Western Digital (Fremont), Inc.

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Other

University of California

Western Digital Corporation

Xiaozhong Dang

Yingjian Chen

Kroum Stanimirov Stoev

Yugang Wang

Francis H Liu

Hai Jiang

Quang Le

Simon H Liao

Mohamad Towfik Krounbi

Mahendra Pakala

Xizeng Shi

Yong Shen

Guanxiong Li

Yongchul Ahn

Guangli Liu

David John Seagle

James Han Wang

Aron Pentek

Stefan Maat

Yi Zheng

Yimin Hsu

Petrus Antonius Van Der Heijden

Peter M Asbeck

Guomin Mao

Anup Roy

Hicham Moulay Sougrati

Aiguo Feng

Thomas L Leong

Qing He

George V Kelley

Silvanus S Lau

Edward T Yu

A method and system for providing a magnetic transducer is described. The method and system include providing an underlayer, a seed structure, and a magnetically hard layer. The underlayer has a surface. The seed structure resides on the surface and includes an amorphous layer and a seed layer. The amorphous layer wets the surface of the underlayer. The seed layer having a natural growth texture. The magnetically hard layer resides on the seed structure. The seed layer resides between the magnetically hard layer and the amorphous layer. The magnetically hard layer has a desired crystal orientation corresponding to the natural growth texture of the seed layer.

Method and system for providing a magnetic transducer having an improved hard bias seed layer

A magnetic head including a magnetoresistive junction and an oxide layer. The magnetoresistive junction includes a pinned layer, a free layer, and a barrier layer residing between the pinned and free layer. The magnetoresistive junction includes at least one side having a smooth profile. The oxide layer is on the at least one side. The oxide layer is less than one nanometer thick at the free layer.

Magnetic head having a magnetoresistive junction and side oxide layers

A method for manufacturing a magnetic read sensor allows for the construction of a very narrow trackwidth sensor while avoiding problems related to mask liftoff and shadowing related process variations across a wafer. The process involves depositing a plurality of sensor layers and forming a first mask structure. The first mask structure has a relatively large opening that encompasses a sensor area and an area adjacent to the sensor area where a hard bias structure can be deposited. A second mask structure is formed over the first mask structure and includes a first portion that is configured to define a sensor dimension and a second portion that is over the first mask structure in the field area.

Differentiated liftoff process for ultra-shallow mask defined narrow trackwidth magnetic sensor

The present invention generally relates to a magnetic sensor in a read head having a hard or soft bias layer that is uniform in thickness within the sensor stack. The method of making such sensor is also disclosed. The free layer stripe height is first defined, followed by defining the track width, and lastly the pinned layer stripe height is defined. The pinned layer and the hard or soft bias layer are defined in the same process step. This approach eliminates a partial hard or soft bias layer and reduces potential instability issues.

Shape enhanced pin read head magnetic transducer with stripe height defined first and method of making same

A magnetic scissor type magnetic read head having magnetic side shielding for reduced effective track width and having side biasing for improved stability. The read head includes first and magnetic side shields that each include first and second magnetic layers and an anti-parallel exchange coupling layer sandwiched there-between. The magnetic layers of the side shields are anti-parallel coupled with one another such that one of the magnetic layers has its magnetization oriented in a first direction parallel with the air bearing surface and the second magnetic layer has its magnetization oriented in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction and also parallel with the air bearing surface. These magnetizations of the first and second magnetic layers provide a bias field that stabilizes the magnetization of the free magnetic layers of the sensor stack to prevent flipping of the magnetizations of these layers.

Scissor magnetic read head with wrap-around magnetic shield

A method for manufacturing a magnetic sensor that includes depositing a plurality of mask layers, then forming a stripe height defining mask over the sensor layers. A first ion milling is performed just sufficiently to remove portions of the free layer that are not protected by the stripe height defining mask, the first ion milling being terminated at the non-magnetic barrier or spacer layer. A dielectric layer is then deposited, preferably by ion beam deposition. A second ion milling is then performed to remove portions of the pinned layer structure that are not protected by the mask, the free layer being protected during the second ion milling by the dielectric layer.

Method for manufacturing a magnetic sensor using two step ion milling

A method and system define a magnetoresistive junction in a magnetic recording transducer. The method and system include performing a first mill at a first angle from a normal to the surface of the magnetic recording transducer. A second mill is performed at a second angle from the normal to the surface. The second angle is larger than the first angle. A third mill is performed at a third angle from the normal to the surface. The third angle is not larger than the first angle.

