The present invention is an integral magnetic head suspension and method for making the same. The integral suspension, with or without the head, contains integrated conductive circuits that have multiple cross overs for noise reduction. The suspension is fabricated completely on silicon (Si) wafers using semiconductor processes. A N+ silicon layer is disposed over a P- silicon wafer. The N+ silicon layer and the P- silicon water are thermally oxidized to generate a bottom silicon oxide layer opposite the N+ layer side of the wafer and a top silicon oxide layer on the N+ side of the wafer, and to drive the N+ silicon into the P- silicon wafer. A layer of polysilicon is disposed over the silicon oxide layer on top of the N+ silicon layer. One or more pairs of conductive traces having multiple cross-overs are fabricated on the layer of polysilicon. Optimally, a magnetic head is simultaneously fabricated on the suspension. The polysilicon layer is then patterned to define the head structure and suspension structure as one piece. Finally, the magnetic head and suspension are separated from the wafer by removing the first silicon oxide layer by a chemical etchant and the P- silicon wafer by selective etching. The head and suspension are released from the silicon wafer as a single structure using the above-described semiconductor processes. Accordingly, no grinding or cutting is used to define the dimensions of the head. Further, no processes are required to attach the head to the suspension and the suspension can be made from low mass materials such as silicon (Si) or Al 2 O 3 .

Integrated conductor magnetic recording head and suspension having cross-over integrated circuits for noise reduction

A spin valve head according to the present invention includes a spin valve stack having a free layer, a first spacer layer, a pinned layer and a pinning layer. The spin valve stack is configured to operate in a current perpendicular to plane (CPP) mode, wherein a sense current flows substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal plane of the first spacer layer. The spin valve head includes a first shield and a second shield coupled to opposing sides of the spin valve stack. The first and the second shields act as electrodes to couple the sense current to the spin valve stack. The first shield has a concave shape and substantially surrounds the free layer. The spin valve head also includes a second spacer layer and a layer of antiferromagnetic material. The second spacer layer is formed on the free layer. The layer of antiferromagnetic material is formed on the second spacer layer.

Current perpendicular to plane spin valve head

To stabilize bonding strength by concentrating bonding energy upon members to be bonded together, when an overlapped interface of a plurality of members to be bonded together is to be bonded by ultrasonic vibration, heaters 6 and 7 are caused to generate heat to heat the bonding working portion 3d of a resonator 2, whereby bonding energy generated by ultrasonic vibration and bonding energy generated by heating are provided to the interface so that bonding energy can be concentrated upon the interface without increasing the energy of ultrasonic vibration and bonding strength can be stabilized Further, when electric heaters are used as the heaters 6 and 7, operationability is improved Moreover, when heater holes 3e and 3f are formed in the resonator 2 and electric heaters are fitted into the holes 3e and 3f, heater installation work is facilitated The heater may be provided in the mount

Ultrasonic vibration bonding machine

A tunneling magnetoresistive head according to the present invention includes a tunneling magnetoresistive stack having a free layer, a barrier layer, a pinned layer and a pinning layer. The tunneling magnetoresistive stack is configured to operate in a current perpendicular to plane (CPP) mode, wherein a sense current flows substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal plane of the barrier layer. The tunneling magnetoresistive head includes a first shield and a second shield coupled to opposing sides of the tunneling magnetoresistive stack. The first and the second shields act as electrodes to couple the sense current to the tunneling magnetoresistive stack. The first shield has a concave shape and substantially surrounds the free layer. The tunneling magnetoresistive head also includes a spacer layer and a layer of antiferromagnetic material. The spacer layer is formed on the free layer. The layer of antiferromagnetic material is formed on the second spacer layer.

Tunneling magnetoresistive head in current perpendicular to plane mode

A magnetoresistive sensor for use in a data storage device has a recessed sensing element (magnetic tunnel junction, CPP spin valve, etc.) with an exchange biased sensing ferromagnetic (free) layer, and a flux guide that magnetically connects the sensing element to a sensing surface of the sensor. The free layer is selectively exchange biased by a layer of exchange bias material placed under non-active regions of the free layer that lie outside the sensing element and flux guide track widths. The flux guide is provided by extending the free layer from a forward edge of the sensing element to the sensor surface. Advantageously, the sensing element and the flux guide have equal track width so that magnetic flux directed from the flux guide into the sensing element is not diluted with consequent loss of sensitivity.

Self aligned magnetoresistive flux guide read head with exchange bias underneath free layer

A single point bonding tool for use in ultrasonically bonding a fine or ultrafine wire to another electrical conductor, has a thin film resistor integrally formed thereon. The thin film resistor is integrally formed on the bonding tip by standard photolithographic techniques applied to the bonding tool. The tool combines ultrasonic energy and thermal energy provided by the resistor to provide required bonding energy that may be localized both in space and in time. The result offers optimized energy transfer to the selected workpieces and minimizes risk of damage to adjacent, heat sensitive devices.

Device for thermally enhanced ultrasonic bonding with localized heat pulses

A magnetoresistive (MR) head having a double self-aligned contiguous junction includes an MR sensor structure with a biased guide joined thereto. The guide is formed using a first resist mask applied over the MR sensor structure. A guide biasing structure is formed using the first resist mask and a second resist mask applied over the first resist mask and the guide. The first resist mask is configured to form a double self-aligned contiguous junction between the MR sensor structure and the guide and guide bias structure. In this manner, the position of the guide biasing structure is carefully controlled so that it does not overlap the MR sensor structure.

Double self-aligned insulated contiguous junction for flux-guided-MR or yoke-MR head applications

A disk drive assembly in which the suspension and read/write transducer are integrated into a combination assembly and fabricated using thin film deposition techniques thereby producing an assembly which is very low in mass permitting contact recording. In one embodiment, transducers are deposited in a row and column configuration onto a release and support layer covering a wafer substrate having a thickness equal to a desired suspension length. The wafer is separated into a plurality of row sections, with each row section providing one thin film transducer from each column. A second release layer is formed on a separated side on the row section and thin layers of suitable materials are deposited to form a suspension layer including conductive lines extending to the thin film transducers. The first and second release layers are dissolved and the row section is further cut to form the individual combination assemblies. In a second embodiment, the wafer substrate has a thickness equal to the width of the suspension. The transducers deposited on a row are separated by the desired suspension length to produce combination assemblies useful for linear disk drive actuators. The excess portion of the wafer substrate can alternatively be removed by cutting or etching eliminating the requirement for release or support layers.

Linda Hope Lane

Papers

Device for thermally enhanced ultrasonic bonding with localized heat pulses

Double self-aligned insulated contiguous junction for flux-guided-MR or yoke-MR head applications

Magnetic head for recording with ultra low force