Silicon Chip With an Integrated Magnetoresistive Head Mounted on a Slider

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a slider mounted silicon chip with an integrated electronic structure that includes a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor and associated circuitry, and more particularly to a silicon chip including an integrated MR head which is mounted to a trailing edge of a slider wherein the silicon chip contains integrated circuits, such as electrostatic discharge (ESD) circuits, which serve the MR sensor of the MR head.

2. Description of the Related Art

MR sensors are commonly used as read elements in thin film magnetic heads for sensing recorded signals on a magnetic medium, such as a magnetic disk. A thin film magnetic head which incorporates an MR sensor is called an MR head. An MR sensor includes a thin stripe of conductive material, such as Permalloy (NiFe). When a magnetic medium, such as a magnetic disk, is rotated adjacent the MR sensor, magnetic fields from the medium induce a response in the MR sensor causing the sensor to change its resistance. A sense current conducted through the MR sensor changes its magnitude proportionally to the change in resistance. The magnitude changes are then processed by channel electronics into playback signals representing information stored on the magnetic medium.

A typical MR stripe is 5 microns long, 1 micron high and 200 Angstroms thick. The length and thickness of the MR stripe are exposed at a surface of an MR head while the height is buried in the head body. During construction and assembly of the MR head, the MR stripe must be protected from electrostatic discharge (ESD). A discharge of only a few volts can destroy or severely damage the MR stripe. Such a discharge can occur by contact with or close proximity to a person, plastic involved in the fabrication, or components of a magnetic medium drive.

The prior art teaches the use of electrical elements to protect MR stripes from ESD. These elements include diodes which shunt excessive current away from the MR stripe to larger conductive components in the head via leads which are connected to the MR stripe. Such larger components may include shield or coil layers that form part of an integrated MR head.

ESD protection devices (ESDD) and MR heads have been fabricated on sliders. A standard material in the industry for sliders has been titanium carbide (TIC), also known as N58. TiC is wear resistant and is easy to machine. However, ESD robust diodes, which are required to protect an MR stripe from ESD, cannot be produced in TiC. Nevertheless, it is known that ESD robust diodes can be fabricated in a silicon wafer.

There is a strong felt need in the art to improve the ESD protection of MR stripes to the level of that provided by silicon diodes without changing the slider material from TiC. Two technical challenges are involved. One is fabrication of magnetic heads on TiC sliders with thin film technology and the other is the construction of protection elements on a silicon wafer by integrated circuit technology. It would be desirable if these two technologies could be merged to provide an MR head on a slider, such as TiC, which is protected from ESD by silicon elements. Further, it would be desirable if a method of fabrication could be provided which combines the two technologies for mass producing MR heads on sliders with ESD protection.

The present invention provides an MR head on a slider which is protected from ESD damage by silicon integrated circuit elements. This is accomplished by locating a silicon chip, containing the circuit elements on the trailing edge of the slider. In a preferred embodiment a thin film MR head is located on the trailing edge of the silicon chip so that when the MR head is constructed interconnects can easily be made with the integrated circuit elements. In an alternative embodiment the MR head is constructed on the trailing edge of the slider and the silicon chip is mounted adjacent the MR head making connection through pre-formed pads.

A unique series of steps have been provided for mass producing the MR head on a slider with ESD protection. Both technologies are merged at the wafer level. Integrated circuit technology is employed to construct integrated circuit elements for multiple MR heads on a silicon wafer. In a preferred embodiment this silicon wafer is fixedly attached to a wafer of slider material to provide a composite wafer. Using thin film technology a series of MR heads are constructed on top of the silicon wafer with connections being made to the integrated circuit elements. The composite wafer is then diced into quadrants, each quadrant containing rows and columns of sliders. Each quadrant is then diced into rows, each row containing a row of sliders. Each row is then lapped which forms an air bearing surface (ABS) for each slider. Each row is then diced into individual sliders which is the completed product.

It should be understood that integrated circuit elements including diodes could be constructed in the silicon wafer for use with the MR head. Examples of other integrated circuit elements are an amplifier for amplifying a sense signal from the MR stripe, a thermistor for sensing heat buildup or an accelerometer for sensing movement of the slider for control purposes.

An object of the present invention is to provide an MR head which is connected to silicon integrated circuit elements on a slider.

