Write head with integrated coil and shield structure
View Patent ↗Disk drive systems and associated methods of fabrication are disclosed for a write head having an integrated coil and shield structure. The write head includes a write pole having a pole tip adjacent to an air bearing surface, and a return pole having a surface adjacent to the air bearing surface. The write pole and the return pole are connected to one another by a back gap section that is distal from the air bearing surface. The write head also includes a coil formed from electrically conductive materials. The coil includes a segment that is formed proximate to the air bearing surface. The coil segment is formed from a ferromagnetic material so that the coil segment acts as a shield for the write pole.
1. A write head, comprising:
a write pole having a pole tip exposed to an air bearing surface (ABS) of the write head;
a return pole;
a back gap section that connects the write pole to the return pole distally from the air bearing surface; and
a coil formed from electrically conductive materials;
wherein a segment of the coil is formed from a ferromagnetic material and is fabricated proximate to the air bearing surface and is formed proximate to the pole tip to act as a shield for the write pole.
2. The write head of claim 1 wherein the remaining portion of the coil is formed from a non-ferromagnetic material.
3. The write head of claim 1 wherein the coil segment is substantially centered along the length of the coil.
4. The write head of claim 1 wherein the coil segment is formed from NiFe.
5. The write head of claim 1 wherein the coil segment comprises a wrap around shield for the write pole.
6. The write head of claim 1 wherein the coil segment comprises a trailing shield for the write pole.
7. The write head of claim 1 further comprising:
a bridge structure that electrically connects an outer end of the coil to an outer tap for the coil to extend the length of the coil between the coil segment and the outer tap.
8. The write head of claim 7 wherein the bridge structure comprises:
a first connecting trace fabricated on the same plane as the coil and in the middle of the coil;
a second connecting trace fabricated on the same plane as the coil;
a first bridge trace fabricated on a different plane than the coil that electrically connects the outer end of the coil to the first connecting trace; and
a second bridge trace fabricated on a different plane than the coil that electrically connects the first connecting trace to the second connecting trace, wherein one end of the second connecting trace comprises the outer tap for the coil.
9. A disk drive system, comprising:
a hard disk; and
a slider that includes a write head for writing data to the hard disk, the write head comprising:
a write pole having a pole tip adjacent to an air bearing surface of the write head;
a return pole;
a back gap section that connects the write pole to the return pole distally from the air bearing surface; and
a coil formed from electrically conductive materials;
wherein a segment of the coil is formed from a ferromagnetic material and is fabricated proximate to the air bearing surface and is formed proximate to the pole tip to act as a shield for the write pole.
10. The disk drive system of claim 9 wherein the remaining portion of the coil is formed from a non-ferromagnetic material.
11. The disk drive system of claim 9 wherein the coil segment is substantially centered along the length of the coil.
12. The disk drive system of claim 9 wherein the coil segment is formed from NiFe.
13. The disk drive system of claim 9 wherein the coil segment comprises a wrap around shield for the write pole.
14. The disk drive system of claim 9 wherein the coil segment comprises a trailing shield for the write pole.
15. The disk drive system of claim 9 further comprising:
a bridge structure that electrically connects an outer end of the coil to an outer tap for the coil to extend the length of the coil between the coil segment and the outer tap.
16. The disk drive system of claim 15 wherein the bridge structure comprises:
a first connecting trace fabricated on the same plane as the coil and in the middle of the coil;
a second connecting trace fabricated on the same plane as the coil;
a first bridge trace fabricated on a different plane than the coil that electrically connects the outer end of the coil to the first connecting trace; and
a second bridge trace fabricated on a different plane than the coil that electrically connects the first connecting trace to the second connecting trace, wherein one end of the second connecting trace comprises the outer tap for the coil.
17. A write head for a disk drive system, the write head comprising:
a coil formed from electrically conductive materials;
wherein a segment of the coil is formed from a ferromagnetic material and is fabricated proximate to an air bearing surface of the write head, and wherein the remaining portion of the coil is formed from a non-ferromagnetic material.
18. The write head of claim 17 wherein the coil segment is fabricated proximate to a pole tip of a write pole to act as a wrap around shield or a trailing shield for the write pole.
19. The write head of claim 17 wherein the coil segment is substantially centered along the length of the coil.
20. The write head of claim 17 wherein the coil segment is formed from NiFe.
21. A method of fabricating a write head, the method comprising:
forming a write pole for the write head;
depositing an insulating material on the write pole;
removing the insulating material down to the write pole in the area of a back gap section;
forming the back gap section that contacts the write pole;
forming a segment of a coil from a ferromagnetic material proximate to an air bearing surface of the write head;
forming the remaining portion of the coil from a non-ferromagnetic material that electrically connects with the coil segment;
depositing insulating material on the coil; and
forming a return pole for the write head that contacts the back gap section.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein the coil segment is substantially centered along the length of the coil.
23. The method of claim 21 wherein the coil segment is formed from NiFe.
24. The method of claim 21 wherein the coil segment comprises a wrap around shield or a trailing shield for the write pole.
25. The method of claim 21 further comprising:
forming a first connecting trace and a second connecting trace in the same process as forming the remaining portion of the coil, wherein the first connecting trace is formed in the middle of the coil; and
forming a first bridge trace and a second bridge trace in the same process as forming the return pole, wherein the first bridge trace electrically connects an outer end of the coil to the first connecting trace and the second bridge trace electrically connects the first connecting trace to the second connecting trace, wherein one end of the second connecting trace comprises an outer tap for the coil.