US5052099A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of fabricating a magnetic head by sputter etching
Assignee: TDK Corp
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Filing: 1990-10-31
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Granted: 1991-10-01
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Expires: 2010-10-31
Abstract
Abstract A floating type magnetic head is made of a polycrystalline material. A surface to be opposed to a magnetic recording medium is undulated with lands and grooves having a height difference of 50 to 200 Å on an average and a repetition pitch of 5 to 20 microns on an average. The portions, in which the heights of the lands and the grooves abruptly change, extend along the boundaries of the polycrystals. The head surface opposed to the magnetic recording medium is sputter-etched to have the predetermined surface roughness.
Inventors
- 👤 Akira Taguchi
- 👤 Shigetoshi Morita
- 👤 Shunichi Taka
- 👤 Hirohide Yamada
- 👤 Yoshiaki Takada
- 👤 Shinji Furuichi
- 👤 Masahiro Ao
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 09:54
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11B; G11B5/00; G11B5/48; G11B5/58; G11B5/60; G11B5/6005; G11B5/10; G11B5/102; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49002; Y10T29/4902; Y10T29/49021; Y10T29/49032; Y10T29/49036; Y10T29/49041
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
94 words
A process for fabricating a magnetic head, comprising the steps of: setting a slider of a polycrystalline ceramic material in a sputtering apparatus; sputter-etching at least one portion of said slider surface to be opposed to a magnetic recording disk, by generating ionized gases in at least one portion of said opposed slider surface, so that lands and grooves may be formed to have a difference of 50 to 200 Å on an average and a repetition pitch of 5 to 20 microns on an average; and bonding a magnetic core to said slider.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
94 words
A process for fabricating a magnetic head, comprising the steps of: setting a slider of a polycrystalline ceramic material in a sputtering apparatus; sputter-etching at least one portion of said slider surface to be opposed to a magnetic recording disk, by generating ionized gases in at least one portion of said opposed slider surface, so that lands and grooves may be formed to have a difference of 50 to 200 Å on an average and a repetition pitch of 5 to 20 microns on an average; and bonding a magnetic core to said slider.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
A magnetic head fabricating process according to claim 1, wherein said sputter-etching step removes a property-changed layer from the surface of said slider and cleans said slider surface.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
46 words
A magnetic head fabricating process according to claim 1, further comprising the step of masking that portion of the slider surface opposed to said magnetic disk other than a portion thereof to be treated, so that only the portion exposed from the mask may be sputter-etched.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
A magnetic head fabricating process according to claim 3, further comprising the step of removing said mask during said sputter-etching step to form steps between the masked and exposed portions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
A magnetic head fabricating process according to claim 1, wherein said sputter-etching step forms undulations of said lands and said grooves having an amplitude of 50 to 300 Å.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
A magnetic head fabricating process according to claim 1, wherein the ceramic material composing said slider is spinel type ferrite.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
22 words
A magnetic head fabricating process according to claim 1, wherein the ceramic material composing said slider is Ni-Zn ferrite or Mn-Zn ferrite.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
A magnetic head fabricating process according to claim 1, wherein the ceramic material composing said slider is an Mn-Ni oxide.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
A magnetic head fabricating process according to claim 1, wherein the ceramic material composing said slider is calcium titanate, barium titanate, alumina, or zinc ferrite.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
40 words
A magnetic head fabricating process according to claim 1, wherein the lands and grooves are formed to have a difference ob 70 to 170 Å on an average and a repetition pitch of 7 to 17 microns on an average.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
A magnetic head fabricating process according to claim 1, wherein steep portions are formed between the lands and grooves extending along the boundaries of the ceramic material crystals.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
29 words
A magnetic head fabricating process according to claim 1, further comprising, prior to said sputter-etching step, the step of polishing the slider surface to be opposed to the disk.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
A magnetic head fabricating process according to claim 12, wherein in the polishing step the slider surface is polished to have a surface roughness of approximately 10 to 40 Å.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
A magnetic head fabricating process according to claim 13, wherein the undulations extend along the boundaries of the ceramic material crystals.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1994-09-30 | 1995-04-01 | 1995-10-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-09-30 | 1999-04-01 | 1999-10-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-09-30 | 2003-04-01 | 2003-10-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |