A process for manufacturing a magnetic tape head module involves depositing over a wafer substrate electrical traces from respective electrical lapping guides (ELGs) to an area at an end of a tape head module also formed over the substrate, fabricating a closure adjacent to the tape head module where the closure terminates outside of the area at the end of the tape head module, and electrically connecting the electrical traces to an external circuit using a wire-bonding procedure, thereby electrically connecting each ELG to the external circuit. A plurality of electrical connection pads may be deposited at the area at the end of the tape head module, and each electrical trace electrically connected to one of the pads, where electrically connecting the traces to the external circuit includes wire-bonding the pads to the circuit.

A main pole has a front end face including a first to a third end face portion. A plasmon generator has a near-field-light-generating surface. A surrounding layer has a first surrounding layer end face and a second surrounding layer end face. A gap film has a first gap film end face and a second gap film end face located on opposite sides of the near-field-light-generating surface in the track width direction. The first and second end face portions are interposed between the first and second surrounding layer end faces. The second end face portion is greater in width than the first end face portion. The third end face portion is greater in width than the second end face portion.

An assembly for lapping multiple row bars, the assembly including a carrier having at least one carrier bond pad, multiple row bars adjacent to each other in a stack, wherein a first row bar of the stack is positioned closer to the carrier than any of the other multiple row bars of the stack and comprises at least one row bar bond pad, an electrical connection between at least one of the carrier bond pads and at least one of the row bar bond pads of the first row bar, and at least one electrical trace extending through at least two of the multiple row bars and electrically connected to at least the first row bar and one additional row bar of the stack. An outermost row bar of the stack includes an outer surface and at least one electronic lapping guide.

A slider comprises an air bearing surface having a leading edge at a first end of the air bearing surface; a trailing edge at a second end of the air bearing surface, wherein the first end is opposite to the second end; a first region adjacent to the trailing edge, wherein the first region comprises one or more transducer elements; and a second region adjacent to the first region and the leading edge. The air bearing surface has a protective overcoat layer as an outermost layer, wherein the protective overcoat layer extends across the entire air bearing surface. The air bearing surface comprises a lapped surface and a plurality of milled surfaces, wherein a surface potential difference between the lapped surface and a milled surface is 0+/−50 milliVolts or less as measured according to Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM).

A recording head has a waveguide that delivers optical energy from an energy source and a write pole extending to a media-facing surface of the recording head. The recording head also has a near-field transducer coupled to receive the optical energy from the waveguide and emit surface plasmons from the media-facing surface towards a recording medium while the write pole applies a magnetic field to the recording medium. The near-field transducer has an extended portion that, as-manufactured, protrudes beyond the media-facing surface by a first distance.

The present disclosure relates to kiss lapping sliders after patterning an air bearing surface pattern, followed by applying a protective overcoat to the air bearing surface. The present disclosure also involves related sliders.

The present disclosure includes methods of lapping that include energizing one or more elements that are located proximal to a first magnetoresistive element in a transducer region and generate heat and cause the first magnetoresistive element to selectively expand in the lapping direction relative to one or more other magnetoresistive elements. The present disclosure also includes methods of lapping that use one or more thermal sensors located proximal to the first magnetoresistive element to help control lapping in the lapping direction. The present disclosure includes related lapping systems and sliders.

Described are methods for processing microelectronic device substrates by a lapping step, e.g., a final lapping step, wherein the step includes the use of an elastomeric pressure-sensitive adhesive to secure the microelectronic device substrate to a carrier that holds the substrate to a surface of the carrier during the lapping step, and wherein the pressure-sensitive adhesive can be a non-polysilicone based adhesive having mechanical properties that include a tan delta that is below about 0.2.

The present disclosure includes methods of using a sacrificial, protective head overcoat during the manufacture of sliders. In some embodiments, the final trailing edge topography of the transducer devices is formed before applying the sacrificial, protective head overcoat. In some embodiments, the final trailing edge topography of the transducer devices is formed after removing the sacrificial, protective head overcoat.

Described are methods for processing microelectronic device substrates by a lapping step, e.g., a final lapping step, wherein the step includes the use of an elastomeric pressure-sensitive adhesive to secure the microelectronic device substrate to a carrier that holds the substrate to a surface of the carrier during the lapping step, and wherein the pressure-sensitive adhesive can be a non-polysilicone based adhesive having mechanical properties that include a tan delta that is below about 0.2.