公开(公告)号：US06532823B1

公开(公告)日：2003-03-18

申请号：US09272648

申请日：1999-03-18

申请人： Kenneth E. Knapp ,  Liubo Hong ,  Robert E. Rotmayer

发明人： Kenneth E. Knapp ,  Liubo Hong ,  Robert E. Rotmayer

IPC分类号： G01B716

CPC分类号： B82Y25/00 ,  B82Y10/00 ,  G11B5/3103 ,  G11B5/3133 ,  G11B5/332 ,  G11B5/3903 ,  G11B5/40 ,  G11B2005/3996

摘要： A magnetoresistive (MR) transducer has at least one insulative layer made of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C). The ta-C layer is formed by filtered cathodic arc deposition, has an essentially zero concentration of hydrogen and can serve as a read gap for the transducer. The hydrogen-free t-aC read gap has high thermal conductivity, keeping an adjoining MR sensor from overheating during operation. This extends sensor lifetimes and/or improves sensor performance. The read gap also has low defects and porosity, preventing unwanted electrical conduction or shorting between a sensor and a shield. The high hardness of the read gap resists plasma and chemical etching processes such as ion milling that are used to form the sensor. The increased hardness and reduced defects and porosity allow the read gaps to be made thinner without risking electrical shorting. Other hydrogen-free t-aC layers are employed for other sensor elements where electrical insulation and reduced thickness are important.

摘要翻译： 磁阻（MR）换能器具有由四面体无定形碳（ta-C）制成的至少一个绝缘层。 ta-C层通过过滤的阴极电弧沉积形成，具有基本上为零的氢浓度，并且可以用作换能器的读取间隙。 无氢的t-aC读取间隙具有高导热性，在运行期间保持相邻的MR传感器不会过热。 这延长了传感器寿命和/或提高了传感器性能。 读取间隙也具有低缺陷和孔隙率，防止传感器和屏蔽之间的不必要的导电或短路。 读取间隙的高硬度抵抗用于形成传感器的等离子体和化学蚀刻工艺，例如离子铣削。 增加的硬度和减少的缺陷和孔隙率使得读取间隙更薄，而不会出现电气短路的危险。 其他无氢的t-aC层用于其他电绝缘和厚度减小的传感器元件。