Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080232001 | PERPENDICULAR WRITE HEAD HAVING A STEPPED FLARE STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF - A magnetic write head for data recording having a magnetic write pole with a stepped magnetic shell structure that defines a secondary flare point. The secondary flare point defined by the magnetic shell portion can be more tightly controlled with respect to its distance from the air bearing surface (ABS) of the write head than can a traditional flare point that is photolithographically on the main pole structure. This allows the effective flare point of the write head to be moved much closer to the ABS than would otherwise be possible using currently available tooling and photolithography techniques. The write head may also include a magnetic trailing shield that wraps around the main pole portion. The trailing shield can have a hack edge defining a trailing shield throat height that is either between the secondary flare point or coincident or behind the secondary flare point, depending on design requirements | 09-25-2008 |
20080244896 | ADDITIVE GAP PROCESS TO DEFINE TRAILING AND SIDE SHIELD GAP FOR A PERPENDICULAR WRITE HEAD - A method for manufacturing a magnetic write head for perpendicular magnetic recording. The method includes the formation of a write pole over a substrate. A non-magnetic side gap layer is deposited and an ion milling is used to remove a portion of the substrate to lower the floor of the substrate. A sacrificial fill layer can then be deposited. A chemical mechanical polishing process can be used to remove the mask structure remaining as a remnant of the formation of the write pole, and then the sacrificial fill layer can be removed. A non-magnetic, electrically conductive material can be deposited to form a trailing gap, and a magnetic material can then be deposited to form a wrap around trailing shield. | 10-09-2008 |
20090258186 | WAFER-LEVEL METHOD FOR FABRICATING AN OPTICAL CHANNEL AND APERTURE STRUCTURE IN MAGNETIC RECORDING HEAD SLIDERS FOR USE IN THERMALLY-ASSISTED RECORDING (TAR) - A process for forming a plurality of sliders for use in thermally-assisted recording (TAR) disk drives includes a wafer-level process for forming a plurality of aperture structures, and optionally abutting optical channels, on a wafer surface prior to cutting the wafer into individual sliders. The wafer has a generally planar surface arranged into a plurality of rectangularly-shaped regions. In each rectangular region a first metal layer is deposited on the wafer surface, followed by a layer of radiation-transmissive aperture material, which is then lithographically patterned to define the width of the aperture, the aperture width being parallel to the length of the rectangularly-shaped region. A second metal layer is deposited over the patterned layer of aperture material. The resulting structure is then lithographically patterned to define an aperture structure comprising aperture material surrounded by metal and having parallel radiation entrance and exit faces orthogonal to the wafer surface. | 10-15-2009 |
20090268348 | WRITE HEAD LAPPING GUIDE ABOUT ALIGNED TO A NON-MAGNETIC LAYER SURROUNDING A WRITE POLE AND A METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME - A method in one embodiment includes forming an electric lapping guide layer; forming a write pole; forming a first gap layer over the write pole; masking a portion of the first gap layer for defining a window over the write pole and at least a portion of the electric lapping guide layer; and forming a bump over the write pole in the window. A system in one embodiment includes an electric lapping guide layer; a write pole positioned to one side of the electric lapping guide layer; and a bump formed over the write pole in a window, wherein a back end of the electric lapping guide layer and a front end of the bump are about a same distance from a lapped surface of a head. Additional methods and systems are presented. | 10-29-2009 |
20100091407 | PERPENDICULAR WRITE HEAD HAVING A STEPPED FLARE STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF - A magnetic write head for data recording having a magnetic write pole with a stepped magnetic shell structure that defines a secondary flare point. The secondary flare point defined by the magnetic shell portion can be more tightly controlled with respect to its distance from the air bearing surface (ABS) of the write head than can a traditional flare point that is photolithographically on the main pole structure. This allows the effective flare point of the write head to be moved much closer to the ABS than would otherwise be possible using currently available tooling and photolithography techniques. The write head also includes a non-magnetic spacer layer formed over the magnetic shell structure that is recessed from the ABS by a distance that is greater than that of the magnetic shell portion. A magnetic shield is formed over the magnetic shell and non-magnetic spacer. | 04-15-2010 |
20100126001 | Method for self aligning a lapping guide with a structure of a magnetic write head - A method for self aligning a lapping guide with a structure of a write pole. A write pole is formed over a substrate and an electrically conductive material lapping guide material is deposited in a location that is removed from the write pole. A mask is then formed over a portion of the write pole and a portion of the electrically conductive material. A material removal process such as reactive ion etching can then be performed to remove a portion of the magnetic material that is not protected by the mask structure. An magnetic material is then electroplated over the write pole with the write pole, with the mask still in place. In this way, the electroplated material has an edge that is self aligned with an edge of the electrically conductive lapping guide material, both being defined by the same mask structure. | 05-27-2010 |
20100128392 | PERPENDICULAR WRITE HEAD HAVING A STEPPED FLARE STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF - A magnetic write head for data recording having a magnetic write pole with a stepped magnetic shell structure that defines a secondary flare point. The secondary flare point defined by the magnetic shell portion can be more tightly controlled with respect to its distance from the air bearing surface (ABS) of the write head than can a traditional flare point that is photolithographically on the main pole structure. This allows the effective flare point of the write head to be moved much closer to the ABS than would otherwise be possible using currently available tooling and photolithography techniques. The write head also includes a non-magnetic spacer layer formed over the magnetic shell structure and a trailing magnetic shield, a portion of which is formed over the non-magnetic spacer. | 05-27-2010 |
