Systems and methods for protecting a sensitive device from corrosion
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsIcko E. Tim Iben, Wayne Alan McKinley, Lee Curtis Randall
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for protecting a magnetic head according to one embodiment includes reducing a relative humidity in a vicinity of a magnetic head by passing an elevated bias current through a sensor of the head during at least some time periods when the sensor is not in use for reading data, the elevated bias current being chosen to be sufficient to heat the sensor to a level which will reduce the local relative humidity to below a threshold level for reducing or eliminating corrosion of the sensor. Additional methods are also presented.
Claims20
A method for protecting a magnetic head, comprising:
- reducing a relative humidity in a vicinity of a magnetic head by passing an elevated bias current through a sensor of the head during at least some time periods when the sensor is not in use for reading data, the elevated bias current being chosen to be sufficient to heat the sensor to a level which will reduce the local relative humidity to below a threshold level for reducing or eliminating corrosion of the sensor.
A method for protecting a magnetic head, comprising:
- during a reading operation, setting potentials of a sensor and a substrate of the sensor to about a common value;
- and
- during an idle period, raising the potential of the substrate to a level above that of the sensor.
A method for protecting a magnetic head, comprising:
- detecting a relative humidity in a vicinity of a magnetic head;
- comparing the detected relative humidity to a threshold level;
- and
- if the detected relative humidity is above the threshold level, passing an elevated bias current through a sensor of the head during at least some time periods when the sensor is not in use for reading data, the elevated bias current being chosen to be sufficient to heat the sensor to a level which will reduce the local relative humidity to below the threshold level for reducing or eliminating corrosion of the sensor.
A method for protecting a magnetic head, comprising:
- detecting a relative humidity in a vicinity of a magnetic head;
- comparing the detected relative humidity to a threshold level;
- and
- setting a potential of the sensor at some value relative to the substrate or the surrounding materials based on the comparison.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.