Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Fluid bearing head support – Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-22
2002-11-26
Cao, Allen (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Fluid bearing head support
Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
active
06487044
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to thin-film magnetic heads used for magneto-optical disk units, hard magnetic disk drives, etc. and to a method of making the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional thin-film magnetic head will be described with reference to
FIGS. 15
to
18
.
FIG. 15
is a plan view of a side
2
a
of a slider
2
(see
FIG. 16
) provided with a head element
1
of a thin-film magnetic head. The slider
2
is composed of a ceramic such as Al
2
O
3
—TiC, and an underlying layer
2
b
composed of Al
2
O
3
or the like is formed at the side
2
a
. The side
2
a
of the slider
2
includes a head region A
1
, terminal regions A
3
for supplying power to the head element
1
, and a leader-section region A
2
for connecting the head element
1
to a first terminal
19
a
and a second terminal
19
b.
The head element
1
lies in the head region A
1
, and includes a read section h
1
1
for reading data from hard magnetic disks and a write section h
2
for writing data.
FIG. 16
is a perspective view of the head element
1
and
FIG. 17
is a portion of a sectional view taken along the line
17
—
17
of FIG.
15
. As shown in
FIGS. 16 and 17
, the read section h
1
includes a lower shielding layer
3
composed of a magnetic material such as a permalloy formed on the underlying layer
2
b
at the side
2
a
, a lower gap layer
4
composed of an insulating material such as Al
2
O
3
formed on the lower shielding layer
3
, a magnetoresistive element layer
5
formed on the end of the lower gap layer
4
facing a medium, a hard bias layer
6
connected to both sides of the magnetoresistive element layer
5
, an electrode layer
7
composed of a good conductor which is connected to the hard bias layer
6
and extends to the surface of the lower gap layer
4
, an upper gap layer
8
composed of an insulating material such as alumina formed above the lower shielding layer
3
for covering the magnetoresistive element layer
5
, the hard bias layer
6
, and the electrode layer
7
, and an upper shielding layer which also acts as a lower core
9
composed of a magnetic material formed on the upper gap layer
8
.
The write section h
2
of the head element
1
includes the lower core
9
composed of a magnetic material such as a permalloy, a gap layer
11
composed of an insulating material such as alumina formed on the lower core
9
, a first insulating layer
12
composed of an insulating organic material formed on the gap layer
11
, a window
10
provided so that a portion of the lower core
9
is exposed through the first insulating layer
12
, a coil
13
composed of a good conductor such as copper spirally wound around the window
10
in the first insulating layer
12
, an end
13
a
of the coil
13
extending from the surface of the first insulating layer
12
to the surface of the side
2
a
of the slider
2
, a nickel film
14
formed on the coil
13
and the end
13
a
for inhibiting oxidation, a second insulating layer
15
composed of an insulating organic material for covering the surface of the coil
13
coated with the nickel film
14
, an opening (not shown in the drawing) provided so that the other end (not shown in the drawing) of the coil
13
is exposed through the second insulating layer
15
, and an upper core
16
composed of a magnetic material such as a FeNi alloy (permalloy) formed on the surface of the second insulating layer
15
and connected to the lower core
9
through the window
10
.
The upper core
16
is opposed to the lower core
9
with the gap layer
11
therebetween at the end of the head element
1
facing the medium, and the width of the tip of the upper core
16
is narrowed at this end.
FIG. 18
is a portion of a sectional view taken along the line
18
—
18
of FIG.
15
. As shown in
FIGS. 15 and 18
, a first leader section
18
a
, which extends from the end
13
a
of the coil
13
to the terminal region A
3
, is formed in the leader-section region A
2
. The first leader section
18
a
, which is composed of the same material as that of the upper core
16
, overlaps the end
13
a
of the coil
13
in the head region A
1
and extends to the terminal region A
3
. The end of the first leader section
18
a
constitutes a first terminal
19
a
formed in the terminal region A
3
.
A second leader section
18
b
, which extends from the other end (not shown in the drawing) of the coil
13
to the terminal region A
3
, is formed in the leader-section region A
2
. The second leader section
18
b
, which is composed of the same magnetic material as that of the upper core
16
, is connected to the other end of the coil
13
and extends to the terminal region A
3
. The end of the second leader section
18
b
constitutes a second terminal
19
b
formed in the terminal region A
3
.
The slider
2
is mounted on a flexure (not shown in the drawing) which is flexible so that the side
2
a
is perpendicular to the surface of the medium, such as a hard magnetic disk.
When the hard magnetic disk drive is operated, a current is applied to the coil
13
from the first and second terminals
19
a
and
19
b
through the first and second leader sections
18
a
and
18
b
, respectively. Magnetic fields, which are induced by the current flowing through the coil
13
, in the upper core
16
and the lower core
9
, form a magnetic path at a gap G. Data is written on to the medium by a magnetic field of the magnetic path passing through the medium.
Next, a method of fabricating the coil
13
, the upper core
16
, and the first and second leader sections
18
a
and
18
b
will be described with reference to
FIGS. 19
to
27
.
The read section h
1
is formed on the underlying layer
2
b
composed of Al
2
O
3
or the like at the side
2
a
of the slider
2
, and the gap layer
11
and the first insulating layer
12
are patterned on the lower core
9
, which also acts as an upper shielding layer of the read section h
1
, so that a portion of the lower core
9
is exposed at the window
10
.
In such a state, first, as shown in
FIG. 19
, an underlying layer
22
composed of a thin metal film for preparing plating is formed by sputtering over the first insulating layer
12
and the underlying layer
2
b
. An outline of the coil
13
is formed by a resist frame
23
on the surface of the underlying layer
22
.
In the coil-forming step, a copper plating film
24
is formed on the underlying layer
22
provided with the resist frame
23
, and a nickel plating film
25
for inhibiting oxidation of the copper is deposited thereon.
After the resist frame
23
is removed by a resist stripper, in a first ion milling step shown in
FIG. 20
, the surface of the nickel plating film
25
which covers the copper plating film
24
and the surface of a removable underlying layer
22
a
, which has been exposed by the resist-stripping, are irradiated with Ar ions, and the removable underlying layer
22
a
is eliminated so that insulating spaces are formed between turns of the coil
13
.
Next, unnecessary copper plating film
24
and nickel plating film
25
are removed by wet etching while the surface of the nickel plating film
25
constituting the coil
13
is protected with a resist, and then the resist is stripped.
In a second ion milling step shown in
FIG. 21
, the surface of the nickel plating film
14
which covers the coil
13
and the surface of an unnecessary underlying layer
22
b
exposed by the wet etching are irradiated with Ar ions, and the exposed unnecessary underlying layer
22
b
is eliminated.
When the coil
13
is completed, as shown in
FIG. 22
, the end
13
a
of the coil
13
is formed in the head region A
1
.
In a subsequent step for forming the second insulating layer, an organic film is applied on the side
2
a
of the slider
2
in which the coil
13
has been formed, and the second insulating layer
15
is formed above the first insulating layer
12
so as to cover the coil
13
. At this stage, the second insulating layer
15
is patterned so that the end
13
a
of the coil
13
and the
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Nguyen Dzung C.
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