A process according to one embodiment includes milling a media facing surface of a module having an array of sensors at a first angle, and milling the media facing surface of the magnetic head module at a second angle, not necessarily in that order. After the milling at the first and second angles, the media facing surface of the module is milled at a third angle between 55 degrees and 65 degrees from normal. An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a tape head module having an array of at least eight current perpendicular to plane sensors, wherein none of the sensors has a resistance more than about 10% away from the resistances of its nearest neighbors.

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a magnetic head having multiple magnetic transducers, the transducers including read sensors. The read sensors are of at least two differing types selected from a group consisting of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR), giant magnetoresistance (GMR), anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR), and inductive sensors.

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes an array of magnetic transducers each having: a current-perpendicular-to-plane sensor, and a stabilizing layered structure adjacent the sensor. The stabilizing layered structure includes a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, and an antiparallel coupling layer between the ferromagnetic layers. Each transducer also includes an electrical lead layer positioned between the sensor and the stabilizing layered structure. The electrical lead layer is in electrical communication with the sensor. Each transducer also includes a spacer layer between the respective electrical lead layer and the stabilizing layered structure. A conductivity of the electrical lead layer is higher than a conductivity of the spacer layer.

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods, systems, and computer program products for compensating for loss of current through shorted tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) sensors. In one embodiment, for a magnetic head having multiple TMR read sensors, a first voltage limit is set for most parts and a second voltage limit is set for all of the parts. A number of TMR read sensors which are allowed to function between the first and the second voltage limits is determined using a probability algorithm, which determines the probability that the application of the second voltage limit will result in a dielectric breakdown within an expected lifetime of a drive is below a threshold value. For the number of TMR read sensors which are allowed to function at voltages between the first and second voltage limits, a determined subset of those sensors are then allowed to function at the second voltage limit.

A system according to one embodiment includes a magnetic head having a plurality of sensors arranged to simultaneously read at least three immediately adjacent data tracks on a magnetic medium, wherein none of the sensors share more than one lead with any other of the sensors. Such embodiment may be implemented in a magnetic data storage system such as a disk drive system, which may include a magnetic head, a drive mechanism for passing a magnetic medium (e.g., hard disk) over the magnetic head, and a controller electrically coupled to the magnetic head.

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes an array of transducer structures arranged along a tape bearing surface of a common module. Each transducer structure includes a lower shield, an upper shield above the lower shield, a current-perpendicular-to-plane sensor between the upper and lower shields, at least one lead, and an insulating layer between the at least one lead and the shield closest thereto. The at least one lead is selected from a group including an upper electrical lead between the sensor and the upper shield, and a lower electrical lead between the sensor and the lower shield. The at least one lead is in electrical communication with the sensor. A width of one or more of the at least one lead in a cross track direction is about equal to a width of the sensor.

Various embodiments provide the position error signal (PES) that is generated by the data read channel that uses internal signals such as analog-to-digital signals, recovered data bits and signals or other internal signals to determine read head off-track metrics. Several different metrics can be utilized including a normalized norm metric, a normalized cross correlation metric, and a cross correlation with detected data metric. These metrics can be utilized to determine off-track shift of one or more read heads such that the read head position can be corrected.

One general embodiment includes an array of magnetic transducers each having: a current-perpendicular-to-plane sensor, magnetic shields on opposite sides of the sensor, and a stabilizing layered structure between at least one of the magnetic shields and the sensor. The stabilizing layered structure includes an antiferromagnetic layer, a first ferromagnetic layer adjacent the antiferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, and an antiparallel coupling layer between the ferromagnetic layers. The antiferromagnetic layer pins a magnetization direction in the first ferromagnetic layer along an antiferromagnetic polarized direction of the antiferromagnetic layer. A magnetization direction in the second ferromagnetic layer is opposite the magnetization direction in the first ferromagnetic layer. Each transducer also includes spacers on opposite sides of the sensor, at least one of the spacers being positioned between the sensor and the stabilizing layered structure. At least one of the spacers includes an electrically conductive ceramic layer.

A method and system provide a storage device. A plurality of read sensor stacks for each reader of the storage device are provided. The read sensor stacks are distributed along a down track direction and offset in a cross-track direction. A plurality of electronic lapping guides (ELGs) are provided for the read sensor stacks. The read sensor stacks are lapped. Lapping is terminated based on signal(s) from the ELG(s).

A multi reader head has a plurality of readers that are laminated via a gap layer(s), and each of the readers has a structure in which a current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) type of magneto-resistive effect element, where a current flows along the lamination direction, is interposed between a pair of shields that function as an electrode, respectively, from both sides in the lamination direction. The shields that are opposed from each other via the gap layer of the readers that are adjacent in the lamination direction by a distance that is not constant, but include a portion with a greater distance between the shields and another portion with a smaller distance between the shields are included. The portion with a greater distance between the shields is situated at a position away from the center on an air bearing surface opposing to a recording medium in the magneto-resistive effect element.