for providing a dual-stripe magnetoresistive element having periodic structure stabilization

A magnetoresistive read head having a corrugated magnetoresistive layer wherein the corrugated section does not encroach on magnetic elements on either end of the magnetoresistive layer. The corrugations in the magnetoresistive layer stabilize the magnetization in the center region of the read head, while the magnetic elements stabilize the magnetization at the ends. By separating the two stabilization methods, unfavorable interactions between them is reduced.

Non-penetration of periodic structure to PM

An apparatus and method for step-stabilization of giant magnetoresistive (GMR) based read heads are provided. With the apparatus and method, gratings or periodic structures are generated in the underlayer of the magnetoresistive (MR) sensor stack and the edges, or 'steps', in these structures are the magnetically active features. These 'steps' are oriented approximately parallel to the desired bias direction and provide a restoring force towards the bias direction for any perturbations, whether intrinsic or extrinsic. In the case of a GMR sensor, where the easy axis is parallel to the permanent magnet set direction, these stabilizer steps are oriented parallel to the magnetization direction of the permanent magnets.

Apparatus and method for step-stabilization of GMR-based read sensors

A head includes first and second read modules. The first module has an MR element formed on a wafer having a grating directed along a first direction. The magnetization of the first module element is directed along the first direction. The first module element is biased with a first current directed along a direction such that magnetically stable operation of the element results, that is along an opposite second direction. The second module has an element formed on a wafer having a grating directed along the first direction. The second module is flipped respect to the first module such that the grating is directed along the second direction. The magnetization of the second module element is directed along the second direction. The second module element is biased with a second current directed along the direction opposite to the first current, i.e., the second current is directed along the first direction.

Magnetic recording head having modules with opposing read elements and opposing periodic structures

A thin film magnetic head having one or more magneto-resistive (MR) elements. A thermally conductive stud is incorporated in an underlayer of the head, below the bottom shield of the MR element. This stud acts as a heat sink, and enhances the heat flow from the bottom shield to the substrate to thereby reduce thermal contact noise in the device, as well as allowing use of higher bias currents when reading signals from the media.

Thin film magnetic head having improved thermal characteristics, and method of manufacturing

A servo track write head writes low frequency transitions for fine transverse positioning and high frequency fields providing additional information. The servo track write head includes a first write gap with at least one gap section at a first angle relative to a tape direction. A second write gap has at least one gap section at a second angle, not equal to the first angle. The first and second write gaps write low frequency transitions in each servo frame. A third write gap writes high frequency transitions in each servo frame.

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Erie, CO, United States of America

Edward Virgil Denison