Patent ID: 6038106
Filing Date: 2000-03-14
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
A magneto-resistive read/write tape head for reading and writing to tape media along a tape head face and comprising a plurality of modules, each module comprising a read element and a write element spaced apart and terminating at said tape head face and formed over a substrate, said read element comprising a soft film bias layer and a hard film bias layer butting each side of the soft film bias layer and said write element comprising two pole tips spaced apart by a gap, said tape head further including a plurality of activating conducting coil turns operatively associated with said write element and covered by a cross-linked photoresist and positioned between said gap and one of said pole tips and set back from said tape head face, said tape head having the following elements:(a) a wear shield between said read element and said write element for limiting wear of said gap between said two pole tips, said wear shield being grounded for decoupling read and write functions of said tape head, for allowing same module read servo/write functions simultaneously, and for grounding static charge from said tape media; and(b) a non-activating dummy coil turn closer to said pole tips than said activating coil turns for defining a forward termination of said cross-linked photoresist between said activating coil turns and said tape head face to thereby provide improved ease of processability.