Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Western Digital (fremont), Inc.

Other

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies B.v.

Yinshi Liu

Wen-Chien David Hsiao

Yimin Hsu

Ming Jiang

Yi Zheng

Aron Pentek

Sue Siyang Zhang

Hung-Chin Guthrie

Vladimir Nikitin

Kyusik Sin

Ning Shi

Tsung Yuan Chen

Benjamin P Chen

Hardayal Singh Gill

James Mac Freitag

Edward Hin Pong Lee

Terence T Lam

Amanda Baer

Hongping Yuan

Samuel Weisan Yuan

Yunxiao Gao

Michael Yang

Prabodh Ratnaparkhi

Quang Le

Jordan Asher Katine

Francis H Liu

Tomohiro Okada

Bernd Lamberts

Yasuyuki Okada

Michael R Feldbaum

Nian Xiang Sun

Donald Giles Allen

Christian Rene Bonhote

Trevor W Olson

Katalin Pentek

Hicham Moulay Sougrati

John I Kim

John Jaekoyun Yang

Yuan Yao

Xhavin Sinha

Aaron Neuhaus

Terry Olson

Thomas Dudley Boon, Jr

Paul Alejon Fontejon, Jr

A magnetic write head for perpendicular magnetic data recording. The write head includes a substrate and a magnetic write pole formed on the substrate, the write pole having a trailing edge and first and second sides. A magnetic stitched pole is formed over a portion of the magnetic write pole, the stitched pole having a front edge that defines a secondary flare point. First and second non-magnetic side walls are formed at the first and second sides of the write pole. The non-magnetic side walls extend from the substrate at least to the trailing edge of the write pole in a first region near an air bearing surface and wherein the first and second non-magnetic side walls extend from the substrate to a point between the substrate and the trailing edge, allowing the stitched magnetic pole to extend partially over the sides of the write pole.

Perpendicular magnetic write head having a novel shield structure

A magnetic write head for perpendicular magnetic recording. The magnetic write head includes a write pole having a pole tip region and a flared region. The write pole also has a trailing, wrap-around magnetic shield that is separated from the sides of the write pole by a non-magnetic side gap layer. The write head is formed such that the side gap spacing is larger in the flared region than in the pole tip region. This varying gap spacing can be formed by depositing a non-magnetic material using a collimated sputter deposition aligned substantially perpendicular to the air bearing surface. This collimated sputtering deposits the non-magnetic material more readily on the sides of the write pole in the flared region than in the pole tip region.

Write head having independent side shield and trailing shield throat height

A method for forming a magnetic write head using a damascene process that does not form voids in the magnetic structure. An opening is formed in an alumina layer, the opening being configured to define a trench. Then a first layer of magnetic material is deposited into the trench. A CMP process is then performed to remove any voids that have formed in the first magnetic layer. Then a second layer of magnetic material is deposited over the first layer of magnetic material. In another embodiment of the invention, a opening is formed in the alumina layer, and a first layer of magnetic material is electroplated into the opening. A thin layer of non-magnetic material is then deposited, and a second layer of magnetic material is deposited over the thin layer of non-magnetic material. The thin layer of alumina advantageously provides a laminate structure that avoids data erasure.

Assisted deposition, narrow trench damascene process for manufacturing a write pole of a magnetic write head

A method for manufacturing a magnetic write head for perpendicular magnetic recording. The method includes forming a write pole, and then depositing a refill layer. A mask structure can be formed over the writ pole and refill layer, the mask structure being configured to define a stitched pole. An ion milling or reactive ion milling can then be performed to remove portions of the refill layer that are not protected by the mask structure. Then a magnetic material can be deposited to form a stitched write pole that defines a secondary flare point. The stitched pole can also be self aligned with an electrical lapping guide in order to accurately locate the front edge of the secondary flare point relative to the air bearing surface of the write head.

Method for manufacturing a perpendicular magnetic write head

A method for manufacturing a magnetic write head for perpendicular magnetic recording, the write head having a write pole with an increased bevel (taper) angle. The write pole is constructed by forming a mask structure over a magnetic write pole material, and then performing a combination of sweeping or rotation with static (non-rotating, non-sweeping) ion milling at an angle relative to normal. The ion milling is performed while moving the wafer laterally within the ion milling tool to ensure that the ion milling is performed uniformly across the wafer during static milling.

Method for manufacturing a perpendicular magnetic write pole having a large bevel angle

A method for manufacturing a magnetic write head having a stepped, recessed, high magnetic moment pole connected with a write pole. The stepped pole structure helps to channel magnetic flux to the write pole without leaking write field to the magnetic medium. This allows the write head to maintain a high write field strength at very small bit sizes. The method includes depositing a dielectric layer and a first CMP layer over substrate that can include a magnetic shaping layer. A mask is formed over the dielectric layer, the mask having an opening to define the stepped pole structure. The image of the mask is transferred into the dielectric layer. A high magnetic moment material is deposited and a chemical mechanical polishing is performed to planarize the magnetic material and dielectric layer.

Method for creating a magnetic write pole having a stepped perpendicular pole via CMP-assisted liftoff

A method for manufacturing a write pole for perpendicular magnetic recording for accurately defining a side shield throat height and write pole flare point. The magnetic structure includes a write pole portion and first and second side shield portions. The side shields portions are magnetically connected with the write pole portion in a region in front of an intended air bearing surface plane (e.g. in the direction from which lapping will progress). The side shields portions are each separated from the write pole portion in a region behind the intended air bearing surface plane by notches that terminate at a desired location relative to the intended air bearing surface plane and which open up in a region behind the intended air bearing surface plane.

