Seagate Technology Incorporated

Jeffery K Berkowitz

Dallas W Meyer

Peter Raymond Segar

Song Sheng Xue

Wayne Allen Bonin

Hans L Leuthold

Nurul Amin

Patrick Joseph Ryan

John Robert Pendray

Andrew D White

Bradley Jay Ver Meer

Roger L Hipwell

Steven Kalderon

Sanghamitra Sahu

Bal K Gupta

Edward M Simpson

Zine-Eddine Boutaghou

Jing Gui

Bruno Jean Marchon

Lance Eugene Stover

Ramesh Sundaram

Joel William Hoehn

Daniel Paul Burbank

Huan H Tang

Michael B Hintz

John L Brand

Mary Cynthia Hipwell

Andreas Argyros Polycarpou

Shanlin X Hao

Dale E Egbert

Steven B Slade

David Gerard Wobbe

Subrahmanyan Nagarajan

Alan Biggar Johnston

Peter R Goglia

Jane Katherine Gates

Alan B Johnston

A micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) disc drive includes high-precision and integrated components to allow for increased functionality, robustness and reduced size as compared to currently produced disc drives. Integrating multiple subcomponents of the disc drive using batch processing provides low manufacturing costs. Furthermore, using MEMS techniques, new features can be added to disc drives. For example, an environmental control component, an accelerometer and/or a thermometer may be integrated into the housing of the disc drive.

MEMS disc drive

In general, the invention is directed to techniques for integrated interconnects with a set of disc drives. The interconnects allow for a set of disc drives to be positioned in an array; for example, as set of disc drives may be stacked to communicate with a device through a single interface of the device. The interconnects may be formed as vias within the housing of the disc drives. Vias may produced using MEMS techniques, e.g., electroplating, as part of the manufacturing processes of the disc drive itself.

Interconnect architecture for disc drive array

The present invention is a method of using direct head electrical response signals for feedback process control. When lapping the air bearing surface of a bar of sliders, a magnetic field is applied to the air bearing surface and a bias current is applied to the reader elements. A head electrical response, such as amplitude or resistance change, is measured and is used to control the lapping device. Using a fixture which allows individual slider machining, a controller can be used to monitor the head response signal for each slider on the bar and individually control each slider on the bar so that material removal over each slider proceeds until a predetermined target stripe height is reached.

Head performance based nano-machining process control for stripe forming of advanced sliders

A method for producing magnetoresistive heads includes the steps of placing a substrate having a plurality of transducers in an environment including a focused ion beam. The focused ion beam is directed onto the first MR element. A property level, generally the resistance associated with the MR stripe, of the first MR element is monitored until the resistance reaches a desired level. The focused ion beam is redirected onto a second area of the substrate which includes the second MR element. The electrical resistance of the second MR element is monitored as the focused ion beam acts on the second MR element until the resistance of the MR element reaches a desired level. Using this process, the resistivity of individual MR elements within the substrate can be tightly controlled.

Method for producing magnetoresistive heads ion bombardment etch to stripe height

Techniques are disclosed for improving the tribology between an air bearing surface of a magnetic recording head and a magnetic recording medium. In addition, techniques are described for reducing resistance to wear and corrosion of the air bearing surface of the recording head as well as resistance to corrosion of the recording medium. Various ion beam techniques can be used to enhance the properties of the recording head and recording medium, and include ion implant techniques, ion mixing techniques and ion burnishing techniques.

Ion beam treatments for magnetic recording heads and magnetic recording media

A slider includes a magnetic head having first and second magnetic poles separated by a gap. A recess in the air-bearing surface extends into at least the first magnetic pole and has a first portion having a length parallel to the gap length to define a gap width orthogonal to the gap length. The first portion of the recess has a curved depth defining a curved profile along its length. In one embodiment, the recess has a second portion having a length orthogonal to the gap length and a depth defining a curved profile along its length.

Curved trim profile for ABS trimmed inductive heads

Ion treatments for magnetic recording heads and magnetic recording media

A disc storage system includes a rotating disc and a transducer. The transducer is carried on a slider which is supported by an armature. The armature is used to move the slider radially across the disc surface whereby information may be read from or written to the disc surface of the transducer. The slider includes an air bearing surface which faces the disc surface. As the disc rotates, the air bearing surface causes the slider to &ldquo;fly&rdquo; over the disc surface. Pads are provided on the air bearing surface to improve operational characteristics of the system.

Slider having air bearing surface which includes pads for disk storage system

A magnetoresistive element has a height that extends from the air-bearing surface of a head. The height is determined by a slot in the head extending from the air-bearing surface adjacent the sensor portion at an acute angle to both the air bearing surface and the height of the magnetoresistive element to separate the magnetoresistive element into the sensor portion and a dormant portion. Alternatively, the height is determined by a recess of design depth in the magnetoresistive element at the air bearing surface. Alternatively, the height of the magnetoresistive element is determined by a stepped thickness to the first and second bias current carrying contacts along the height of the magnetoresistive element.

Shaped magnetoresistive readers

Growing community of inventors

Carver, MN, United States of America

Jeffery K Berkowitz