Western Digital (fremont), Inc.

Read-rite Corportion

Joyce Hsiang

Kevin K Lin

Lijun Tong

Zi-Wen Dong

Song Pang

Yirong Hu

The present invention provides a magnetic write element for use in a magnetic data recording system such as a disk drive. The invention provides a method of manufacturing a well defined coil, which avoids the problem of shallow wall angle problems exhibited by prior art methods due to coil mask shrinkage during high temperature bake. A series of trenches are provided in the coil mask, the trenches being shallower than the coil pattern, and not extending completely through the coil pattern. During the high temperature baking process shrinkage of the coil mask will be absorbed by the trenches and not transferred to the coil pattern, preventing deformation of the coil wall portion of the mask.

Method for manufacturing a magnetic write element

In at least one embodiment, the apparatus of the invention is a read sensor comprising a shield, a sensor element, an extra shield between the shield and the sensor element, an extra gap between the shield and the sensor and adjacent the extra shield, and a gap layer between the sensor element and the extra shield. The sensor element is positioned in a sensor layer. With the extra shield adjacent to the sensor element and separated by only the relatively thin gap layer, high areal recording density and excellent instability of the sensor element is obtained. At the same time, by fabricating the extra shield to be not significantly wider than the sensor element, the potential for shorting is minimized by placing both the gap and the thicker extra gap between the sensor lead elements and the shield. In at least one embodiment, the method of the invention is for fabricating a read sensor and comprises depositing an extra gap layer onto a shield, removing a portion of the extra gap layer to form a cavity, depositing an extra shield into the cavity, planarizing the extra gap and the extra shield, depositing a gap layer onto the extra gap and the extra shield, and depositing a sensor element onto the gap layer and adjacent to the extra shield.

Data storage and retrieval apparatus with thin film read head having planarized extra gap and shield layers and method of fabrication thereof

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San Ramon, CA, United States of America

Joyce Hsiang