Another object is to provide an MR head which is protected from ESD by silicon integrated circuit elements on a slider which is constructed of a material other than silicon.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an MR head which is protected from ESD by silicon integrated circuit elements on a slider which is constructed of TiC.

Yet another object is to provide a method of merging thin film and integrated circuit technologies for mass producing MR heads on sliders which are protected from ESD by integrated circuit elements.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be readily apparent after reviewing the following specification, claims and accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a disk drive.

FIG. 2 is a schematic isometric cross-sectional illustration of a first embodiment of the invention which includes an MR head mounted on a silicon chip which, in turn, is mounted on the trailing edge of a slider.

FIG. 3 is a schematic isometric illustration of the first embodiment of the invention which includes an MR head mounted on a silicon chip which, in turn, is mounted on the trailing edge of a slider.

FIG. 4 is a schematic planar illustration of circuit connections of an MR stripe to a pair of silicon integrated circuit elements devices.

FIGS. 5A-5C are schematic illustrations of a method of mass producing the first embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 2-4.

FIG. 5A is a schematic isometric illustration of the step of constructing a plurality of silicon integrated circuit elements on a silicon wafer.

FIG. 5B is a schematic isometric illustration of the step of fixedly mounting the silicon wafer to a TiC wafer for constructing a plurality of sliders.

FIG. 5C is a schematic isometric illustration of constructing rows and columns of MR heads on the silicon wafer.

FIG. 6A is an illustration which is the same as FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6B is a schematic isometric illustration constructing a plurality of rows and columns of MR head on the silicon wafer before fixedly mounting the silicon wafer to the TiC wafer.

FIG. 6C is a schematic isometric illustration is the step of fixedly mounting the silicon wafer to the TiC wafer to form a composite wafer after constructing the MR heads on the silicon wafer.

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of the step of dicing the composite wafer into quadrants, each quadrant containing rows and columns of sliders.

FIG. 8 is a schematic isometric illustration of one of the rows of MR heads after dicing one of the quadrants of FIG. 7 into a plurality of rows of sliders.

FIG. 9 is a schematic isometric illustration of a single slider after dicing the row in FIG. 8 into individual sliders.

FIG. 10 is a schematic electrical diagram of the components of an MR head connected via a plurality of integrated circuit elements that provide ESD protection.

FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of a pair of back-to-back silicon diodes.

FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of a pair of back-to-back stacked silicon diodes.

FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of a pair of back to back field effect transistors (FETs) or TFTs.

FIG. 14 is a schematic isometric illustration of a second embodiment of the present invention which includes an MR head mounted on the trailing edge of the slider between the slider and the silicon chip.

FIG. 15 is a planar schematic illustration of the connection of a pair of silicon integrated circuit elements to an MR stripe of an MR head.

FIG. 16-20 are schematic illustrations of the method of constructing the second embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 14 and 15.

FIG. 16 is a schematic isometric illustration of the step of constructing a plurality of silicon integrated circuit elements on a silicon wafer.

FIG. 17 is a schematic isometric illustration of the step of constructing rows and columns of MR heads on a TiC wafer which is used to make sliders.

FIG. 18 is a schematic isometric illustration of the step of fixedly mounting the silicon wafer to the TiC wafer to form a composite wafer.

FIG. 19 is a schematic illustration of the step of dicing the composite wafer into quadrants of rows and columns of sliders.

FIG. 20 is a schematic isometric illustration of a row of sliders after a step of dicing one of the quadrants into a plurality of rows and columns of sliders.

FIG. 21 is a schematic isometric illustration of a single slider after a step of dicing the row shown in FIG. 20 into a plurality of sliders.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate like or similar parts throughout the several views, a magnetic disk drive 30 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The drive 30 includes a spindle 32 which supports and rotates a disk 34. The spindle 32 is rotated by a motor 36 which is controlled by motor controls 38. A magnetic read/write transducer, referred to as a magnetic head 40, is mounted on a slider 42 which, in turn, is supported by a suspension and actuator arm 44. The magnetic head 40 may include or comprise an MR head according to the invention. The suspension and actuator arm 44 positions the slider 42 so that the magnetic head 40 is in a transducing relationship with a surface of the disk 34. When the disk 34 is rotated by the motor 36, air moved by the top of the disk together with the structure of the slider 42 causes the slider to ride on a cushion of air, referred to as an air bearing. The thickness of the air bearing, also referred to as the "flying height" of the slider, is typically less than 5.0 microinches. The magnetic head 40 is then employed for writing and reading information in multiple circular tracks on the surface of the disk 34. These information signals as well as servo signals for moving the slider to various tracks are processed by drive electronics 46 which are connected to the magnetic head 40.