Method for defining a magnetoresistive junction using multiple mills at a plurality of angles

Present invention provides enabling techniques of integrating novel nanotube elements into semiconductor devices, particularly in transistors, as gate channels or/and as interconnects. This is done in a series of process steps, which consist of fabricating magnetic-core-containing nanotubes of selected size (diameter and length), filtration of nanotube powders, preparing nanotube precursor in aqueous chemicals to form colloidal solutions of proper concentration, dispersing nanotube-containing solutions onto wafer surface, and finally positioning nanotubes at desired locations by magnetic means to complete nanotube device structure. The key to this invention is to provide miniature nanotubes with tangible physical properties, in this case, magnetic properties, so that they can be aligned, filtered, and precisely directed to desired locations for device application. Such processes enable nanotubes to be compatible with typical semiconductor wafer processing technologies.

Electronic device utilizing magnetic nanotubes

Present invention provides enabling methods of integrating novel nanotube elements into semiconductor devices, such as transistor containing electronic device. This is done in a series of process steps, which consist of attaching magnetic nanoparticles to nanotubes, tailoring magnetic nanotubes of selected size (diameter and length), filtration of nanotube to pre-determined sizes, preparing nanotube precursor in aqueous chemicals to form colloidal solutions of proper concentration, dispersing nanotube-containing solutions onto wafer surface, and finally positioning nanotubes at desired locations by magnetically assisted assembly to complete nanotube device structure. The key to this invention is to provide miniature nanotubes with tangible physical properties, in this case, magnetic properties, so that they can be aligned, filtered, and precisely directed to desired locations for device application. Such processes enable nanotubes to be compatible with typical semiconductor wafer processing technologies.

Nanotube with at least a magnetic nanoparticle attached to the nanotube's exterior sidewall and electronic devices made thereof

A writer for high frequency, data storage heads. The writer includes a first magnetic pole upon which a write gap pedestal is formed with an upper pedestal layer of high moment material with a planar upper surface. An electrical coil is formed on the first magnetic pole. A write gap layer is deposited on the upper surface of the upper pedestal layer. The writer includes a second magnetic pole disposed above the first magnetic pole with a magnetic, flat, top pole layer. The second magnetic pole includes a bottom shaper fabricated from high moment material positioned between the coil and the top pole layer. An insulation insert separates the bottom shaper from the upper pedestal layer. The second magnetic pole includes a thin dielectric lamination layer that separates the top pole layer from the bottom shaper to disrupt the path of eddy current in the second magnetic pole.

Thin film write head having a laminated, flat top pole with bottom shaper and method of fabrication

A method and system for providing a thin film recording head are disclosed. The method and system include providing a first pole, providing a second pole and providing a write gap separating the first pole from the second pole. The method and system further include providing at least one coil having a plurality of turns. A portion of each of the plurality of turns is between the first and the second pole. The plurality of turns wind around the second pole.

Coil inductive writer having a low inductance and short yoke length

A method and system for providing a recording head is disclosed. The method and system include providing a first pole, a second pole, a write gap and at least one coil. The write cap separates the first pole from the second pole. The coil(s) include a plurality of turns and is between the first and second poles. The first pole includes a pedestal that has a first portion and a second portion. The first portion includes a high moment electroplated material. The second portion includes a hot seed layer that has a high moment sputtered material. The second portion of the first pole is adjacent to the write gap.

Writer with a hot seed zero throat and substantially flat top pole

A read/write head and method of making the same are used in a data storage system, such as a disk drive, for perpendicular magnetic recording of data. The head employs a two-layer pole design with a main pole made of sputtered high moment magnetic material, and an adjunct pole made of electroplated soft magnetic film. The main pole is used to write data onto the medium, and is formed over the write coil. The adjunct pole is substantially recessed from the air bearing surface and is formed over the main pole. The present head design significantly enhances the magnetic write field, and substantially reduces side-writing that result in accidental erasure of data in adjacent tracks on the magnetic recording medium.

Write head having a recessed, magnetic adjunct pole formed atop a main pole, and method of making the same

An inductive write head structure incorporating a high moment film in conjunction with at least one pole (e.g., the bottom pole) for use with magnetic storage media and a process for producing the same in which a lift-off photoresist mask is used prior to the deposition of the high moment sputtered film. Following the lift-off process, the high moment film remains on the bottom pole ('P') pedestal (in the case of a PDZT type write head) or on the Pitself (in the case of a Stitched Pole write head). The edge of the lift-off sputtered film is then covered by cured photoresist insulation which is placed at a distance away from the air bearing surface ('ABS'). The coverage of insulation at the edge of the sputtered film is desirable in order to avoid forming a topographic step which may have undesired consequences in the subsequent top pole formation processes.

Write head with high moment film layer having tapered portion extending beyond write gap layer

A read/write head and method of making the same, are used in a data storage system, such as a disk drive, for perpendicular magnetic recording of data. The head employs a two-layer pole design with a main pole made of sputtered high moment magnetic material, and an adjunct pole made of electroplated soft magnetic film. The adjunct pole is substantially recessed from the air bearing surface. The present head design significantly enhances the magnetic write field, and substantially reduces side-writing that result in accidental erasure of data in adjacent tracks on the magnetic recording medium.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Xiaozhong Dang