Contact planar magnetoresistive head
US6198607A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 2, 1996 |
| Grant date | Mar 6, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 2, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B5/40
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A hard disk drive head operates in close proximity and dynamic contact with a rapidly spinning rigid disk surface, the head including a transducer with a magnetically permeable path between a poletip disposed adjacent to the disk surface and a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor situated outside the range of thermal noise generated by the surface contact. The magnetically permeable path is the same as that used to write data to the disk, eliminating errors that occur in conventional transducers having MR sensors at a separate location from the writing poletips. Moreover, the magnetically permeable path is preferably formed in a low profile, highly efficient "planar" loop that allows for manufacturing tolerances in throat height and wear of the terminal poletips from disk contact without poletip saturation or poletip smearing. The MR layer is formed in one of the first manufacturing steps atop the substrate, so that the MR layer has a relatively uniform planar template that is free from contaminants. A preferred embodiment has a laminated yoke for improved high frequency efficiency, with the MR element situated between the yoke lamina for improved sensitivity.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.