Production and Performance of ${\hbox {Si/SiO}}_{2}$ Magnetic Recording Head Sliders

An alternative has been sought for the very hard ceramic material (Al₂O₃ plus TiC) used as the substrate for magnetic recording heads. We have substituted silicon as the substrate and slider body material; the primary insulator enclosing the recording head was made of SiO₂. We built and tested these sliders with full read and write capability in disk drives. Si provides improvement with respect to hardness, modulus, and thermal conductivity, and adds the potential of active electronics located immediately adjacent to the recording head. We describe a novel means of producing heads, using entirely dry etching, rather than diamond sawing. The sliders were etched from the finished wafers in the form of individual sliders, rather than rows of sliders, and were processed individually through to completion. Conventional air bearings were etched into the sliders, suspensions were attached, and drives were built and tested. The outcome shows a profound advantage in the mechanical head/disk interaction, particularly under shock conditions. Other results and slider characterization are described.