20100165822 | THERMALLY ASSISTED RECORDING HEAD HAVING RECESSED WAVEGUIDE WITH NEAR FIELD TRANSDUCER AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME - According to one embodiment, an apparatus includes a near field transducer comprising a conductive metal film having a main body and a ridge extending from the main body and an optical waveguide for illumination of the near field transducer, a light guiding core layer of the optical waveguide being spaced from the near field transducer by less than about 100 nanometers and greater than 0 nanometers. In another embodiment, a method includes forming a near field transducer structure and removing a portion of the near field transducer structure. The method also includes forming a cladding layer adjacent a remaining portion of the near field transducer structure, wherein a portion of the cladding layer extends along the remaining portion of the near field transducer structure and forming a core layer above the cladding layer. Other apparatuses and methods are also included in the invention. | 07-01-2010 |
20100326819 | METHOD FOR MAKING A PATTERNED PERPENDICULAR MAGNETIC RECORDING DISK - A method for making a patterned-media magnetic recording disk uses nano-imprint lithography (NIL) for patterning a resist layer over the magnetic recording layer. A hard mask layer is located above the magnetic recording layer and an etch stop layer is located above the hard mask layer and below the resist layer. Residual resist material in the recesses of the patterned resist layer is removed by reactive ion etching (RIE) to expose the underlying etch stop layer. The etch stop material in the recesses is then removed by RIE to expose regions of the hard mask layer. A reactive ion milling (RIM) process removes the exposed hard mask material. The RIM process causes no undercutting of the unexposed hard mask material, which allows the very small critical dimensions of the patterned-media disk to be reliably achieved when ion milling is subsequently performed through the hard mask that has been patterned by the RIM process. | 12-30-2010 |
20120218871 | THERMALLY ASSISTED RECORDING HEAD HAVING RECESSED WAVEGUIDE WITH NEAR FIELD TRANSDUCER AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME - An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a near field transducer comprising a conductive metal film; and an optical waveguide for illumination of the near field transducer, a light guiding core layer of the optical waveguide being spaced from the near field transducer by less than about 100 nanometers and greater than 0 nanometers, wherein a longitudinal axis of the optical waveguide is substantially perpendicular to an air bearing surface. | 08-30-2012 |
20130133182 | THERMALLY ASSISTED RECORDING ASSEMBLY WITH BONDING PADS ON A TOP SURFACE - The present invention generally relates to fabricating a bond pad for electrically connecting a laser diode to a slider and a TAR head in a HDD. The bond pad is deposited on a surface of the head that is perpendicular to the air bearing surface (ABS). The head is diced and lapped to expose the bond pad on a top surface of the head and mounted on a slider. The laser diode and a sub-mount may be coupled to the top surface of the slider—i.e., the surface opposite the ABS—by connecting to the bond pads. Specifically, both the laser diode and the sub-mount have electrodes thereon that are perpendicular to the bond pads. Conductive bonding material is used to bond the laser diode and the sub-mount to the bond pads. | 05-30-2013 |
20140291283 | METHOD FOR MAKING A CURRENT-PERPENDICULAR-TO-THE-PLANE (CPP) MAGNETORESISTIVE (MR) SENSOR WITH REDUCED-WIDTH SELF-ALIGNED TOP ELECTRODE - A method for making a current-perpendicular-to-the-plane magnetoresistive sensor structure produces a top electrode that is “self-aligned” on the top of the sensor and with a width less than the sensor trackwidth. A pair of walls of ion-milling resistant material are fabricated to a predetermined height above the biasing layers at the sensor side edges. A layer of electrode material is then deposited onto the top of the sensor between the two walls. The walls serve as a mask during angled ion milling to remove outer portions of the electrode layer. The height of the walls and the angle of ion milling determines the width of the resulting top electrode. This leaves the reduced-width top electrode located on the sensor. Because of the directional ion milling using walls that are aligned with the sensor side edges, the reduced-width top electrode is self-aligned in the center of the sensor. | 10-02-2014 |
20140313872 | HEAT-ASSISTED MAGNETIC RECORDING (HAMR) HEAD WITH DIFFUSION BARRIER BETWEEN WAVEGUIDE CORE AND WRITE POLE LIP - A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head in which the core of the optical waveguide has an end face that abuts the NFT and the write pole lip has a diffusion barrier between the end face of the waveguide core and the write pole lip. The diffusion barrier layer may also be located between the waveguide core end face and the NFT, in which case it is formed of an optically transparent material, like TaN | 10-23-2014 |
20140340791 | CURRENT-PERPENDICULAR-TO-THE-PLANE (CPP) MAGNETORESISTIVE SENSOR WITH REDUCED-WIDTH TOP AND BOTTOM ELECTRODES AND METHOD FOR MAKING - A current-perpendicular-to-the plane magnetoresistive sensor has top and bottom electrodes narrower than the sensor trackwidth. The electrodes are formed of one of Cu, Au, Ag and AgSn, which have an ion milling etch rate much higher than the etch rates for the sensor's ferromagnetic materials. Ion milling is performed at a high angle relative to a line orthogonal to the plane of the electrode layers and the layers in the sensor stack. Because of the much higher etch rate of the material of the top and bottom electrode layers, the electrode layers will have side edges that are recessed from the side edges of the free layer. This reduces the surface areas for the top and bottom electrodes, which causes the sense current passing through the sensor's free layer to be confined in a narrower channel, which is equivalent to having a sensor with narrower physical trackwidth. | 11-20-2014 |