Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Japan, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Plant Engineering Construction Co., Ltd.

Babcock-hitachi K.k.

Nobuo Yoshida

Katsuro Watanabe

Moriaki Fuyama

Masato Shiimoto

Hideki Mashima

Hiroshi Fukui

Kimitoshi Etoh

Kazue Kudo

Kenichi Meguro

Masashi Hattori

Shigekazu Ohtomo

Kan Yasui

Kazuhiro Nakamoto

Taku Shintani

Hisashi Kimura

Yoshiaki Kawato

Mikito Sugiyama

Takashi Kawabe

Makoto Morijiri

Hiroyuki Katada

Hisako Takei

Tsutomu Yasuda

Satoru Okamoto

Kenji Sugiura

Hiroyuki Hoshiya

Yasuyuki Okada

Isao Nunokawa

Kouichi Nishioka

Gen Oikawa

Takahiro Ibusuki

Noriyuki Saiki

Takashi Wagatsuma

Ichiro Oodake

Yuta Udo

Kenichi Akita

Shuuichi Kojima

Iwata Norihiro

Hiromasa Takahashi

Tomohiro Saito

Yohji Maruyama

Yo Sato

Takayoshi Ohtsu

Atsushi Kato

Kazuhiko Hosomi

Kikuo Kusukawa

Hiroyuki Takazawa

Kaori Suzuki

Toshio Sawa

Kazuo Koide

Takeshi Nakagawa

Shigeoki Nishimura

Kouji Kataoka

Jun Aoyama

Norihiro Okawa

Tsukasa Nishimura

Koji Okazaki

Masahiro Osugi

Seiichi Kikkawa

Kouji Otani

Ikuo Shimokobe

Tutomu Yasuda

Masahiro Ousugi

Toyoshige Noridomi

Norihiro Iwata

Kosaku Otsubo

In one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a lower magnetic shield layer positioned at a media-facing surface, a pinned layer positioned above the lower magnetic shield layer at the media-facing surface, at least two MR elements extending in an element height direction by a first length positioned above the pinned layer and separated in a cross-track direction by an inner layer, bias layers extending in the element height direction by a second length positioned on outside edges of the MR elements and the pinned layer, and current paths positioned above and in electrical communication with the bias layers on either side of the inner layer, each current path extending in the element height direction away from the media-facing surface by a third length.

Multi-sensor reader structure having a current path with increased size to reduce noise

In one embodiment, a magnetic recording head includes: a main pole configured to generate a magnetic field for recording data on a magnetic recording medium; an oscillation device positioned above the main pole in a track direction, the oscillation device being configured to generate a high-frequency magnetic field; a magnetic capping layer positioned above the oscillation device in the track direction, the magnetic layer having a front region at a media facing side (MFS) of the magnetic recording head and a rear region positioned behind the front region in an element height direction, wherein a thickness of the front region of the magnetic capping layer is less than a thickness of the rear region thereof; and a trailing shield positioned above the magnetic capping layer in the track direction.

Magnetic capping layer structure for a spin torque oscillator

The embodiments disclosed generally relate to a magnetic recording head having three magnetoresistive effect elements. The structure comprises a first magnetoresistive effect element on a lower magnetic shield layer. Additionally, two lower electrodes are disposed on the two sides of the first magnetoresistive effect element. A second magnetoresistive effect element is disposed on a lower electrode while a third magnetoresistive effect element on another lower electrode. An upper magnetic shield layer is disposed between the second magnetoresistive effect element and the third magnetoresistive effect element. The upper magnetic shield also serves as an electrode of the first magnetoresistive effect element.

Zig-zag MIMO head reducing space between three sensors

According to one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a lower magnetic shield positioned at a media facing surface of the head, a lower sensor positioned above the lower magnetic shield, the lower sensor including a lower free layer, a middle magnetic shield positioned above the lower sensor at the media facing surface of the head, and a back side antiferromagnetic (AFM) layer positioned behind the lower free layer in an element height direction, the back side AFM layer being configured to provide magnetic stabilization for the middle magnetic shield. In another embodiment, a method includes forming a lower sensor including a lower free layer, forming a back side AFM layer behind the lower free layer in an element height direction, and forming a middle magnetic shield above the lower sensor, wherein the back side AFM layer is configured to provide magnetic stabilization for the middle magnetic shield.

Multi-sensor (MIMO) head having a back side antiferromagnetic middle shield

According to one embodiment, a CPP structure magnetoresistive head includes a magnetoresistive sensor film between a lower shield layer and an upper shield layer and a longitudinal biasing layer disposed at each side of the magnetoresistive sensor film via a read track width defining insulator film. In the stripe height direction, the length of the longitudinal biasing layer is longer than the length of a second ferromagnetic layer in which its magnetization rotates in response to the external magnetic field. The second ferromagnetic layer is one of the layers comprising the magnetoresistive sensor film. At a stripe height, the surface of each longitudinal biasing layer has a step to change the thickness thereof across the step so that the air bearing surface section thereof has a larger thickness than any other section. Other structures using a magnetoresistive head and methods of production thereof are described as well.

Magnetoresistive head with a CPP structure having suppressed side reading

The embodiments disclosed generally relate to a read head sensor in a magnetic recording head. The read head sensor comprises side shields in addition to the upper and lower shields. The upper shield sensor is a multilayer structure with antiferromagnetic coupling. The side shield is a multilayer structure whereby a lower magnetic layer is separated from an upper magnetic layer. The upper magnetic layer is ferromagnetically coupled to a bottom layer of the upper shield. The bias direction of the read head sensor is antiparallel to the bottom layer of the upper shield.

