Western Digital (fremont), Inc.

Read Rite Corporation

Applied Materials, Inc.

Glimmerglass Networks, Inc.

Kla Corporation

James Spallas

Ronald A Barr

Kenneth E Knapp

Benjamin P Law

Lawrence Muray

Matthew R Gibbons

Lien-Chang Wang

Ming Zhao

Bryan P Staker

Andres Fernandez

Alan D Brodie

David Trost

Stuart L Friedman

Tai-Hon Philip Chang

John Gerling

Ho-Seob Kim

Marcel Trimpl

A segmented detector device with backside illumination. The detector is able to collect and differentiate between secondary electrons and backscatter electrons. The detector includes a through-hole for passage of a primary electron beam. After hitting a sample, the reflected secondary and backscatter electrons are collected via a vertical structure having a P+/P&#x2212;/N+ or an N+/N&#x2212;/P+ composition for full depletion through the thickness of the device. The active area of the device is segmented using field isolation insulators located on the front side of the device.

Segmented multi-channel, backside illuminated, solid state detector with a through-hole for detecting secondary and backscattered electrons

Methods are provided for forming current perpendicular to the plane thin film read heads. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of forming a lower sensor lead, forming a lower sensor lead cladding of a low sputter yield material on the lower sensor lead, forming a sensor element on the lower sensor lead cladding, and forming an upper sensor lead coupled to the sensor element. The low sputter yield material helps to reduce redeposition of the lower sensor lead material onto side walls of the sensor element as the sensor element is being formed.

Methods for fabricating redeposition free thin film CPP read sensors

The present invention provides an improved current perpendicular to the plane thin film read head device and method of fabrication. With the present invention, the lower lead is formed to inhibit accumulation of redeposited lead material on CPP sensor element side walls during CPP sensor formation. In the preferred embodiment, the upper portion of the lower lead, which normally is etched during sensor element formation, is formed of a low sputter yield material to reduce redeposition flux to the sensor side walls. It is also preferred to form the upper portion of a material that also has a low value for the ratio of its sputter yield at the lead milling angle-to-its sputter yield at the side wall milling angle to inhibit redeposition accumulation on the side wall. It is preferred to clad conventional lead material with a low sputter yield ratio, low resistivity material, to inhibit side wall redeposition accumulation while also providing a low resistance lower lead. The underlying lead material may be formed of conventional low resistance lead materials with a cladding of a refractory metal, such as tantalum, titanium, tungsten, molybdenum, zirconium, vanadium, niobium, their alloys, or the like. The improved CPP read head of the present invention may be embodied in a data storage and retrieval apparatus.

Structure and method for redeposition free thin film CPP read sensor fabrication

A MEMS device having a fixed element and a movable element wherein one or the other of the fixed element and the movable element has at least one radially-extended stop or overdeflection limiter. A fixed overlayer plate forms an aperture. The aperture is sized to minimize vignetting and may be beveled on the margin. Overdeflection limitation occurs during deflection before the movable element can impinge on an underlying electrode. The overdeflection limiter may be conveniently placed adjacent a gimbaled hinge.

MEMS structure with mechanical overdeflection limiter

The present invention provides an improved bias magnet-to-magnetoresistive element interface and method of fabrication. In a preferred embodiment, the wall/walls of an MR element opposing a bias layer are formed by over etching to provide vertical side walls without taper. In the preferred embodiment, a protective element is formed over the MR element to protect it during etch processes. In some embodiments, a filler layer is deposited prior to bias layer formation. In CIP embodiments, any portion of the filler layer forming on vertical side walls of the MR element is etched to provide an exposed side wall surface for contiguous bias layer formation. In CPP embodiments, the filler layer forms on a vertical back wall and electrically insulates the MR element from the bias layer. In CIP and CPP embodiments, tapered portions of the bias material, which form overhanging the MR element, are removed by directional etching to improve the direction and stability of the induced longitudinal field within the MR element. In some CIP embodiments, tapered overhang removal allows for formation of improved lead structures, which may be deposited on the MR element closer to the side walls, and which are not pinched off by the overhang of an underlying bias layer, thus improving current density profile and definition of the actual effective track width of the device.

Thin film read head structure with improved bias magnet-to-magnetoresistive element interface and method of fabrication

An electron multiplier having an access for allowing a beam to pass is presented. The electron multiplier collects particles traveling back along the beam and is capable of collecting the particles arbitrarily close to the beam. The electron multiplier includes at least two plates having secondary electron emitting surfaces, the at least two plates being separated by a small distance. The electron multiplier has a beam access through the at least two plates. Particles enter the electron multiplier in a direction opposite that of propagation of the beam and impact a secondary electron emitting surface, thereby being captured between the top plate and the bottom plate. In some embodiments of the invention, the electron multiplier is segmented so that azimuthal distributions of the particles can be determined. In some embodiments, the electron multiplier includes a stack of electron emitting surfaces arranged so that an angular distribution of the particles can be determined.

Parallel plate electron multiplier

Disclosed is a positioning stage for precisely positioning an object within a limited range of travel (e.g. 100 &mgr;m). By way of example, the stage can be used to position an electron source such as a field emitter in an electron beam microcolumn. The stage includes a block which defines a channel to allow flexure along a first axis. The block also defines another channel to allow flexure along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. Using actuators in the channels to flex a portion of the block, the object supported by the block can be precisely positioned to a desired location in a horizontal plane defined by the first and second axes.

High precision flexure stage

Growing community of inventors

Dublin, CA, United States of America

James Spallas