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.

A hard disk drive head slider is configured with a material void, such as a chamfer, positioned at a virtual intersection of a leading edge (LE) face and a suspension face. The material void provides for avoidance of structural interference between an actuator that is mechanically coupled with the slider and the suspension flexure during actuator operation, thereby enabling the actuator to achieve a full desired stroke.

A manufacturing method of a slider includes steps of: (a) providing a row bar with a plurality of slider elements connecting together; (b) lapping surfaces of the row bar so as to obtain a predetermined requirement; (c) lowering the temperature of the surfaces lapped in the step (b) before and/or during lapping; and (d) cutting the row bar into a plurality of sliders. The present invention can prevent a local high temperature generated on the magnetic head during lapping so that the performance of the magnetic head is improved.

A carrier may be configured and operated to engage a lapping plate with a plurality of physically separated sliders attached to a common adhesive of the carrier. The carrier can be constructed to have at least one finger adjacent to and capable of translating a single slider of the plurality of physically separated sliders.

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.

The present disclosure includes methods and systems that include multiple lapping stages having at least one lapping stage that laps while a heat source is applied to cause expansion during lapping and at least one subsequent lapping stage that laps while the heat source is reduced (e.g., turned off).

A composite hard mask is disclosed. In some embodiments, a first sacrificial hard mask layer comprising an amorphous carbon or silicon nitride and a second sacrificial hard mask layer comprising a silicon nitride, silicon oxide, metal, metal oxide, or metal nitride, wherein the first and second sacrificial hard mask layers are not made of the same material.

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.

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.