International Business Machines Corporation

Peter Cheng-I Fang

Terence Tin-Lok Lam

Zhong-heng Lin

Kenneth Donald Mackay

Christopher Dana Keener

Frederick William Stukey, Jr

Robert Yuan-Shih Li

Hoan Andrew Au

Antonio Perez, Jr

Xiang-Jun (Leon) Feng

Don Horne

Chris Carrington

A process, computer program product, and apparatus for detecting and quantifying crosstalk instability in a read/write mechanism are provided. A write current is varied in a write circuit for exciting the write head. Measurements are taken of a magnetoresistive impedance of a read current of a read circuit. Measurements are also taken of a signal amplitude in the read circuit. A bit error rate of the overall system is also measured. The read/write mechanism is failed if the signal amplitude changes by a predetermined amount during the varying of the write current. Likewise, the read/write mechanism is failed if the error rate changes by a predetermined amount during the varying of the write current. The write-to-read signal coupling of HGA (Head Gimbal Assembly) and HSA (Head Stack Assembly), including GMR sensor, suspension and flex cable on the actuator arm, can be evaluated at component design level. The methodologies successfully simulate GMR cross talk instability inside a drive on magnetic testers. Therefore, a good prediction of drive failure rate can be achieved.

Cross talk bit error rate testing of a magnetic head

A method of determining a magnetic track width of a magnetic head. The method begins by obtaining a full track profile of the magnetic head which includes a plurality of signal amplitudes read across a track of a magnetic disk at a plurality of magnetic head positions. An initial magnetic track width value is then determined from the full track profile data. Preferably, this initial value is the magnetic write width which is determined based on the difference between left and right head positions which read half of the maximum signal amplitude. To determine the final magnetic write width, the initial value is adjusted with side reading correction values. The side reading correction values are determined based on left and right side reading &ldquo;tails&rdquo; of a bell-shaped signal curve which is formed by the full track profile data when graphed. It is not necessary to obtain the microtrack profile to determine these side reading values. Off track read capability (OTRC) and erase band width (EBW) values determined by the triple track test can also be corrected.

Method and apparatus for determining the magnetic track width of a magnetic head

A method is disclosed for determining the presence of response abnormalities in magnetic sensors. The method includes placing the sensor in an applied magnetic field and collecting sensor resistance information as the magnitude and direction of the applied field is altered. The resistance values are then examined to determine the presence of response abnormalities.

Method of testing for response abnormalities in a magnetic sensor

A method and system for the rapid automatic screening of GMR heads for Barkhausen noise during production. This system rapidly and repeatedly measures associated noise in a GMR head subjected to a smoothly-varying external transverse magnetic field. The repeated Transverse Magnetic-field Excited Noise (TMEN) measurements are automatically sorted into bins to form a histogram, which is then automatically evaluated to develop TMEN range and weighted sum measures, which are then compared with predetermined standards for automatic acceptance or rejection of the GMR head under test. The GMR sensor Barkhausen noise is quantified through the use of a bandpass filter to remove all direct sensor responses, leaving only the noise signals, which are then repeatedly sampled to develop valid statistical Barkhausen noise measures suitable for automated analysis.

Screening test for transverse magnetic-field excited noise in giant magnetoresistive heads

A method and apparatus for providing amplitude instability data recovery for AMR/GMR heads during amplitude loss using MSE and/or amplitude envelope detection procedures. The method includes (a) initiating a data recovery procedure by selecting a detection mode for detecting when an error condition occurs, (b) performing the selected detection mode, (c) determining a reset action for resetting the magnetic head, (d) performing the reset action to reset the magnetic head and (f) re-reading data in the track after performing the reset action. An embodiment of the invention further includes (g) determining whether the resetting of the magnetic head allowed recovery of the data in the track and (h) terminating the data recovery procedure when the data is recovered. An embodiment of the invention further includes (i) determining whether predetermined limits have been exhausted when the data is not recovered, (j) terminating the data recovery procedure when the predetermined limits have been exhausted and repeating steps (a)-(g) when the predetermined limits have not been exhausted. In an embodiment of the invention, the determining a reset action for resetting the magnetic head further includes applying a maximum write current to the head, toggling a head bias current, toggling the head bias current and the write current, or applying a reset pulse to the head.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Peter Cheng-I Fang