Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

International Business Machines Corporation

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Solopower, Inc.

Howard Gordon Zolla

Wipul Jayasekara

Quang Le

Patrick Rush Webb

James Bernard Kruger

Mustafa Pinarbasi

Richard Hsiao

Robert Fontana

John Thomas Contreras

James Mac Freitag

Kim Yang Lee

Jordan Asher Katine

Chun-Ming Wang

Satoru Araki

Mark Anthony Church

Nian Xiang Sun

Robert Dennis Miller

Son Van Nguyen

David John Seagle

Edward Hin Pong Lee

Stefan Maat

Neil Smith

Yi Zheng

Willi Volksen

Paul Phong Nguyen

Patrick Braganca

Ying Hong

Robert Beach

Tsung Yuan Chen

Hong Xu

Marie-Claire Cyrille

David Patrick Druist

Alfred Floyd Renaldo

Clinton David Snyder

Timothy James Minvielle

Hua Ai Zeng

Phong V Chau

Benjamin Lu Chen Wang

Yongho Ju

Benjamin L Wang

Bulent Mehmet Basol

Tsann Lin

Wen-Chien David Hsiao

Aron Pentek

Neil Leslie Robertson

Murali Ramasubramanian

Petrus Antonius Van Der Heijden

Joey Martin Poss

Jui-lung Li

Alexander Michael Zeltser

Yunfei Ding

Klaas Berend Klaassen

Douglas W Young

Sharat Batra

Hamid Balamane

Michael R Feldbaum

Michael Paul Salo

Joseph Francis Smyth

Wen-yaung Lee

John I Kim

Timothy J Moran

Thomas L Leong

Shawn Marie Collier Hernandez

Hsin-Wei Tseng

Clint D Snyder

Rong Cao

Ramona Marie Patterson

Various illustrative aspects are directed to a data storage device comprising a disk and a read/write head configured to read data from and write data to the disk. The read/write head comprises a write pole tip and a transducer configured near the write pole tip. One or more processing devices are mounted on or near the read/write head and generate an AC current that is applied to the transducer to cause the transducer to generate a high frequency auxiliary field that is applied to the disk. The one or more processing devices may be an RF source IC mounted on or near a slider on which the read/write head is integrated or mounted.

System controlled RF signal source architecture with transducer near pole-tip for microwave assisted magnetic recording

The present disclosure generally relates to a dual free layer (DFL) read head. In one embodiment, a dual free layer (DFL) read head, comprising: a tunnel magneto resistance (TMR) sensor disposed at a media facing surface (MFS); soft bias (SB) side shields disposed adjacent to the TMR sensor at the MFS; and a rear soft bias (RSB) disposed adjacent to the TMR sensor recessed from the MFS. The RSB has a nonmagnetic cap, the nonmagnetic cap comprising: a first nonmagnetic cap layer; and a second nonmagnetic cap layer, wherein an etch selectivity of the first nonmagnetic cap layer to the second nonmagnetic cap layer is a ratio of a:b in a first chemistry and a ratio of x:y in a second chemistry, wherein a is greater than b, and y is greater than x, and the second nonmagnetic cap layer is disposed on the first nonmagnetic cap layer.

Cap layer able to be reactive ion etched for RSB DFL read elements

A two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) disk drive has a gas-bearing slider that includes first and second sensors with a first cross-track spacing electrically coupled to a first magnetic shield, and third and fourth sensors with a different cross-track spacing electrically coupled to a second magnetic shield. The different spacings results in the first and third sensors and the second and fourth sensors having a cross-track spacing to accommodate for the effect of head skew. Each sensor is connected to an associated amplifier by a suspension trace and a common trace connected to its associated shield. Switching circuitry selects either the first and third amplifiers or the second and fourth amplifiers as the active pair depending on the radial location where the data is to be read. Thus the appropriate pair of sensors are aligned with the data tracks despite the presence of high head skew.

Two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) disk drive with multiple sensors and circuitry for selection of an active pair of associated amplifiers

The present invention generally relates to a read head in a magnetic recording head. The read head has side-by-side sensors that are formed of the same width by initially forming a single sensor and then removing selected portions of either the pinned or free magnetic layer of the sensor. Then, insulating material is filled into the area from where the selected portions have been removed. A hardmask may be necessary to properly define the side-by-side sensors to ensure that the selected portions of either the pinned or free magnetic layer are removed. The hardmask may be formed by blanket depositing hardmask material and then selectively removing the hardmask material such that the remaining hardmask material is equal to the width of the side-by-side sensors.

Two side by side MIMO read sensors fabricated by self-aligned processing

A system, according to one embodiment, includes a magnetic head having sensor structures disposed laterally along a cross-track direction, each sensor structure having a free layer, a soft bias layer positioned laterally to each sensor structure, an antiparallel coupling layer above each soft bias layer, a magnetic layer above each antiparallel coupling layer, wherein magnetic moments of the soft bias layer and the magnetic layer are antiparallel coupled, and a stabilizing layer above each magnetic layer for stabilizing a magnetic orientation of the magnetic layer. Moreover, opposing faces of the magnetic layers are positioned apart by a distance that causes each magnetic layer to form a magnetic circuit with the associated free layer and the associated soft bias layer.

MIMO read head with soft bias and split shield

A side-by-side magnetic multi-input multi-output (MIMO) read head is provided. The read head may include a pair of side-by-side MIMO read sensors disposed between a bottom shield, a top shield and between a pair of side shields. The read head may also include a pair of electrical leads, each of which is coupled with one of the MIMO read sensors. The electrical leads extend away from an air bearing surface.

