Manufacturing process of thin film magnetic head sliders
AssigneeHitachi Metals, Ltd.
InventorsKuniaki Yoshimura, Shinji Furuichi, Takeo Sasaki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A manufacturing method that can manufacture small thin film magnetic head sliders with high dimensional accuracy and high manufacturing yield is disclosed. This manufacturing method uses 5 inch- or 6 inch-dia. substrate wafers having a thickness sufficient to keep wafer bending to a minimum level even after thin film magnetic head elements have been formed on it. On the front side surface of the substrate wafer formed are thin film magnetic elements. After a protective layer covered on the surface of the thin film magnetic head elements has been ground and/or lapped, the back side surface of the substrate wafer is ground and/or lapped to a thickness equal to a desired slider length.
Claims4
A manufacturing process to manufacture a plurality of thin film magnetic head sliders comprising:
- providing a non-magnetic substrate wafer of not less than 5 inches in diameter and of not less than 2.5 mm in thickness, the thickness being more than a desired slider length for the magnetic head sliders of 1.25 mm, 1.0 mm or less to be manufactured;
- forming an insulating layer on a first end surface of the non-magnetic substrate wafer;
- forming a plurality of thin film magnetic head elements on the insulating layer by a thin film manufacturing process;
- grinding and/or lapping a second end surface of the non-magnetic substrate wafer opposite the first end surface to a thickness equal to the desired slider length of the magnetic head sliders;
- cutting the substrate wafer in a direction perpendicular to the first end surface of the substrate wafer to produce a plurality of row bars, each including a plurality of thin film magnetic head elements arranged in a line on a row bar surface;
- and
- machining the row bar to form the plurality of thin film magnetic head sliders.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.