Western Digital (fremont), Inc.

Read Rite Corporation

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

International Business Machines Corporation

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

Yong Shen

Liubo Hong

Jinqiu Zhang

Jing Zhang

Steven C Rudy

Hongping Yuan

Honglin Zhu

Mahendra Pakala

Qunwen Leng

Hai Sun

Lien-Chang Wang

Donghong Li

Durga P Ravipati

Yiming Huai

Zhigang Bai

Yingjian Chen

Ut Tran

Sue Siyang Zhang

Yizhong Wang

Tsung Yuan Chen

Guanxiong Li

Xiaozhong Dang

Lei Zhang

Terry Farren

Bertha Higa-Baral

Lei Wang

Wen-Chien David Hsiao

Edward Hin Pong Lee

Tai Min

Yimin Hsu

Zhupei Shi

Yun-Fei Li

Daniel A Nepela

Guanghong Luo

Hugh Craig Hiner

William C Cain

Billy Wayne Crue

Billy W Crue, Jr

Katalin Pentek

Chyu Jiuh Torng

Samuel Wei-san Yuan

Yining Hu

Changhe Shang

Li He

Peter Beverley Powell Phipps

Gautam Khera

Mike Wang

Curtis V Macchioni

Heng Gong

Yunju Ra

Steven J Plewes

Vincent D Retort

John Jaekoyun Yang

Michael T Harnischfeger

T C Chuang

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 providing a magnetic transducer including an underlayer is provided. The method comprises providing a recessed region in the underlayer. The recessed region includes a front having an angle from horizontal. The angle is greater than zero and less than ninety degrees. The method further comprises providing an assist pole layer in the recessed region, providing a main pole layer, a portion of the main pole layer residing on the assist pole layer, and defining a main pole from the assist pole layer and the main pole layer.

Method for providing a magnetic recording transducer including an assist pole having surfaces angled with respect to the ABS

A method provides a PMR transducer. In one aspect, the method includes forming a trench in an intermediate layer using reactive ion etch(es). The trench top is wider than its bottom. In this aspect, the method also includes providing a seed layer using atomic layer deposition and providing a PMR pole on the seed layer. Portion(s) of the seed layer and PMR pole reside in the trench. In another aspect, the method includes providing a mask including a trench having a top wider than its bottom. In this aspect, the method includes providing mask material in the trench, providing an intermediate layer on the mask material and removing the mask material to provide another trench in the intermediate layer. In this aspect, the method also includes providing a PMR pole in the additional trench.

Method for providing a perpendicular magnetic recording head

A method and system for providing a magnetoresistive structure are described. The magnetoresistive structure includes a first electrode, an insertion layer, a crystalline tunneling barrier layer, and a second electrode. The first electrode includes at least a first magnetic material and boron. The crystalline tunneling barrier layer includes at least one constituent. The insertion layer has a first boron affinity. The at least one constituent of the crystalline tunneling barrier layer has at least a second boron affinity that is less than the first boron affinity. The second electrode includes at least a second magnetic material.

Method and system for providing a magnetoresistive structure

The method and system for providing a spin tunneling element are disclosed. The method and system include depositing a pinned layer, a barrier layer, and a free layer. The barrier layer has a first crystal structure and a texture. The free layer includes a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer. The first ferromagnetic is adjacent to the second ferromagnetic layer and between the second ferromagnetic layer and the barrier layer. The first ferromagnetic layer has the first crystal structure and the texture, while the second ferromagnetic layer has a second crystal structure different from the first crystal structure.

Method and system for providing a spin tunneling magnetic element having a crystalline barrier layer

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

A method and system provide a magnetic transducer that includes an underlayer. The method and system include providing a recessed region in the underlayer. The recessed region includes a front having an angle from horizontal. The angle is greater than zero and less than ninety degrees. The method and system further includes providing an assist pole layer in the recessed region and providing a main pole layer. A portion of the main pole layer resides on the assist pole layer. A main pole is defined from the assist pole layer and the main pole layer.

