Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Kazuhito Miyata

Nobuto Yasui

Shinji Sasaki

Mineaki Kodama

Tetsuya Matsusaki

Harukazu Miyamoto

Cherngye Hwang

Katsuro Watanabe

Hiroyuki Hoshiya

Hiroshi Inaba

Takateru Seki

Atsuko Okawa

Kentaro Namikawa

Tomomitsu Inoue

Eduardo Torres Mireles

Dorcas Gazelle Lagasca Flavier

Marlon Estrella Tecson

Takefumi Kubota

In one embodiment, a method includes forming a structure having a first region including a ceramic material, a second region including a plurality of particles disposed in a ceramic matrix material, and a magnetic head assembly disposed in the first region. The method also includes directing a first ion beam at a side of the first and second regions of the structure, the first ion beam including an oxidizing species to oxidize one or more portions of the particles located near the side of the second region, where the one or more oxidized portions of the particles protrude from the side of the ceramic matrix material of the second region. The method further includes directing a second ion beam at the side of the first and second regions of the structure, the second ion beam including an inert species to recess the first and second regions.

Surface treatment of magnetic recording heads for improving the robustness thereof

A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) air-bearing slider has an optically-transparent protective film over the near-field transducer (NFT) to protect the NFT from excessive heat caused by the accumulation of carbonaceous material on the slider's overcoat. The NFT is thus separated from the overcoat by the protective film. The protective film does not cover the write pole end, which is covered only by the overcoat, so there is no spacing loss between the write pole end and the recording layer on the disk. In one embodiment the protective film is coplanar with the recording-layer-facing surface of the slider and the overcoat covers both the protective film and the write pole end. In another embodiment the overcoat has a window that surrounds the protective film, with the protective film being substantially coplanar with the air-bearing surface (ABS) of the slider. In both embodiments the smooth topography of the slider's ABS is maintained.

Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) write head with recessed near-field transducer and optically transparent protective film

A magnetic head suitable for high-density recording is provided at a high yield by a method that suppresses a reduction in reproducing output signal due to ion-beam irradiation. After an air-bearing surface of a read element, a magnetic-head element, or a row bar is mechanically polished, the air-bearing surface is irradiated with an ion beam, such that an orthographic projection of an ion-beam incidence direction onto the air-bearing surface forms an in-plane incidence angle of 30 degrees to 150 degrees or of 210 degrees to 330 degrees with respect to a track-width direction. Thereby, the formation of a short circuit due to ion-beam irradiation may be hindered.

Method of manufacturing a magnetic head

In one embodiment of the present invention, a method of producing a magnetic head slider comprises the steps of forming, on the air bearing surface of the slider, an air bearing surface overcoat, removing the surface region from a hard amorphous carbon film by the irradiation with an ion beam which is tilted with respect to a normal to the air bearing surface, and forming a rail in the air bearing surface on which the air bearing surface overcoat has been formed. A high density and covering performance are obtained when the angle of irradiating the ion beam is not smaller than about 60 degrees from a normal to the air bearing surface of the magnetic head slider and when the acceleration voltage for the ion beam is not higher than about 300 V in the step of removing part of the air bearing surface overcoat.

Method of producing a magnetic head slider

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of fabricating a magnetic head slider realizing high-recording density at high-yields by preventing formation of a short circuit on the air-bearing surface of a magnetic head slider and preventing formation of an oxidized layer with significant film thickness which increases the effective magnetic spacing, on the air-bearing surface of the magnetic head slider. According to one embodiment, after air-bearing surface mechanical lapping of a row bar or a magnetic head slider, cleaning is performed by ion beam bombardment to remove a conductive smear. Oxygen exposure is performed to recover a damaged region which was formed by ion beam bombardment at the end face of an intermediate layer of a magnetoresistive film. Thereafter, air-bearing surface protection films are formed and followed by rail formation. If the processes are performed on the row bar, the row bar is cut into individual separated magnetic head sliders.

Method for fabricating magnetic head slider

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Kazuhito Miyata