FIG. 2 illustrates a first embodiment of the invention which includes an MR head 50 mounted on a trailing edge 52 of a silicon chip 54 which, in turn, is mounted on a trailing edge 56 of a slider 58. The slider 58 is preferably constructed of titanium carbide (TIC) which is a standard material in the industry for sliders. This slider material is known as N58. The silicon chip 54 is preferably single crystal silicon which will be explained in more detail hereinafter.

The MR head 50 includes an MR stripe 60 which is sandwiched between first and second gap layers 62 and 64 which, in turn, are sandwiched between first and second shield layers 66 and 68. A coil layer 70 is sandwiched between first and second insulation layers (not shown) which, in turn, are sandwiched between first and second pole pieces 68 and 72. The second shield layer S2 also serves as a first pole piece P1. This type of MR head is known in the industry as a merged MR head. The pole pieces 68 and 72 terminate at an air bearing surface (ABS) 74 and first and second pole tips 76 and 78 which are separated by a gap insulation layer 80. A sense current is transmitted to the MR stripe 60 by a pair of conductor leads, one of the leads being illustrated at 82 in FIG. 2. A write function is performed by the MR head by the first and second pole tips when magnetic flux bridges across the gap 80 in response to magnetic flux induced into the first and second pole pieces 68 and 72 by the coil layer 70. A playback function is performed by the head when magnetic fields on a moving medium cause a change of resistance of the MR stripe; the resistance change causes a voltage change across the leads connected to the MR stripe; voltage variations are processed into information signals.

It is important that the MR stripe 60 be protected from electro-static discharge (ESD) during its construction and during assembly of the disk drive shown in FIG. 1. A few volts can destroy or damage the MR stripe, rendering the read function of the MR head inoperative. The MR stripe 60 can be protected from ESD by a protective element which is connected to the MR stripe. A typical ESD protective element is a silicon diode which shunts ESD-induced current to larger components in the head such as the first and second shield layers 66 and 68 and the coil layer 70. A block diagram for such electrical connections will be described in more detail hereinafter.

The protective element may be one or more integrated circuit elements constructed in the silicon chip 54, which is preferably single crystal silicon. For example, one of a plurality of silicon diode devices is shown in the silicon chip at 84. Interconnects, one of which is shown at 86, are employed to connect the protective element 84 to other protective elements (not shown) as well as to pads, a portion of one pad being shown at 88, which are at the top surface of an insulation layer 90. Vias, one of which is illustrated at 92, extend through the various layers of the MR head from various components in the head to the pads 88 for electrically connecting the head components to the protective elements 84. Numerous vias may be provided for connecting multiple components of the MR head to multiple protective elements as will be explained in more detail hereinafter. It should be understood however that the protective elements contemplated by the invention are not restricted to silicon diodes, but may employ other silicon integrated circuit elements such as silicon controlled rectifiers (SCRs), bipolar transistors and MOSFETS. The silicon chip 54 is fixedly mounted to the trailing edge 56 of the slider 58. This may be accomplished by bonding with epoxy or by C-4 solder. In actual practice an overcoat (not shown) is deposited over the second pole piece 72 to complete the MR head. The MR head and the silicon chip then form a small portion of an air bearing surface (ABS). The major portion of the air bearing surface is provided by the slider 58.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the first embodiment 100 constructed according to the teachings of FIG. 2 with the MR head shown schematically mounted on the trailing edge 56 of the silicon chip 54 which, in turn, is mounted on the trailing edge 56 of the slider 58. The ABS, which is shown at 74, is formed by the bottom surface of the MR head, the silicon chip 54 and the slider 58. While the description describes a single MR head carried by the slider, it should be understood that the slider may carry a plurality of MR heads according to the teachings of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an exemplary illustration of a pair of silicon protective devices 84 interconnecting the MR stripe 60 to larger head components 102 via pads 88 and via MR head vias 92.