Method and system for providing a magnetic recording transducer including an assist pole having surfaces angled with respect to the ABS

A perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) head comprises a PMR pole having at least one side, a bottom, and a top wider than the bottom, a first portion of the at least one side being substantially vertical, a second portion of the at least one side being nonvertical, the top portion having a width not greater than one hundred fifty nanometers. The PRM head further comprises a nonmagnetic layer surrounding the bottom and the at least one side of the PMR pole, an intermediate layer substantially surrounding at least the second portion of the at least one side of the PMR pole, and a hard mask layer adjacent to the first portion of the at least one side of the PMR pole.

Perpendicular magnetic recording head

A perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) head comprises a PMR pole having at least one side, a bottom, and a top wider than the bottom, a first portion of the at least one side being substantially vertical, a second portion of the at least one side being nonvertical, the top portion having a width not greater than one hundred fifty nanometers. The PMR head further comprises a nonmagnetic layer surrounding the bottom and the at least one side of the PMR pole, an intermediate layer substantially surrounding at least the second portion of the at least one side of the PMR pole, and a planarization stop layer adjacent to the first portion of the at least one side of the PMR pole.

One embodiment in accordance with the invention is a method that comprises testing a first number of physical devices using a first test sequence that comprises an item. A second number of physical devices are tested using a second test sequence. It is noted that the second test sequence comprises the item of the first test and a second item.

Discrete device testing

A method and system for providing a PMR transducer including an intermediate layer. The method and system include providing a hard mask layer on the intermediate layer. The hard mask layer is for a reactive ion etch of the intermediate layer. The method and system also include providing a bottom antireflective coating (BARC) layer on the hard mask layer. The BARC layer is also a masking layer for the hard mask layer. The method and system also include forming a trench in the intermediate layer using at least one reactive ion etch (RIE). The trench has a bottom and a top wider than the bottom. The method and system also include providing a PMR pole. At least a portion of the PMR pole resides in the trench.

Method for providing a perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) transducer

A method and system for providing a PMR pole in a magnetic recording transducer including an intermediate layer are disclosed. The method and system include providing a mask including a line on the intermediate layer. The method further include providing a hard mask layer on the mask and removing the line. Thus, an aperture in the hard mask corresponding to the line is provided. The method and system also include forming a trench in the intermediate layer under the aperture. The trench has a bottom and a top wider than the bottom. The method further includes providing a PMR pole, at least a portion of which resides in the trench.

Method and system for providing a perpendicular magnetic recording head

A method and system for providing a PMR pole in a magnetic recording transducer including an intermediate layer are disclosed. The method and system include providing a mask including a line on the intermediate layer. The line has at least one side, a top, and a bottom. The side(s) have an undercut such that the top of the line is wider than the bottom. The method further include providing a hard mask on the PMR transducer. The hard mask includes an aperture corresponding to the line. Thus, an aperture in the hard mask corresponding to the line is provided. The method and system also include forming a trench in the intermediate layer under the aperture. The trench has a bottom and a top wider than the bottom. The method further includes providing a PMR pole, at least a portion of which resides in the trench.

Method and system for providing a perpendicular magnetic recording head utilizing a mask having an undercut line

A method for providing a perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) transducer is described. The PMR transducer provided includes a PMR pole and yoke structure coupled with the PMR pole. The method includes providing a hard mask and an intermediate layer. A first portion of the hard mask resides on the PMR pole. A second portion of the hard mask resides on another structure. The intermediate layer surrounds at least the PMR pole. The method also includes performing a planarization on at least the intermediate layer, removing the first portion of the hard mask on the PMR pole without completely removing the second portion of the hard mask on the other structure. The method further includes removing a remaining portion of the hard mask on the other structure, providing a write gap on the PMR pole, and providing a shield on the write gap.

A method and system for providing a magnetic transducer having an air-bearing surface (ABS) are described. The magnetic transducer includes a base layer, a perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) pole on the base layer, an additional pole, a write shield, a write gap between the PMR pole and a portion of the write shield, and coil(s) that energize at least the additional pole. The base layer includes a first portion proximate to the ABS and a second portion recessed from the ABS. The first portion is nonmagnetic, while the second portion is magnetic. The PMR pole has a first front portion proximate to the ABS. The additional pole has a second front portion recessed from the ABS. At least a portion of the additional pole resides between the PMR pole and write shield. At least a portion of the write gap resides on the front portion of the PMR pole.

Perpendicular magnetic recording head having a recessed magnetic base layer

Growing community of inventors

Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Yong Shen