Quantum Corporation

Maxtor Corporation

Lawrence G Neumann

Vijay K Basra

Andrew L Wu

Jeffrey G Greiman

Turguy Goker

Scott M Rockwell

Clark M Janssen

William A Buchan

Joe Kent Jurneke

Robert A Johnson

James R Remby

A tape library having a robot zone and a robot on the robot zone, movable in the robot zone of the tape rack in at least a first direction and a second direction. A tape drive, which has an opening to receive cartridges, is positioned so that the robot nears the tape drive when the robot moves in a second direction. A width of the tape drive is wider than a width of the robot zone. This tape drive design is called the 'Sideways Format Path for 19&#x2033; Rack Libraries.' It is achieved by using unique dimensions for a new tape drive that uses blind spaces existing in tape libraries unreachable by the robot to provide a bigger space to design longer tape paths, resulting in higher cartridge density with longer tape path without requiring bigger overall library dimensions for a library of tape cartridges.

Large form factor extended tape path magnetic tape storage device

A tape architecture and a head architecture for a linear tape drive having a reduced actuator stroke is disclosed. In one embodiment, the linear tape drive head assembly includes a top portion having a plurality of write elements and no read elements at a first side and a plurality of read elements and no write elements at a second side opposite of the first side, and a bottom portion laterally offset from the top portion having a plurality of read elements and no write elements at the aforementioned first side and a plurality of write elements and no read elements at the aforementioned second side. The tape is recorded with all the data tracks within each logical band oriented in the same direction.

Tape architecture and a head architecture for a linear tape drive having a reduced actuator stroke

Aspects include readers for magnetic storage media. Each reader is operable to read multiple tracks from the storage media simultaneously by using a plurality of active regions, each active region for reading a different track. The active regions may be disposed in rows of columns, and between rows, each active region in a row may be separated from other active regions in that row to prevent interference between those active regions. Active regions of different rows may be offset from each other such that no active region overlaps with another active region over the same data track. Active regions may share shielding and/or sense current conductors. Active regions may comprise AMR, CIP GMR, CPP GMR, including spin valve and tunneling varieties of flux sensors. Multiple active regions in a row may be defined from a single MR element by spaced apart voltage tabs. Readers may be integrally fabricated in layers.

Adjacent track readers

Tape heads and controllers for controlling such heads in a tape drive are described. A controller may determine a first parameter corresponding to the similarity between data read by a first pair of read elements of a head, a second parameter corresponding to the similarity between data read by another pair of read elements having one read element in common with the first pair, and a position of the head with respect to a data track based upon a relationship between the first and second parameters. The controller may adjust the head to a proper lateral position based upon the determined position.

Correlation servo for positioning recording head

A thin film head for use in a tape drive includes a read portion, a write portion, and a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) element disposed in the read portion. The read and write portions have a tape bearing surface. A sensing surface of the GMR element is recessed from the tape bearing surface as a result of a lapping process and coated with a material.

Thin film recording head with a localized coating to protect against corrosion and electrostatic discharge

A castellation technique for improved lift-off of deposited thin film on photoresist in thin-film device processing of particular utility in the production of magnetic data transducers and recording heads. By correctly designing the edge boundary of a photoresist structure, enhanced regions of low resist edge bombardment and low deposit penetration may be achieved. These enhanced regions enable the lift-off of extra thick deposited regions that would not be otherwise achievable through the use of conventional techniques with and without castellation.

Castellation technique for improved lift-off of photoresist in thin-film device processing and a thin-film device made thereby

A recording head pole production process, and a pole made by the process, in which a combination of wet and dry etching steps are utilized to advantageously provide an undercut in the relatively high magnetic moment material beneath a photoresist area used to define the pole such that any re-deposited layer of material which occurs on the sides of the pole and photoresist area during the dry etching operation is advantageously rendered substantially discontinuous, or weakly linked, and the re-deposited material remaining on the pole itself following a photoresist strip can then be removed by being subjected to a stream of gaseous particles and ultimately carried away by the accompanying gas stream itself. In a particular embodiment disclosed herein the relatively high magnetic moment material may comprise a sputter deposited layer of cobalt-zirconium-tantalum (CoZrTa), iron-aluminum-nitride (FeAlN), iron-tantalum-nitride (FeTaN), iron-nitride (FeN) or similar materials. The stream of gaseous particles may be formed utilizing the expansion of a gaseous material, such as liquid carbon dioxide (CO ), through a nozzle directed at the re-deposited material remaining on the pole following the photoresist strip operation.

Process for producing magnetic head poles utilizing sputtered materials and a recording head made thereby

Process for producing magnetic recording head poles utilizing sputtered materials and a recording head made thereby

A multi-step stud design and method for fabricating the same of special utility for producing closely packed interconnects in magnetic recording heads, particularly higher density magnetoresistive and giant magnetoresistive tape heads. The multi-step stud fabrication process and structure enables the achievement of significantly higher interconnect densities resulting in an increased number of channels per millimeter on a single computer mass storage device recording head. A resultant stronger encapsulation surrounding the stud further provides increased channel reliability. The improved uniformity of the photoresist aperture achieved for each step in the stud structure, and lower current spreading resistance because of the wider underlying stud base size, increases stud uniformity resulting in improved stud yields. This increased yield compared with conventional single step stud processes reduces cost, even with the additional photolithography and plating processes involved.

Multi-step stud design and method for producing closely packed interconnects in magnetic recording heads

A data transducer, process for fabricating the same and method for writing data to a magnetic storage media, such as magnetic tape, utilizing the bottom (or lower) pole as the trailing edge of a write head. This lower trailing edge pole may be formed of sputtered material such as FeN or FeN-based alloys (which are particularly sensitive to the topography over which they are deposited) since it can be formed on the substantially planar substrate instead of overlying the write coil and its associated insulation layers. Moreover, the bottom pole can be processed using faster and less expensive wet-etching techniques because its width and edge-contours are not critical dimensions which determine recording characteristics. Utilizing the relatively wider and more planar bottom pole as the trailing edge of the write head results in a straighter magnetic transition on the media without the curved edges associated with the fringe fields at the edges of the narrower top pole.

Growing community of inventors

Lancaster, MA, United States of America

Lawrence G Neumann