A method of constructing the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 through 4 is illustrated in a series of steps shown in FIGS. 5A through 9. In FIG. 5A the first step is to construct a plurality of protective elements using known techniques for integrated circuit fabrication on one face of a silicon wafer 104. Such elements may include silicon diodes. The next step is to fixedly mount the silicon wafer 104 on a wafer 106 of slider material, such as TiC. The next step is to construct rows and columns of MR heads 50 on top of the silicon wafer and on top of the protective silicon devices 84 as described hereinabove with reference to FIG. 2. This provides a composite TiC/Si composite wafer.

Modified steps in the construction are illustrated in FIGS. 6A through 6C for achieving the composite wafer shown in FIG. 5C. The step shown in FIG. 6A is the same as the step implemented in FIG. 5A, namely, constructing the protective silicon devices 84 on the silicon chip 104. FIG. 6B is different in that the magnetic heads 50 are constructed on the silicon chip prior to fixedly mounting the silicon chip on the TiC wafer 106. In FIG. 6 the silicon wafer 104 of FIG. 6B is fixedly mounted to the TiC wafer 106 providing the same result as shown in FIG. 5C.

FIG. 7 illustrates a step of dicing the composite wafer of FIG. 5C or FIG. 6C into quadrants, each quadrant containing rows and columns of magnetic heads 50. FIG. 8 illustrates one row of sliders 110 after one of the quadrants 108 in FIG. 7 is diced into a plurality of rows 110 of sliders. FIG. 9 illustrates a composite single slider 58, silicon chip 54, and magnetic head 50 after dicing the row of sliders 110 in FIG. 8 into a plurality of sliders.

FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of exemplary electrical connections of ESD diodes (ESDD) for shunting ESD-induced current from the MR stripe 60 to the larger components of the MR head such as the first and second shield layers 66 and 68 and the coil layer 70. The ESD induced current can also be shunted to a silicon chip substrate or ground potential. Suitable ESDDs are illustrated in FIGS. 11 through 13. In FIG. 11 a pair of back-to-back silicon diodes with each leg of opposite polarity are provided so that currents of either plus or minus polarity can be conducted therethrough. It is important that the ESDDs only shunt currents which exceed an operational sense level for the MR stripe. In order to accomplish this purpose, a series of diodes may be employed in each leg of the protective element as illustrated in FIG. 12. The more diodes located in each leg, the higher the voltage that will be required to cause the leg to operate and conduct current. Still another ESDD is illustrated in FIG. 13 which employs a pair of field effect transistors (FETs or TFTs) which can be selectively adjusted for each leg of the protective element.

FIG. 14 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention wherein the MR head is constructed on the trailing edge 56 of the slider 58. In this arrangement the MR head is located between the slider 58 and the silicon chip 54. FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary connection of the MR stripe 60 to larger components 102 in the head. In this embodiment the MR stripe 60 is connected by vias 92 to a pair of pads 120 at an outer surface of the head for connection to corresponding pads 88 at an outer surface of the silicon chip. The pads 120 and 88 connect with one another when the silicon chip 54 is mounted over the MR head on the slider 58. Accordingly, the MR stripe 60 is connected to the larger head components 102 via the head vias 92, the pads 120 and 88 and the protective elements 84.

FIGS. 16 through 21 illustrate the various steps in constructing the second embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG. 16 illustrates the step of constructing the protective elements on the silicon wafer 122. FIG. 17 illustrates the step of constructing the MR heads on the TiC wafer 124. FIG. 18 illustrates the step of fixedly mounting the silicon wafer 122 to the TiC wafer 124. FIG. 19 illustrates dicing the composite wafer of FIG. 18 into quadrants 130 which contain rows and columns of the desired sliders. FIG. 20 illustrates a row of desired sliders after a step of dicing one of the quadrants 130 of FIG. 19 into a plurality of rows of sliders. FIG. 21 illustrates a composite slider, MR head, and silicon chip 134 after dicing the row of slider 132 into a plurality of individual sliders. One advantage of this method over the method illustrated in FIGS. 5A-9 is that the heat in constructing the MR heads on the wafer 124 will not damage the bonding of the wafer 122 to 124 as illustrated in FIG. 18.

Obviously, other embodiments and modifications of the invention will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the above teachings. Therefore, the invention is to be limited only by the following claims, which include all of such embodiments and modifications when viewed in conjunction with the above specification and accompanying drawings.