International Business Machines Corporation

Robert P Zammit

Vincent N Kahwaty

Edward V Denison

Gerald Steving

Gustave Christian Stern

Armando Jesus Argumedo

Steven L Felde

Douglas W Johnson

A compliant tape guide in a tape cartridge loads edge of a tape with an optimum pressure and a minimum of vibration by a series of compliant spring arms which transmit a guiding load to the edge through a flexible metal foil. The metal foil contacts the tape over a specified arc length in which the tape is supported by a curved guide bearing.

Compliant tape guide

A thin film magnetic head and a method for making the thin film head by the use of electrical lapping guides includes the use of a resistive lapping guide that has a height dimension and an electrical resistance that optimizes the results of the comparison of the resistive lapping guide to a finished lapping guide. The resistive lapping guide is not lapped during the lapping process. The finished lapping guide is lapped and the resistive comparison between the two determines the stopping of the lapping process. An as-lapped guide which is of the same dimensions as the finished lapping guide after lapping can also be included. An interleaved magnetic head having alternating magneto-resistive read elements and inductive write elements can be precisely lapped by sensing the resistance of the lapping guide elements and using a formula to determine the final resistance of the finished lapping guide to halt the lapping process.

Magnetic recording heads employing multiple lapping guides

An interleaved head for reading and writing data transitions onto a magnetic tape. A magnetic recording system for the bi-directional transportation of the tape media across the interleaved head. A controller controls the tape drive in a reel-to-reel format to accomplish the bi-directional motion of the tape media. The interleaved head includes two modules with each module having a plurality of alternating read and write transducers alternately spaced apart along a single line placed transverse to the movement of the magnetic tape. The two modules are placed together such that the write gaps of one module are aligned with the read gaps of the other module. Each read module includes the magneto-resistive element. Each write transducer includes a thin film conductor driving a nickel zinc ferrite substrate as one pole piece and a nickel zinc closure piece as the second pole piece. In order to provide leveling across the write transducers of the module, write back gap islands are provided in the back gap regions of the write transducer made of the same material with the same thickness as the magneto resistive element and the conductors interconnecting the magneto resistive element to the read/write network of the tape drive.

Magnetic hybrid interleaved head with closure supporting islands

Method of making a magnetic hybrid interleaved head

Method of lapping magnetic recording heads

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Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Robert P Zammit