Side-by-side magnetic multi-input multi-output (MIMO) read head

A two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) read head has upper and lower read sensors wherein the lower read sensor has its magnetization biased by side shields of soft magnetic material. The center shield between the lower and upper sensors may be an antiparallel structure (APS) with two ferromagnetic layers separated by an antiparallel coupling (APC) layer. The center shield has a central region and two side regions, but there is no antiferromagnetic (AF) layer in the central region. Instead the two side regions of the upper ferromagnetic layer in the APS are pinned by AF tab layers that are electrically isolated from the upper sensor. The upper ferromagnetic layer and the APC layer in the APS may also be located only in the side regions. The thickness of the center shield can thus be made thinner, which reduces the free layer to free layer spacing.

Current-perpendicular-to-the-plane (CPP) magnetoresistive (MR) sensor structure with multiple stacked sensors and improved center shield

Processes and apparatus are described that form a solar cell absorber on a surface of a workpiece by reacting a precursor layer disposed on the surface of the workpiece with an absorber constituent vapor in a heating chamber. The absorber constituent material is delivered from an absorber constituent material delivery system in molten form into a container in the heating chamber and vaporized to be used during the reaction.

Methods and apparatus to provide group VIA materials to reactors for group IBIIIAVIA film formation

Magnetic recording heads and associated fabrication methods are disclosed. A heat spreader structure in a magnetic recording head includes a seed layer with a heat spreader layer formed on the seed layer. When the heat spreader layer (e.g., Aluminum Nitride) is grown on the seed layer (e.g., NiTa or Alumina), the heat spreader layer forms a well-oriented crystalline structure that allows for a desired thermal conductivity, such as a thermal conductivity greater than about 55 W/m&#x2212;K. As a result of using the seed layer, a material such as Aluminum Nitride can be used for a heat spreader layer to effectively dissipate heat in a magnetic recording head.

Seed layer for a heat spreader in a magnetic recording head

A method and apparatus for oxidizing conductive redeposition in TMR sensors is disclosed. A TMR stack having a first electrode that includes at least a pinned layer and an antiferromagnetic (AFM) layer, a second electrode that includes a free layer and a tunnel barrier is formed. The TMR barrier layer is etched. Redeposition material is oxidized and the barrier is healed using an oxidizing agent selected from the group consisting of ozone and water vapor.

Method and apparatus for oxidizing conductive redeposition in TMR sensors

A method is presented for fabricating a CPP read head having a CPP read head sensor and a hard bias layer which includes forming a strip of sensor material in a sensor material region, and depositing strips of fast-milling dielectric material in first and second fast-milling dielectric material regions adjacent to the sensor material region. A protective layer and a layer of masking material are deposited on the strip of sensor material and the strips of fast-milling dielectric material to provide masked areas and exposed areas. A shaping source, such as an ion milling source, is provided which shapes the exposed areas. Hard bias material is then deposited on the regions of sensor material and fast-milling dielectric material to form caps on each of these regions. The caps of hard bias material and the masking material are then removed from each of these regions.

Method to reduce corner shunting during fabrication of CPP read heads

A method for fabricating a magnetic head with a trapezoidal shaped pole piece tip is described. The body of the main pole piece is deposited; then one or more layers for the pole piece tip are deposited. A bed material is deposited over the pole piece tip material. A void is formed in the bed material over the area for the pole piece tip. The void is filled with an ion-milling resistant material such as alumina preferably using atomic layer deposition or atomic layer chemical vapor deposition. The excess ion-milling resistant material and the bed material are removed. The result is an ion-milling mask formed over the area for the pole piece tip. Ion milling is then used to remove the unmasked material in the pole piece tip layer and to form a beveled pole piece tip and preferably a beveled face on the main pole piece.

Magnetic transducer with milling mask

A method for manufacturing a magnetic write pole and trailing wrap around magnetic shield for use in a perpendicular magnetic data recording system. The method includes the use of a hard mask structure with end point detection material embedded in a hard mask material. The novel hard mask structure provides the mill resistance of a hard mask, with the end point detection advantages of an end point detection layer.

Method of manufacturing a wrap around shield for a perpendicular write pole using a laminated mask with an endpoint detection layer

A write element for use in perpendicular magnetic recording. The write element including a write pole and a self aligned wrap around shield that can have a trailing shield gap thickness that is different from its side shield gap thickness. The materials making up the trailing shield gap and the side shield gaps can be different materials or can be the same material deposited in two different steps. The side or wrap around portions of the trailing shield can extend down to the level of the leading edge of the write pole or can terminate at some point between the levels of the leading and trailing edge to form a partial wrap around trailing shield.

Self aligned wrap around shield for perpendicular magnetic recording

A method for fabricating a magnetic write head with a coil with a high aspect ratio using a Chemical Vapor Deposition process such as Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), High Speed ALD, Plasma Enhanced ALD (PEALD), Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) or Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (LPCVD) to form encapsulating films over the coils without voids is disclosed. Materials which can be used for encapsulation include AlO, SiO, AlN, TaO, HfO, ZrO, and YtO. The use of an ultra-conformal deposition process allows the pitch of the coils to be smaller than it is possible in the prior art. The method also allows materials with a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion than hardbake photoresist to be used with resulting improvements in thermal protrusion characteristics.

Method for using CVD process to encapsulate coil in a magnetic write head

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Howard Gordon Zolla