Method for manufacturing a magnetic write head

A method of fabricating a single-pole perpendicular magnetic recording head to contain a bevel angle promotion layer that facilitates the fabrication of the bevel angle in a trapezoidal main pole. The bevel angle promotion layer is made of a non-magnetic material that is softer than the material (e.g., AlO) that normally underlies the main pole. In one embodiment, the bevel angle promotion layer is formed between an end of the yoke and the air bearing surface (ABS), with the top surface of the bevel angle promotion layer being substantially coplanar with the top surface of the yoke. In other embodiment the bevel angle promotion layer is integrated with a leading edge taper material, which is formed of a magnetic material, to broaden the magnetic flux path between the yoke and the main pole.

Methods of fabricating single-pole recording head having trapezoidal main pole and bevel angle promotion layer

The method and apparatus of the embodiments of the present invention employ an in-situ particle decontamination technique that allows for such decontamination while a wafer is a vacuum tool or deposition chamber, thereby eliminating the need for another device for performing decontamination. This in-situ decontamination is effective for particle contamination resulting, for example, from tool resident mechanical component. Furthermore, particle decontamination is performed in the presence of plasma, having a potential for helping to maximize a 'self bias' voltage, under RF conditions, and is integrated into the vacuum process.

In-situ method to reduce particle contamination in a vacuum plasma processing tool

A method of fabricating a write head for perpendicular recording includes forming a pole layer on an undercoat layer, forming a mask over at least a portion of the pole layer, and forming the pole by removing material from the pole layer. The method further includes forming a first gap portion of a gap along a first side and a second side of the pole, forming a protective layer over at least a portion of the first gap portion, removing the mask, and removing the protective layer. The method further includes forming a second gap portion of the gap over at least a top surface of the pole and forming a shield over at least the second gap portion.

Method of fabricating a perpendicular recording write head having a gap with two portions

A perpendicular write head includes a main pole comprising high moment magnetic layers laminated with both soft magnetic layers and non-magnetic layers for antiferromagnetic coupling (AFC) between the high moment material layers. The perpendicular write head includes a return pole connected to the main pole by a back gap closure at a distal end and separated from the main pole by a gap at an air bearing surface (ABS). A write coil is positioned between the main pole and the return pole and the surface area of the return pole at the ABS is substantially larger than the surface area of the main pole at the ABS.

Laminated high moment magnetic films antiferromagnetic coupling as write pole of perpendicular magnetic recording head

Methods of fabricating perpendicular write elements for perpendicular magnetic recording heads are discussed. In write element fabrication, write poles are fabricated according to one of many desired methods. The write poles during fabrication are typically covered by a hard mask and a photolithographic soft mask. According to the methods described herein, the soft mask is removed such as by chemical etching. The hard mask is then removed, such as by CMP and ion etching, to expose the write poles. Shield gap material may then be deposited on the write poles to define the shield gap between the write poles and the trailing shields. Trailing shield material may then be deposited on the shield gap material to form the trailing shields corresponding with the write poles.

Fabricating perpendicular write elements in perpendicular magnetic recording heads

A method for controlling the formation of the trailing shield gap during perpendicular head fabrication and head formed thereby are disclosed. The in-situ trailing shield gap deposition process removes the pre-sputter process that can damage the write pole material. Further, a seed pre-layer is formed on top of the trailing shield gap to absorb any non-uniformity of the trailing shield gap and to control issues resulting from the pre-sputter process originating from the trailing shield seed deposition.

Method for controlling the formation of the trailing shield gap during perpendicular head fabrication and head formed thereby

A magnetic write head for perpendicular magnetic recording having a write pole with a concave trailing edge. The magnetic write pole can have a trapezoidal shape with first and second laterally opposed sides that are further apart at the trailing edge than at the leading edge. The write head may or may not include a magnetic trailing shield, and if a trailing shield is included it is separated from the trailing edge by a non-magnetic write gap layer. The concave trailing edge improves magnetic performance such as by improving the transition curvature. A method for constructing the write head includes forming a magnetic write pole by forming a mask structure over a deposited write pole material, the mask structure having an alumina hard mask and an image transfer layer such as DURAMIDE&#xae;. An alumina fill layer is then deposited and a chemical mechanical polish is performed to open up the image transfer layer. A reactive on etch is performed to remove the image transfer layer and a reactive ion mill or reactive ion etch is performed to remove the alumina hard mask and form a concave surface on the write pole.

Perpendicular magnetic write head having a magnetic write pole with a concave trailing edge

Embodiments of the present invention recite a write gap structure for a magnetic recording head. In one embodiment, the write gap structure comprises at least one layer of inert material is disposed proximate to the Ppole of a magnetic recording head. A layer of magnetic material is disposed between the layer of inert material and the Ppedestal (PP) of the magnetic recording head. In embodiments of the present invention, the write gap structure further comprises a second layer of inert material is disposed between the layer of magnetic material and the PP of the magnetic recording head. In embodiments of the present invention, the write gap structure only overlies a portion of the write gap of the magnetic recording head with reference to the throat height dimension of the write gap.

Laminated write gap to improve writer performance

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Foster City, CA, United States of America

Yinshi Liu