International Business Machines Corporation

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Peter Beverley Powell Phipps

Eric James Lee

Edward Hin Pong Lee

Amanda Baer

Florence Eschbach

Francisco Martin

Wen-Chien David Hsiao

Yong Shen

Edward Hinpong Lee

Jila Tabib

Samuel Wei-san Yuan

Yu-En Percy Chang

Daniel Gerard Abels

Frederick Hayes Dill, Jr

John Jaekoyun Yang

Benjamin Lu-Chen Wang

A method for simultaneously planarizing to relatively equal smoothness a thin film magnetic head hardbaked resist structure having relatively low surface energy and one or more additional thin film magnetic head structures containing other materials having comparatively higher surface energy, such as copper, hardbaked resist, alumina and NiFe. The method begins with preparation of a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) slurry targeted at equaling the removal rate of the materials to be planarized. The CMP slurry includes a liquid vehicle, an abrasive, and a surfactant. The CMP slurry is applied to the surface of the structures to be planarized and the structures are simultaneously planarized using a CMP planarization technique.

Simultaneous planarization of pole piece and coil materials for write head applications

A method for removing a thin metallic layer using an etchant solution is provided for essentially eliminating undercutting in a thin metallic layer such as a seed layer in a magnetic recording head. The etchant solution has a suitable solvent additive such as glycerol or methyl cellulose. With suitable solvent additives, which generally increase solvent viscosity, lateral etching rates are similar to surface etch rates and undercutting is essentially eliminated.

Method of using an etchant solution for removing a thin metallic layer

A magnetic head having read and write elements is provided according to one embodiment. The head includes a substrate. An undercoating is coupled to the substrate. The undercoating has a preferred thickness of between about 1.5 and 0.5 microns or less in a direction perpendicular to the planar surface of the substrate engaging the undercoating. Preferably, the undercoating is reduced to a desired thickness during fabrication using chemical mechanical polishing. The undercoating is constructed of a material having a thermal conductivity greater than that of amorphous AlO. An electric contact pad is operatively coupled to a layer positioned between the pad and the undercoating. Electric contact pads of read and write elements are preferably separated from the undercoating by insulation planarization layers. A write element is coupled to the undercoating. The write element has an electrically conductive coil. The new thinner and more thermally conductive undercoating allows more heat to transfer through it from the write element to the substrate.

Magnetic recording heads having thin thermally conductive undercoating

In a first aspect a slurry is provided for chemically mechanically polishing alumina and nickel iron to a common plane and in a second aspect a slurry is provided for additionally chemically mechanically polishing copper to a common plane. The slurry includes a first concentration of colloidal silica, a second concentration of potassium and/or sodium persulfate and a third concentration of ammonium persulfate. In the first aspect the first and second concentrations are tailored to chemically mechanically polish the alumina and the nickel iron at the same rate to a common plane and in the second aspect the slurry includes a third concentration of ammonium persulfate at a proper ratio to the potassium or sodium persulfate to chemically mechanically polish the copper at the same rate as the other materials to the same plane.

Slurry for multi-material chemical mechanical polishing

A method for producing sliders without alumina overcoat protrusion on the air bearing surface. The method comprises a method for removing alumina protrusion on the air bearing surface of a slider comprising contacting the air bearing surface of the slider with an aqueous base having a pH of about 9 to about 11.

Method for producing sliders

The front edge of the a zero throat height (ZTH) defining insulation layer in a magnetic head is formed with a central portion which is centered with respect to a second pole tip with first and second lateral portions which are on each side of the central portion and parallel to the ABS. The central portion is recessed from the ABS a distance appropriate for defining the ZTH between the first and second pole pieces of the head and the first and second lateral edges are further recessed into the head so as to increase the volume of the overcoat layer between the ABS and the first and second lateral edges. The increased volume of the overcoat layer better absorbs stresses and strains due to shock loading and temperature so as to reduce cracking of the head at the ABS.

Method of making crack resistant magnetic write head

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Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Peter Beverley Powell Phipps