Storage Technology Corporation

Yi-Shung Chaug

Subrata Dey

Victor L Walker

Nripendra N Roy

James C Cates

Steven Charles Herrera

Joseph M Schmalhorst

Richard W Crowell

Mark S Snyder

Steve Bryant

Barry Allen McPherron

R Scott Winslow

Bo Zhou

Thomas A Carroll

A method and apparatus including gluing vias in the closure surface and/or the recording module surface to increase bonding strength of the closure to the recording module. The surface of the recording module has a nonplanar topography along a gap side surface which creates localized air space in the gap. When adhesive is introduced between the closure and the recording module, the adhesive flows into these air spaces to bond the surfaces. The invention utilizes gluing vias in the surfaces of the closure and/or the recording module to increase flow of the adhesive and improve bonding strength.

Method and apparatus for securing a thin film magnetic tape head closure using gluing vias

The tape head of the present invention has a substrate and a closure separated by a gap. The tape head is of the type having a flat closure module. The gap layers disposed in the gap include a recording track layer and a patterned gap layer. The recording track layer has a nonplanar topography along said gap that is defined by at least one of a read track and a write track. The patterned gap layer is disposed over substantially an entire surface of the gap side surface of the closure. The patterned gap layer is etched so as to selectively define a topography along said gap that inversely corresponds to the nonplanar topography of the recording track layer. As a result, the patterned gap layer fills any localized air space that would otherwise exist in the gap due to the nonplanar topography of the recording track layer. By filling the localized air space in the gap, microchipping is reduced and/or eliminated in the tape head of the present invention.

Selective gap layer deposition on the closure of a magnetic recording head

A multitrack coupled element read head and a method for manufacturing such a read head are provided. The multitrack coupled element read head includes multiple coupled magnetoresistive read elements in a spaced relationship, and a support structure between a pair of coupled read elements, the support structure also being a magnetoresistive material. The read head also includes a closure material bonded on the plurality of coupled read elements and the support structure, where the support structure provides for substantially even pressure on the pair of coupled read elements such that shorting therein is eliminated.

Multitrack coupled element read head with support structure to eliminate

Apparatus for securing a thin film magnetic tape head closure using a

A recording element is provided for use in a high density thin film recording head. The recording element includes a substrate, a thermally conductive material in contact with the substrate, and an insulative layer in contact with the thermally conductive material. The recording element further includes a magneto-resistive element in contact with the insulative layer such that the magneto-resistive element fails to overlay the thermally conductive material. The thermally conductive material and the insulative layer have thermal conductivities sufficient to dissipate heat from the magneto-resistive element so that heat induced malfunctions of the recording element are minimized. The method for manufacturing the recording element is also provided. The method includes depositing a thermally conductive material in contact with a substrate, depositing an insulative layer in contact with the thermally conductive material, and depositing a magneto-resistive element in contact with the insulative layer such that the magneto-resistive element fails to overlay the thermally conductive material.

Heat exchangeable thin-film recording head element and method for

The method of wet etching an aluminum oxide substrate deposits a thin layer of titanium film or chromium film on the aluminum oxide surface prior to the application of the photo-resist coating to form a barrier between the aluminum oxide and the photo-resist. This barrier layer inhibits the reaction between the aluminum oxide and the photo-resist during the photolithographic process. The undercutting of the aluminum oxide in the wet etching process is therefore controlled by the deposition of the barrier layer comprising the thin layer of titanium film or chromium film. The titanium film used is nominally 30 .ANG. thick to obtain the beneficial effects noted above while the chromium film would be approximately 1000 .ANG. thick.

Method of wet etching aluminum oxide to minimize undercutting

A magnetoresistive (MR) device and barrier formation process is disclosed in which a barrier layer of an aluminum-titanium oxidic compound of approximately 35 .ANG. thickness is formed between a first alumina film and an overlying material of iron bearing content, such as nickel-iron. The aluminum-titanium oxidic compound layer serves as an etchant barrier for the alumina film in a subsequent etching process to reduce or eliminate 'rosette' formation otherwise occurring when etchant is trapped within pores of a porous substrate such as ferrite, ceramic or other polycrystalline material. The barrier layer also serves as a passivation layer to prevent the surface of the underlying alumina film from being modified by the transfer of ultrasonic energy during subsequent wirebonding processing which would otherwise result in film delamination at the nickel-iron/alumina layer interface.

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Boulder, CO, United States of America

Yi-Shung Chaug