Capacitive sensing employing thin film inductors
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsRobert A. Scranton, David A. Thompson
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Abstract
A capacitive variation sensor includes one or more elements providing inductive reactance in the form of thin film coils. This enables a capacitive variation sensor to be integrated on a substrate along with a thin film magnetic read/write head. One element of the capacitive variation sensor is a sensing electrode, and in some embodiments of the invention a dedicated sense electrode can be eliminated by employing the pole tips of the thin film magnetic read/write head as the sense electrode.
Claims11
In a magnetic read/write system including a magnetic slider assembly supporting a magnetic read/write head, capacitive variation sensor means mounted on said magnetic slider assembly for sensing capacitive variations, including at least one element presenting substantial inductive reactance, said at least one element comprising a thin film conductive pattern.
A magnetic read/write system including a slider assembly supporting a thin film magnetic read/write head, capacitive variation sensor means mounted on said slider assembly for sensing capacitive variations, said sensor means comprising a thin film conductive pattern presenting substantial inductive reactance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.