AF-coupled dual side shield reader with AF-coupled USL

A two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) multi-sensor read head has three stacked sensors separated by magnetic shields. The lower sensor is the primary sensor that is always aligned with the target track. The middle sensor is spaced laterally from the lower sensor a distance substantially equal to the track pitch (TP). The upper sensor is aligned with the lower sensor. The spacing D between the lower and upper sensors is selected to be related to TP and a maximum skew angle, where the skew angle is the angle between a line orthogonal to the sensor and the data track that varies with radial position of the head. The read head is connected to circuitry that selects two of the three sensors to be the active sensors depending on the radial position of the head and thus the skew angle of the head.

Current-perpendicular-to-the-plane (CPP) magnetoresistive (MR) sensor structure with stacked sensors for minimization of the effect of head skew

In one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a lower shield, a magnetoresistive (MR) film positioned above the lower shield, the MR film including a pinned layer, an intermediate layer positioned above the pinned layer, and a free layer positioned above the intermediate layer, the free layer being configured for sensing data on a magnetic medium, wherein a track width of the MR film is defined by a width of the free layer in a cross-track direction, a bias layer positioned on both sides of the MR film in the cross-track direction, a track insulating film positioned on both sides of the MR film in the cross-track direction and between the MR film and the bias layer, and an upper shield positioned above the bias layer and the MR film, wherein a length of the free layer in an element height direction perpendicular to an air bearing surface of the magnetic head is less than a length of the pinned layer in the element height direction.

Magnetic head having a long throat height pinned layer with a short height hard bias layer

In one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a lower shield layer positioned at a media-facing surface of the magnetic head, at least two magnetoresistive (MR) elements positioned above the lower shield layer, each MR element extending in an element height direction away from the media-facing surface of the magnetic head, back wiring layers positioned above at least one lower layer of each of the MR elements at a position away from the media-facing surface of the magnetic head in the element height direction, wherein the back wiring layers are configured to electrically communicate with the MR elements and configured to separately extract signals from each MR element during a read operation, and an upper shield layer positioned above the MR elements that is configured to electrically communicate with the MR elements.

Multi-read sensor having a narrow read gap structure

The strength of a magnetic field applied from a main pole to an oscillator and the strength of a magnetic field applied from the main pole to a recording medium are improved in a magnetic recording head for microwave assisted recording. In the magnetic recording head according to the present invention, an interval between the main pole and a trailing shield at a place in a position above an air bearing surface is larger than an interval between the main pole and the trailing shield on the air bearing surface.

Magnetic recording head and magnetic recording apparatus

A magnetic sensor having reduced read gap thickness, reduced signal noise and improved signal to noise ratio. The sensor includes a sensor stack and hard bias structures formed at either side of the sensor stack for biasing the free layer of the sensor. A protective layer is formed over a portion of the hard bias structure, however a portion of the hard bias structure extends upward toward the upper shield and is disposed between the protective layer and the sensor stack as a result of the process used to form the magnetic bias structure. This portion of the hard bias structure that extends toward the upper shield has a reduced magnetization relative to the rest of the hard bias structure so that it will not magnetically couple with the upper shield.

Read sensor having a structure for reducing magnetic coupling between a magnetic bias layer and an upper magnetic shield

According to one embodiment, a magnetoresistive effect head includes a lower magnetic shield provided on a substrate, a magnetoresistive effect film laminated from a pinned layer with a pinned direction of magnetization, an intermediate layer, a free layer having a varying direction of magnetization controlled by an applied external magnetic field, a magnetic domain control layer formed with an intervening insulation layer on both sides in a track width direction of the magnetoresistive effect film, an upper magnetic shield, and electrodes for directing sense current flow in a direction perpendicular to a film surface of the magnetoresistive effect film, wherein a magnetic field applied by the magnetic domain control layer to a region away from an ABS of the free layer is at least 1.4 times larger than a magnetic field applied by the magnetic domain control layer to a region near the ABS of the free layer.

Magnetoresistive effect head having a free layer and a magnetic domain control layer that applies a magnetic field more strongly in an upper part of the free layer

Minute elements are formed while a photo deviation is suppressed between a spin torque oscillator and a main pole and damage is prevented on the ends of the spin torque oscillator in microwave-assisted recording. A magnetic recording head used for microwave-assisted recording includes: a main pole; a spin torque oscillator that is disposed on the main pole and includes a magnetization high-speed rotation layer for rotating magnetization at a high speed by a spin torque; a protective film that is disposed in the track width direction of the spin torque oscillator; an insulating film formed over the wall surfaces of the main pole and the wall surfaces of the protective film; and a magnetic film formed on the insulating film so as to cover at least the main pole.

Magnetic recording head, method of manufacturing the same, and magnetic disk unit

Embodiments of the present invention help to reduce etching damage at end parts of a magnetoresistive sensor in ion beam etching. According to one embodiment, ion beam etching (IBE) is used in a magnetoresistive sensor track width forming step. This IBE irradiates Ar ion beam to a substrate in a state that the substrate is inclined and further rotates the substrate about its normal as a rotational axis. In a conventional track width forming step, the IBE irradiates the Ar ion beam to the substrate all the time while the IBE is rotating the substrate. By contrast, the IBE according to embodiments of the present invention irradiates the Ar ion beam to the substrate only in a predetermined specific angular range.

Magnetic detection element

Growing community of inventors

Hiratsuka, Japan

Nobuo Yoshida